What's on the inventory? This year the Heritage Office is working to raise awareness of 20th century heritage. Of the 17,500 heritage items listed on the State Heritage Inventory, as yet relatively few date from the 20th century. However these more recent places can also illustrate important themes in the history and development of our state. AWA Building For over 20 years the AWA building with its distinctive tower was the tallest structure in Sydney. Its skyscraper appearance was a radical change for the streetscapes of 1930s Sydney. It was built to house Amalgamated Wireless Australasia and gave the firm a progressive and prestigious image. The building was designed by Robertson, Marks and McCredie in association with DT Morrow and Gorden and was completed in 1939. It is steel-framed and faced in brick with polished trachyte facing at the ground floor. The communications tower was designed as an integral part of the building and its supports are part of the structure of the building. The building is part of a significant group of Art Deco office buildings located along York Street. A winged horse, Pegasus, was chosen by Sir Ernest Fisk to reflect the work of Australia's great wireless undertaking. Photograph by Leanne Gould The AWA building is valued for its association with the development of radio and communications technology and industry. Indeed, a closer inspection reveals that these very themes are woven into the interior decoration. Over the entrance to the building is an AWA symbol surrounded by the signs of the zodiac. A series of small reliefs along the walls represent various nations, symbolising the unification of the world throughout radio. The public could even join the new world of radio from within the building, where radiograms could be despatched from the beam chamber on the ground floor. The AWA building is covered by a Permanent Conservation Order.   Roxy Theatre One of the changes that makes our lives in the 20th century so different from earlier generations is the way we spend our leisure time. "Moving pictures" were first introduced to NSW in the 1910s. By the 1930s cinemas were found across Sydney suburbs and cinema-going had become a part of modern life. The Roxy Theatre in Parramatta is a striking example of the "Picture Palaces" that were built between the wars. Both films and cinemas in this period were deliberately escapist and were strongly influenced by the United States. The decoration and fittings of these lavish cinemas provided an opulence and grandeur that was affordable for everyone. The Spanish Mission style theatre is richly decorated and retains much of the original layout including stuccoed walls, arches, false balconies, a "Spanish" style ceiling of panelled and painted timber and a central dome in the main auditorium. The theatre was the first in a proposed chain of suburban theatres managed by Roxy Theatres Ltd. It opened on 6 February 1930 with "a packed audience and an interested crowd of several thousands in the street opposite the brilliantly-illuminated entrance". Originally it had 1,923 seats and though it was opened with the Talkies it had a Christie theatre organ which was reputedly one of the largest and finest in the state. The cinema remained unaltered until the 1970s when Hoyts added three more cinemas. In 1988 the forecourt was refurbished with new shops installed in the arcaded wings. The Roxy Theatre is listed on Parramatta's Local Environmental Plan, the National Trust Register and the Register of the National Estate. The Roxy Theatre is set back from the street behind an open air, arcade-lined forecourt. Photograph by Leanne Gould A winged horse, Pegasus, was chosen by Sir Ernest Fisk to reflect the work of Australia's great wireless undertaking. Photograph by Leanne Gould