Plaza Cinema

HJHill on February 17, 2013 at 4:25 am

This is (almost) how I recall the façade from my childhood in the 1950s.

As shown, the building is a bingo hall and has a crudely made (and maintained) sign spoiling the entrance arch. The tile/slate roof has been made water-tight (cheaply) by covering it with roofing-felt/sheet. The brick lean-to was an early 1950s addition and is the gents toilets, accessible from the auditorium. The original gents was behind the two tall windows to the left of the entrance, accesible via the minute foyer. That room became a staff and storage space. At that time, the ladies toilets (windows to the right) was given a door into the auditorium. Presumably the changes were to stop traffic in/out of the auditorium.

The window to the right of the far, rear stalls, exit door was onto a corridor-like room/waiting area. There was a row of tip-up seats against the wall under the window. The internal wall facing the window carried cases for film posters. To enter the room from the foyer involved a step (or two) to be at the level of the rear stalls.

The manager’s office was in the corner beyond the exit, with a window in the angled corner of the building. I wonder what became of documents and photos kept in there. When cinemascope was installed, the manager displayed photos of the original proscenium and the new one; each with tabs open and closed.