Odeon Manchester
Oxford Street,
Manchester,
M1 4PL
Oxford Street,
Manchester,
M1 4PL
6 people
favorited this theater
The Paramount Theatre was built in 1930 to the designs of architects Frank T. Verity & Samuel Beverley for the U.K. arm of the American Paramount Theatres chain. The Manchester Paramount Theatre was a sumptuous American import.
Verity & Beverley were Paramount Theatre’s chosen architects for their U.K. enterprise — they were also responsible for the Paramount Leeds, Paramount Newcastle-on-Tyne, Paramount Glasgow, Paramount Liverpool, Paramount Birmingham and Paramount, Tottenham Court Road, London. Their architect’s practice continues today as Verity-Beverley.
Originally containing 2,920 seats, the Paramount Theatre was the largest of Manchester’s picture palaces to survive as a cinema. It opened on 6th October 1930 with Maurice Chevalier in “The Love Parade”, plus a variety show on stage, and it was equipped with a Wurlitzer 4Manual/20Ranks theatre organ. The Paramount Theatre also had a cafe for the convenience of its patrons.
In November 1939 the Paramount circuit was obtained by Oscar Deutsch’s chain of Odeon Theatres Ltd. and it was re-named Odeon in April 1940. It was twinned in 1973, triplexed in 1979 with a further four screens created in 1992.
The cinema was closed in September 2004 due to competition from the AMC Great Northern 16, which had opened nearby in December 2001. In Autumn of 2010, plans were approved by Manchester City Council to demolish the former Paramount/Odeon and redevelop the site.
Contributed by
Steve Lynch
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Recent comments (view all 43 comments)
Ummm.. Not to bring any naysayers forward buuut…
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You should read this. He (The author of the article) is true. The building can’t be saved. Even if it is saved, ODEON slapped a Conveant on the site, preventing its use as an entertainment venue. Besides, the English Heritage still won’t budge to list the building.
I have to say I largely agree with the outcome although this has been brought about by iniquities that should not exist.
1) the interior was deliberately trashed before English Heritage could view the Odeon. Such acts of vandalism should be made legally reversible at the cost of the owner if EH decide that prior to the destruction it was listable. Furthermore EH should have the right to thoroughly inspect a building (including looking behind partition walls and above ceilings causing potential damage to existing fittings) before coming to a conclusion.
2) if organisations such as Odeon’s owners place a covenant on a building to prevent a specific use in the future then a portion of the sale price should be required to be donated to other similar enterprises in the area. So say a 20% levy on this development purchase price should be made available to aid cinema preservation in the area. Cutting into their profits is the only way to stop restrictive practises. At least if one building is lost, then another might be saved.
3) the dereliction and sub-division it itself is not insurmountable. I commented recently on the Berkhamsted Rex which was in a far worse state than the Odeon, but where there was a will (much opposed) to save it. There is no such desire in Manchester to save the Odeon
Quite an emotional tone to this one! Isn’t it funny, but Paramount in the 1930’s were also ‘greedy, faceless, selfish, 'b***ards’, and they were American imposters too. At the time there were quite a few people (notably architectural critics like the ones everyone seems to aspire to be on this website) who thought it crass, gaudy, preposterous, vulger etc etc etc. One thing everyone could agree on, though, was that the Paramount was modern. And all around, the the old music halls and live-theatres died a death – imagine if web forums existed in the 30’s!!!
This circa 1971 photo might have been linked to previously. This is a direct link to the photo.
Why place a covenant to prevent future entertainment in the building when the building was built solely for that purpose??
a scan of the reopening brochure cover from 1992 when it reopened with 7 screens
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3535001773/
Still a little sad this cinema shut down, neither the amc or the filmworks live up to the atmosphere this old place had, I saw so many films there over the years, particular highlights were preview screenings of Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers and The Return Of The King, both full houses and a great atmosphere.
I never had the chance to go into the Oxford Road Odeon, unfortunately, however, i used to walk past it nearly every day whilst i was at Salford Uni. I used to look up at it and think how sad it was that it was boarded up. I ended up doing a little research and reading up about the Gaumont, and the Oxford Picture House (now mcDonald’s) and the countless cinemas along that road, and became absolutely fascinated. It’s funny because whilst people do kick up a fuss at other cinemas closing, this one always seems to keep people talking, whether it’s because of the demolition rumours i don’t know.
I even wrote an article in the student paper, I was that incensed and focused on getting the place re-opened – in the article i interviewed Aidan O'Rourke (from 3D fan’s link!) I’m guessing the Covenant and the details about the interior ‘trashing’ came as a pretty huge blow to him, he was a big campaigner for saving the building and preventing it’s possible faceless replacement.
Anyone interested in this cinema should read about the history of entertainment and cinema along the Oxford Road/Peter Street Axis. It goes back well over 100 years, and it’s really sad, with the exception of the Cornerhouse the end of the Odeon brings the end of that fantastic piece of history. It was Manchester’s most prestigious and luxiourious cinema, it survived world war II’s blitz, it was one of the very few Odeon cinemas which didn’t adopt their unique and now classic architecture, it showed the first full length technicolour movie. It is virtually the last of the manchester picture houses, it outlived pretty much every other in the city, the Gaumont, the Picadilly Picture House, The Deansgate Picture House, The Grosvenor, The New Oxford, The Regal… which is a great feat in itself.
I’m so passionate about this one, and I never even got to step foot in it! It will be such a sad day when the knock it down.
A vintage street scene of Oxford Street in the early-1930’s, showing the recently opened Paramount Theatre:
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Vintage photographs of the Paramount/Odeon, and its Wurlitzer organ console:
http://www.ukwurlitzer.co.cc/2120.html