Built in 1883 for R. Dixson & Co., 63 Light Square began life as a tobacco factory and warehouse, later passed on to the British & Australian Tobacco Company, with production continuing through the First World War before shifting to other commercial tenants. 

From 1930 to 1965 the building served as the head office of George Chapman Ltd, bacon curers. Their operations supplied Adelaide’s butchers and grocers for decades, making the site a hub of the city’s food industry. After Chapman’s tenure, the building’s uses reflected the changing character of Light Square. 

By the late twentieth century a verandah was added but little else altered; inside it became Cobbs Restaurant and Nightclub, remembered for its corporate nightlife and topless waitresses. The building was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register in 1984. 

In the years that followed, the heritage-listed site hosted gyms, squash courts, drag bars and even a short-lived brothel, before becoming Live on Light Square. This popular live-music and events venue featured local bands, club nights and festivals, cementing its reputation as a cultural gathering place. 

In July 2020 a $10 million project restored the four-storey landmark. It reopened in February 2021 as LIGHT Adelaide, Australia’s first permanent multi-purpose immersive arts venue. In November 2021 it hosted the inaugural Immerse Festival as part of the Bloom springtime campaign developed by the South Australian Government and the South Australian Tourism Commission. In 2024, Light Adelaide was rebranded as Immersive Light and Art (ILA).  

Today, ILA at 63 Light Square is celebrated as a pioneering destination for immersive art, entertainment and culinary innovation.