The State Theatre’s rich history is why architect and interior designer Anthony Chan cares about the beauty and character of this distinctive North Point building. Its easily recognisable flying arches are a series of parabolic, interconnecting trusses over the rooftop, which eliminate the need for columns and improve acoustics. Since it opened as the Empire Theatre in 1952, it has occupied an important place in the city’s entertainment history and collective memory. It became a grand movie theatre until it closed in 1997, but the revitalisation scheme now underway means its legacy will live on as the new owner works towards restoring, preserving and reshaping the building for posterity.
Antony Chan is the Founder and Creative Director of multidisciplinary, award-winning design studio CREAM. He graduated from the University of the Westminster School of Architecture and Studies, UK, and also studied at the Université Paris-Sorbonne, France. Chan, a registered architect in both the UK and France, participated in the European Parliament building project and came fifth in the International Competition for Urban Design Ideas for the German parliamentary quarters. In 2003, Chan was on the prestigious Andrew Martin International Interior Design Awards’ list of the world’s Top 50 designers. He is a leading practitioner of the Poetics of Space, creating and transforming spaces into unique experiences through the interplay of function, aesthetics, art and technology.