“Purpose-built” is wrong. In the 1960s a new, speculative shops/offices development was built across the front of Forster Square railway station, bridging a high and wide entrance opening to the latter. Above that opening were high extensively glazed units in a feature which projected out from the façade of the building and which stood empty for a very long time. Eventually, they were blacked out and converted into two small cinemas. The projection room was above the two small auditoria and used periscope projection. One had to climb a lot of stairs to get to the cinema!
(Cinemas in shop units: that’s how it all started.)
This cinema was on a triangular site, with shops at the apex and along the flanks of the auditorium. It was tardis-like to me: so vast inside; yet without overwhelming bulk when seen outside (unlike the Odeon and Gaumont across the town centre). The internal height came from the stalls area being entirely below ground level. The organ (in the photo above) was damaged and removed when the centre of Bradford flooded in 1947. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradford_timeline/6516698169/
With the introduction of cinemascope, as in many cinemas, the screen was brought as far forward as possible (for side stalls sight lines) and the impressive display of suspended fabric went. The light coloured tabs would open at a tremendous lick (in my memory, always with the Pathe News cockerel and music) and billow out voluminously before falling back beyond the proscenium sides.
This was one of the first cinemas in Bradford to go over to showing Asian films. The projectionists were, however, English. The arrangement caused trouble one night when a feature had arrived with the reels wrongly number and got shown in the wrong order.
The 1961 closure involved the low entrance foyer ceiling being broken through into the large circle lounge above (behind the huge windows which were draped over) to create a lofty entrance (with new stairs, I think). The auditorium was repainted in subtly contrasting bands up the walls and across the ceiling. The Art Deco figures on the proscenium splays were removed and the picture-frame cove lights dispensed with. The octagonal “The Odeon” clocks were removed from either side of the proscenium and resited centrally on the rear walls of the stalls and circle. Yellow/gold spot lighting was arranged along the front of the circle, which illuminated new gold curtains and pale painted proscenium frames. The effect was garishly bright. “Tunes of Glory” was the re-opening film.
“Purpose-built” is wrong. In the 1960s a new, speculative shops/offices development was built across the front of Forster Square railway station, bridging a high and wide entrance opening to the latter. Above that opening were high extensively glazed units in a feature which projected out from the façade of the building and which stood empty for a very long time. Eventually, they were blacked out and converted into two small cinemas. The projection room was above the two small auditoria and used periscope projection. One had to climb a lot of stairs to get to the cinema!
(Cinemas in shop units: that’s how it all started.)
This cinema was on a triangular site, with shops at the apex and along the flanks of the auditorium. It was tardis-like to me: so vast inside; yet without overwhelming bulk when seen outside (unlike the Odeon and Gaumont across the town centre). The internal height came from the stalls area being entirely below ground level. The organ (in the photo above) was damaged and removed when the centre of Bradford flooded in 1947. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradford_timeline/6516698169/
With the introduction of cinemascope, as in many cinemas, the screen was brought as far forward as possible (for side stalls sight lines) and the impressive display of suspended fabric went. The light coloured tabs would open at a tremendous lick (in my memory, always with the Pathe News cockerel and music) and billow out voluminously before falling back beyond the proscenium sides.
This was one of the first cinemas in Bradford to go over to showing Asian films. The projectionists were, however, English. The arrangement caused trouble one night when a feature had arrived with the reels wrongly number and got shown in the wrong order.
The 1961 closure involved the low entrance foyer ceiling being broken through into the large circle lounge above (behind the huge windows which were draped over) to create a lofty entrance (with new stairs, I think). The auditorium was repainted in subtly contrasting bands up the walls and across the ceiling. The Art Deco figures on the proscenium splays were removed and the picture-frame cove lights dispensed with. The octagonal “The Odeon” clocks were removed from either side of the proscenium and resited centrally on the rear walls of the stalls and circle. Yellow/gold spot lighting was arranged along the front of the circle, which illuminated new gold curtains and pale painted proscenium frames. The effect was garishly bright. “Tunes of Glory” was the re-opening film.