One of the saddest things in life is seeing a once-beloved local building empty and unutilised, gradually falling prey to that ultimate demolisher of all things: time and the elements.

This seems to be the current fate of the old Australia Cinema in Lords Place, imperfectly boarded-up with corrugated iron and seemingly home to a largish pigeon population, if nothing else.

Originally opened in the late 19th century, recent times have seen a number of proposed uses for this grand old lady of local movie-going. Long-planned as a permanent base for the Orange Evangelical Church, which bought the former cinema in 2011, there were detailed plans to renovate what was then a four-theatre complex into a multi-use church building.

The church received approval in 2014 to renovate it into their new worship centre, however — after much delay — the church found the required renovations financially unviable, with parking issues for one of our busiest CBD thoroughfares also a major factor.

The church eventually sold the building in 2018, using it in the interim for office space. On selling the old theatre, the church had been informed that it would be developed into a luxury hotel complex.

As an aside, in what proved to be a happy ending for the growing local congregation, they eventually constructed a fancy new purpose-built complex on Cottonwood Way, which opened in 2022.

Local designer Peter Basha then developed detailed plans for the hotel proposal which were lodged with council in late 2019, with approval for the complex in 2021.

The DA (development application) was for the site to be used as “Mixed Use Development", including hotel or motel accommodation and retail premises, with a development cost of about $4,350,000.

This would have involved building alterations, additions, and external works, to make the premises suitable for 31 rooms over three levels; a hotel reception; a kiosk/café; a function room at ground level; and retail space and shopfronts facing Lords Place.

The adjoining laneway and pathway were also envisaged to be opened up as an awning and pavement area. As yet, the only work appears to have involved completely gutting the building, which is now essentially a giant, empty barn.

'Orange City Life' could also find no listing for the company that lodged the original development, with Mr Basha forwarding inquiries to the building’s current owner in Sydney.

The site is currently a sad-looking reflection of its former glory with ill-fitting panels to keep out the elements and unwanted intruders, when it was once the centre of social life in the Colour City for decades. (See sidebar story).

A council spokesperson said of its current state: “Following last week’s storm, we asked the developer to undertake works to secure the site.”