The Palladium + Palm Beach Studio

The Story of The Palladium, Palm Beach

The Palladium’s story begins in 1923, when forestry expert E.H.F. Swain purchased a long, sloping strip of land above the sparkling arc of Palm Beach. After subdividing it in 1929, the lower parcel — destined to become one of Palm Beach’s most recognisable landmarks — changed hands and, by 1931, a new Streamline-Moderne building rose on Ocean Road. With its curved forms and clean lines, the structure embodied the optimism of the era. Though officially designed as “shops and offices,” its generous open hall and seaside position made it irresistible as a gathering place.

By the early 1930s, the building had found its identity as The Palladium — a lively dance hall at the heart of Palm Beach’s holiday spirit. Surf club members, locals, and summer visitors flocked to its events: Boxing Day dances, New Year’s Eve parties, jazz nights and spirited fundraisers. Newspaper reports described crowds spilling onto the sand, music drifting out toward the water, and a carefree energy that reflected the golden beachside summers of the time. The Palladium was not just a hall — it was Palm Beach’s social pulse.

As decades passed, the building evolved with the community. In the 1940s, after a change of ownership, it shifted from dance hall to general store and café, run by the Milton family. For more than twenty years it served beachgoers with milkshakes, supplies, and simple seaside meals — a beloved local landmark for residents and holidaymakers. By the 1960s and early 1970s, it operated as the “Blue Pacific Restaurant,” one of Palm Beach’s early dining venues, witnessing the shift from a seasonal surf outpost to a more established coastal village.

A new chapter began in 1976, when filmmakers purchased the ageing building. Rather than demolish or modernise it beyond recognition, they embraced its raw, shed-like character — transforming it into Palm Beach Studio, a creative hub. Over the next 14 years, the space became a workshop for film editing, animation, set building, art exhibitions, book launches, and community gatherings. Its weathered hardwood columns and soaring ceilings, once a dance hall's supports, now carried the energy of artists, producers, and storytellers. The Palladium was reborn as a place of imagination.

Today, almost a century after its construction, the former Palladium stands as a rare surviving piece of Palm Beach’s Art-Deco coastline and a vessel of its layered history. From surf club dances to family-run stores, from restaurant to creative studio, the building has shaped and reflected the spirit of Palm Beach through every decade. Its legacy endures not only in its architecture, but in the generations of memories made within its walls.