Carlton Cinema
52-54 Upper O'Connell Street,
Dublin
1
52-54 Upper O'Connell Street,
Dublin
1
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If you walk into Dr Quirkes next door down to the back on the right hand side- you can see that it is linked to the back of the Carlton. The area is currently used for slot machines and the likes.
No change in status nor any progress with the grand “redevelopment” scheme for O'Connell St, – the ride experience in a part of the Carlton complex continues to operate.
“XD Theatre, the current occupant of the Carlton”
The XD Theatre, which provides a theme park style ride experience, only uses a tiny part of the former Carlton premises, not clear what the rest of the space is used for – probably nothing.
“The October 13, 1915, issue of Building News and Engineering Journal had an item which might have been about the original Carlton Theatre”
Yes, this is indeed the original Carlton which closed in 1936. The architect was T F Mc Namara.
This page has a photo of the XD Theatre, the current occupant of the Carlton. It might not be showing real movies, but the attraction is probably taking in enough revenue to keep the roof repaired.
The October 13, 1915, issue of Building News and Engineering Journal had an item which might have been about the original Carlton Theatre, which this house replaced in 1937:
Update from November 2011. Closed since 1994, the ambitious redevelopment plans have come to nothing and in the present climate see unlikely to do so in present economic circumstances. Some of the cinema is used for for a “cinema seat” based theme park style ride experience.
Photos from late 1990s
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A vintage October 1959 photograph of the Carlton Theatre:
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The planning appeal board has made findings critical of the proposed redevelopment of this major site, including rejecting the 13 story block that was one element. They also criticised the local authority, for non respect of their own area development plans.
So more delay, uncertainty and the future of the Carlton, now closed for almost fifteen years, remains unclear. Will a revised development still go ahead, will the Carlton facade move up the street?
New temporary decorative panels have been added to the lower floors of the Carlton, promoting some sort of video arcade style game parlour. A photo is here
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The seemingly eternal saga of the poor Carlton, fixed and frozen in time continues.
It seems that the Irish Planning Appeal Board is to consider objections to the very large scale O'Connell St redevelopment plan, which would have seen the Carlton facade (only, rest of facility demolished) reconstructed further up the street, as part of a major shopping / apartment development. A considerable number of objections, some general, but many relating to redevelopment of the premises roughly behind the Carlton in Moore Street,will be considered.
So the situation
That doesn’t look like Art Deco to me.
Here’s a photo I took in 2000: View link
The most recent redevelopment plans for the Carlton and associated sites, which include 110 retail units, an anchor retailer on O'Connell Street, 108 apartments, office space, three new public squares and a roof-top restaurant quarter are now on hold.
Dublin City Council have now requested additional information, raising queries about traffic management, parking and the movement of construction trucks as well as design aspects, before it will decide whether or not to grant planning permission for this scheme. The Developer will have six months to respond.
This cinema facade is now supposed to move 50m up the street!
Comprehensive, and likely controversial plans to redevelop this area have just now been published by the developers, involving a new street and square, and a park on the “ski-jump” shaped roof of one of the many new buildings. As a part of this exercise, the facade of the Carlton alone would, pointlessly, relocate up the street and be retained in a complex of mainly glass walled modern development.
While the city recently won the court case concerning the property, or this stage of it anyhow, the Carlton remains closed, while plans for a large redevelopment are developed. This might involve a new public square, on the derelict site next door but recent mentions in the press do not suggest that a multiplex will be developed on the Carlton site as once envisaged. Further up the street, the closed Rotunda / Ambassador cinema is expected to be converted into a new public library
Photo of the Carlton in 2005 here:–
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/17996421/
As of today, there is basically no change to the situation at the Carlton cinema and no resolution to the dispute concerning redevelopment.
Rather more about the continuing history of the Carlton cinema here.
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At present, June 2006, the situation remains unchanged with the cinema closed but extant.