In 1896, Ballarat audiences first witnessed the marvel of ‘moving pictures’ at the BMI’s Mechanics’ Hall, just a year after the Lumière Brothers’ invention of the cinematographe. By 1919, the hall had been converted to a cinema, known as the Britannia, then the Odeon, the Vegas 70, and finally, The Sturt.  

In 2004, the final cinema lease on the Minerva ended, leaving the ghostly theatre time-worn and scarred from its many uses and iterations. In the 2010’s, committee member Dr. Frank Hurley OAM spearheaded the securing of funding to restore the Minerva to how it looked as a 19th century Mechanics’ Hall, with practical modern additions. 

Today, the Minerva is a stunning event space, which fulfills its initial purpose as a community hall, playing host to events including concerts, dances, theatre, comedy, exhibitions, banquets, markets and more. The Minerva Space is also used for screenings, making the theatre one of the oldest cinemas still showing films in the world. 

This Twilight Talk will feature BMI Curator Ellen Becker traversing the history of the Minerva as a cinema, Dr Frank Hurley OAM discussing the incredible work of restoring a disused cinema to a glorious 19th century Mechanics’ Hall, and our Venues and Events Manager Sam McColl will explore how the Minerva is used today and touch on the challenges of putting on modern events in a heritage listed 1860’s Mechanics’ Hall.