218:"24 years have flowed (since his arrival in Australia) and, properly used by a great, capable and audacious man, such as Mr. Antonios Lekatsas is, have resulted in the acquisition of substantial wealth. Three splendid, smart and exquisite buildings, of a commercial nature and part of the property owned by him, together with another building of twelve storeys, the tallest in Australia, standing by Sydney Central Railway Station and bearing the name "Australian Buildings", sing the praises of the splendid abilities of Mr. Antonios Lekatsas, who is the richest of the Greeks settled in the State of Victoria."
204:. He again employed the Griffins to design both the theatre and the ten storey office building placed above, and when the theatre opened on 7 November 1924, the unique crystalline interior and coloured lighting was considered a marvel. The Capitol has subsequently achieved heritage status as one of the most avant-garde theatres in the world, and is now registered with the Australian Heritage Commission, the National Trust and Heritage Victoria.
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174:. The guests were stunned by the arched quartz entrance, the piers with reliefs of Greek goddesses, the marble stairway to the grand banquet hall, the murals of Australian pastoral scenes, and the avant-garde design of the furniture, among many other striking features. The renovations arguably marked the beginnings of modernist architecture in Australia.
253:
following the dissolution of the
Ottoman Empire saw millions of people displaced from what is now Turkey. Thousands of Orthodox fled to Australia during this period. In July 1924, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Christoforos Archbishop Knitis of Australia and New Zealand arrived but by 1929 he had
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In later life he was director of several companies and was said to be the richest Greek-Australian in the country. He died in Sydney on 10 August 1946, leaving an estate valued for probate at nearly £134,000. He was buried with Greek
Orthodox rites in Melbourne general cemetery; his six daughters
169:
Having purchased the adjoining building in 1915, Lekatsas quickly implemented his plans to rebuild and expand his cafe, and responded to the prevailing mood by naming the venture the Cafe
Australia. The cafe was re-opened in only five months in November 1916 at a gala event attended by prominent
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During World War 1, when anti-German sentiment was at a fever pitch, with German street names changed and German social clubs closed, the name of the cafe drew protests, especially when the
Austrian eagle appeared on the wine list in June 1916. According to 2016 Age article even worse had
277:, Lucas organised a programme whereby Melbourne's Greeks donated a day's pay to the Greek war effort. On 1 May 1941 an Italian annexation of Ithaca had begun and by late September 1943, the subsequent German occupation commenced, although this lasted just over one year.
261:, a huge publication of over 600 pages published in 1927 by International Publishers of Adelaide. The compilation of this journal was primarily instigated and financed by Georgios Nikolaidis, who was also the founder of a short-lived Greek newspaper
161:"In 1915, a group of drunken soldiers, incensed that the Vienna Cafe bore the name of the enemy, stoned the premises and threatened its patrons. Lekatsas closed the cafe and hired Chicago architect, Walter Burley Griffin and his wife,
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Church in
Melbourne and was also the President of the Ulysses Philanthropic Society of Melbourne ('Antonis Lekatsas' was the first president of the Ithacan Philanthropic Society) from 1916 until 1923.
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in
Swanston Street, the main thoroughfare of Melbourne, opposite the Town Hall. Often employing Greek staff and spanning two floors, the café serviced over five hundred diners at any one time.
283:
He personally donated £10,000 to a fund which he organised for Greek and
British child war-victims and in 1939 was awarded the Golden Cross of Taxiarchon, an order initiated by Greece's
98:, was an influential Australian businessman noted for his philanthropic activities and as proprietor and developer of a number of noted entertainment and restaurant ventures in
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287:. In October 1944 a special service to commemorate his birthday and the coincident liberation of Athens was conducted in the Greek Orthodox Church in Victoria Parade.
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165:, to remodel it. Griffin was in Australia to oversee the building of Canberra. The contract also allowed him to set up private practices in Melbourne and Sydney."
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He was also opposed to the thinking of
Archbishop Knitis and Consul-General Chrysanthopoulos in the Greek Church dispute of the 1920s. During the 1920s,
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196:
may have influenced
Lekatsas, now known as Anthony Lucas, to join forces with the American Phillips brothers (who had been behind the development of
114:
on 18 October 1862, he was the second child of
Ioannis Lekatsas (a priest) and his wife Magdalene Palmos. Migrating just before his younger brother
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in Adelaide and by G. Hetrelezis. Papadopolous had married Angeliki Papadopoulou, also from Ithaca and a niece and god-daughter of Antony Lucas.
751:
712:
640:"for the world-wide Kytherian community: The International Directory. – O Diethnis Emporikos Odigos – A history of the publication of the book"
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496:"for the world-wide Kytherian community: Greek cuisine. History of the influence on Australian cooking. Kythera and Kytherians, prominent"
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102:, Australia in the early 20th century. Lucas became the Greek Consul General to Australia in 1921, then Consul in Melbourne in 1931–46.
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226:. This property was subsequently owned by Jewish immigrant and business tycoon Solomon Lew. In 1928 Lucas moved to the large property
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in seaside St Kilda), to demolish the Town Hall Cafe and build Melbourne's first large scale elaborate picture palace, known as the
214:
The 1916 'Life in Australia' publication by John Comino had a significant section devoted to AJ Lucas, some of which follows:
717:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/arnold-zable-greek-tale-a-chance-to-reflect-upon-immigration-in-australia-20161206-gt55hh.html
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Initially residing on the top floor of the Town Hall Café, Lucas was wealthy enough by 1918 to purchase the Toorak mansion
211:, Tess Malos claims that Lucas also ran an open-air restaurant in the public gardens of the inner Melbourne suburb of Kew.
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314:"From humble beginnings: The story of Antony J J Lucas (Lekatsas), a penniless migrant who transformed Melbourne society"
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Lucas subsequently opened two more restaurants in the early 1900s, both in 'the block', the north side of
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became the busiest and most profitable cinema in Tasmania. This and the rising global interest in
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Lucas' opposition to Knitis created a degree of conflict with Andreas Papadopoulos, author of
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between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets, which was the most fashionable part of the city – the
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118:(Marinos Lekatsas) from their hometown of Exoghi (Exogi) on the Greek island of
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417:"Arnold Zable: Greek tale a chance to reflect upon immigration in Australia"
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234:, where he again employed the Griffins to redesign the house and gardens.
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Biography – Antony John Jereos Lucas – Australian Dictionary of Biography
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Lucas was also an avid supporter of the Lord Mayor's Hospital Appeal.
153:). These ventures prospered under Lucas' keen entrepreneurial skills.
518:"for the world-wide Kytherian community: Mr Antonios I. I. Lekatsas"
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Immigrants to former British colonies and protectorates in Oceania
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in 1886, the young man quickly began to build his fortune.
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Stage 1 – City of Frankston Heritage Study 1995 – Volume 3
341:"The Greek tale behind Melbourne's iconic Capitol Theatre"
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the International Directory: O Diethnis Emporikos Odigos
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Lucas helped found and was frequently the head of the
592:"Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria"
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396:. Victoria, Australia. 30 June 1916. p. 7
703:State Library of Victoria Historical Archives
697:State Library of Victoria Historical Archives
8:
470:"Walter Burley Griffin Society – Melbourne"
209:The 200 years History of Australian Cooking
458:– via National Library of Australia.
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594:. Greekcommunity.com.au. 18 February 2015
540:"HO117 – 2A Whernside Avenue, Toorak.pdf"
16:Greek–Australian businessman (1869?–1931)
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747:19th-century Australian businesspeople
742:20th-century Australian businesspeople
666:"Antony John Jereos Lucas (1862–1946)"
520:. Kythera-Family.net. 10 December 2004
254:been deposed and was exiled to Samos.
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546:, Victoria, Australia. Archived from
498:. Kythera-Family.net. 12 January 2005
170:Melburnians, including opera singer,
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642:. Kythera-Family.net. 8 January 2005
472:. Griffinsociety.org. Archived from
112:Antonios Ioannis Gerasimos Lekatsas
42:United States of the Ionian Islands
777:People from the Colony of Victoria
570:"Yamala, 16 Yamala Drive Frankson"
184:iconic auditorium pictured in 1924
14:
415:Zable, Arnold (8 December 2016).
94:(1862–1946), best remembered as
616:. Ithaca.org.au. Archived from
614:"Ithacan Philanthropic Society"
339:Thomaidou, Zoe (16 June 2019).
238:Religious and Ithacan Interests
188:In 1919, brother Marino Lucas'
207:With reference to the journal
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752:Businesspeople from Melbourne
701:Vienna Cafe period photograph
762:Greek emigrants to Australia
711:Capitol Theater Adobe File
442:"LARGEST TASMANIAN THEATRE"
145:(at about no. 240) and the
92:Antony John Jereos Lekatsas
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757:Australian philanthropists
450:. 5 March 1919. p. 6
421:The Sydney Morning Herald
125:In 1894 Lucas opened the
393:The Graphic of Australia
672:. Adb.online.anu.edu.au
388:"VIENNA CAFE WINE LIST"
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370:Australia on Collins
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182:The Capitol Theatre's
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163:Marion Mahony Griffin
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149:(a few doors down at
232:Mornington Peninsula
695:AJ Lucas photograph
550:on 26 February 2015
544:City of Stonnington
251:genocidal massacres
96:Anthony J. J. Lucas
64:Victoria, Australia
772:People from Ithaca
447:The World (Hobart)
404:– via Trove.
320:. 11 November 2016
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151:260 Collins Street
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71:Known for
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116:Marino Lucas
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54:(1946-08-10)
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737:1946 deaths
732:1862 births
676:26 February
646:26 February
624:26 February
598:26 February
554:26 February
524:26 February
502:26 February
480:26 February
147:Vienna Café
106:Early years
74:Businessman
726:Categories
426:31 January
400:31 January
300:References
291:Later life
269:War Effort
143:Paris Café
133:Prosperity
366:"History"
224:Whernside
198:Luna Park
157:occurred:
100:Melbourne
85:(brother)
79:Relatives
60:Melbourne
454:24 June
350:26 June
324:26 June
263:Okeanis
230:on the
228:Yamala
120:Ithaca
38:Ithaca
110:Born
678:2015
648:2015
626:2015
600:2015
556:2015
526:2015
504:2015
482:2015
456:2022
428:2020
402:2020
352:2022
326:2022
49:Died
31:Born
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