The building was opened by the Premier of New South Wales, Thomas Bavin in 1929 as a theatre but was for decades only used as a cinema.

Its facade exhibits features of the Georgian Revival style with Italian Renaissance elements, particularly in the elegant, repetitive semi-circular-headed windows.

[1] The interior is an elaborate example of White's style in "Spanish Baroque" featuring a traditional proscenium arch, crowned with a classical frieze, a grand ornamental dome in the ceiling, with smaller domes above the back stalls and huge, recessed arches over the Royal boxes which flank the stage.

The building is also an important townscape element, being part of the civic cultural precinct, located adjacent to the City Hall (also designed by White at the same time as the City administration and council chambers) and reflects Newcastle's status as the state's second capital at the time of the theatre's construction.

[1] The Civic Theatre, in conjunction with the Newcastle City Hall, was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 September 2012.

[1] This Wikipedia article contains material from Newcastle City Hall and Civic Theatre, entry number 01883 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.