former cinemas of ireland

Yep, you’re right Paul. Thank God there’s something left though.

Hope you had a nice holiday.

J

Who was the architect of the Adelphi. I know Robinson Keefe were the architects of the Carlton but I don’t think they were responsible for the Adelphi, were they?

Store on the Quays (Ellis Quay I think)….. what was it before a furniture store…. inside has curved balcony level reached by two staircases…. ornate plasterwork on the walls and ceilings… seems to be s lower or sunken area (possibly dancefloor) with four columns, one at each corner….

was it a dancehall or a cinema? the exterior is characterised by a small semi-circular window in the middle of the facade?

As far as I know or recollect it was once an old cinema of which I can’t remember the name just now …..Oh! was it ‘the Volta’, James Joyce’s little interest on the side?

The Volta was on Mary or Abbey Street

The state of this building is in a bad condition…..It was owned by none other than Bargaintown those great cultural exponents and preservers of our architectyral heritage, but it recently change hands I think. Maybe the new owners will rightly give the place, particularly the outside a lick of paint.

I believe that there is a proposal for a significant development on that block (bargaintown site)
(about 80,000sq feet-v.big)

I dont know the building you mention but…

The former Phoenix Cinema, with 850 seats, was on Ellis Quay.

ahhhh that could be it

I was in the irish Architectural Archive one day recently, and I attemptedx to look this up, but couldnt find any information on it.

Anybody able to help, as I’ve become very interested in it.

I do have some little information about the operation of the Phoenix Cinema, as part of a long term project I am slowly working on concerning cinemas but I have no information about the building, or the architect, and do not know where a photo of it might be available.

What has happened to the proposed Millenium Mall etc……’Pie in the sky’ as a lot of other things no doubt…..and we’ll have a poor materialization of the original concept….as a lot of other things.

[This message has been edited by GregF (edited 21 June 2001).]

Did something strange happen to the Academy on Pearse st. a couple of weeks ago?

It caught fire, the Fire Brigade were there. Couple of days later i saw a TV3 news van outside it.

I realise it’s probably a crap building really but was just curious.

Has a bit of history attached to it then. That’s sad really. Was the inside any good?

The outside just looks like cheap mock-palladian. Although, like the presbyterian church on Adelaide St., it’s still more picturesque than most of the cold, naked looking shells they build nowadays.

Think I passed by you yesterday Paul – wasn’t sure if it was you Were you on Pearse street with a Hodges Figgis bag?

John

A new page has been added to the Art Deco Ireland site about this cinema. I still do not know who designed it (Robinson & Keefe?) or when it closed. Can anyone help here with local knowledge?

Art Deco Ireland http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Salon/6941/deco1.htm

Thanks Paul – good work.
I actually have that book, which is excellent but I find it hard to navigate and must have missed that reference.

The Irish Architectural Archive has a wonderful photo album of Dublin’s Savoy Cinema under construction – incredible to see the steel frame going up, the original interior. . .

Just back from Stockholm, where one of the most beautiful cinemas in the world – Asplund’s Skandia – is no longer operational. The auditorium behind seems to be intact, although I could not gain access, but the lobby is now a coffee bar (decorations intact). I went to the movies there less than 3 years ago.

If it can happen there. . .

Shane

I do not know if you have seen this wonderful site devoted to Swedish Cinemas.
Good content and design. http://www.algonet.se/~furberg/e_sidor/intro.html

The Book by the webmaster is excellent too.

Nice article in the Sunday Times today by the way

My God everything is so clean there – really puts our filth in perspective!!

I’ve just moved to Lund in Sweden for a year to study architecture. Been here and in Malmo for nearly a week and still havent seen even one roadsweeper person.
I assume its that nobody throws litter on the street, thatthe inhabitants of these beatifull and very people-friendly cities have a collective sense of social and environmental (and maybe even visual) responsibility that might be a little lacking in ireland at the moment.
We irish could learn from the swedish,and scandanavians in general, (maybe not much about how to party, but )certainly how to attain sustainable buildings and cities.

Certainly could. I was at my brother’s wedding in Norway last year and the place was spotless. On the train every piece of rubbish was collected and placed into 5 recycling bins that they had on each carriage. Kids used to collect the plastic bottles as you could get a 1 Krone (about 10p) refund on each bottle. As you said we could learn a lot.

Mind you they had plenty of bins everywhere, but if you couldn’t find one the people would actually carry the rubbish until the found one, unlike the ignorant masses over here…

an answer to Paul’s initial question ???
I’d say americanism, globalism, mac-burger ism. I’ve only seen cinemas with SOUL as you call it in places with less reliance on or influence from north american culture.
maybe thats the wrong answer but it’s what i think anyway.

Used to be part of Tullamores old cinema. The rest of the building wasdemolished for no apparent reason in the 1980s by An Post, as there has been a gap in the Streetscape ever since.

Just some more info on this

Site did contain a cinema (Built 1914)
The proposal on the site was given a decision to grant by The Corpo in Nov2001 but was appealed by a resident of Benburb street & An Taisce.
An Bord Pleanala refused Permission in May 2002. The proposal was to comprehensively record & document the former Cinema before demolition. [not a protected structure]

There is more information on the Cinema & site in the report that accompanied the application including some photographs (foyer etc)& maps of this area going back to the 17th Century as well as an Archeological assessment. (all on microfiche)

saw this

¡öTHE HISTORY OF CINEMAS (PART 1): DUBLIN
CINEMAS FROM PAST TO PRESENT

A photographic display with explanatory notes
presenting cinemas from the early days to today
[new exhibition ]
Mon 6 -Fri 10 September 9.00am -5.00pm
Venue:Venue:Town Hall,Marine Road,D¨²n
Laoghaire
Free

here heritage week brouchure

http://www.environ.ie/DOEI/DOEIPol.nsf/0/61f0245873ca58c480256efa00327244/$FILE/HW_Dublin_6=9=04.pdf

page 43

theres a few other interesting tours etc

em shoud be interesting that, i recently saw a picture of this cinema they had built on the median of oconnell bridge for the great exhibition or something, mad!

ps what ya reckon to new york on o connel street?

Thanks for that Chewy.

On another slightly related point, does anyone else find it somewhat amusing that the fate of Carrickmines Castle was sealed during Heritage Week?

there’s nothing amusing about it…just inept politicians…that along with a few other things makes me want to leave the country

Yes Yee Haw, my apologies. The word amusing was probably the wrong word to use. I just find it telling that during heritage week, the most prominant archealogical find in recent years is to be destroyed. Incidently, I am no expert on archealogy, so I was just wondering would this castle foss have been declared to be as important if it was not in the way of a motorway, and therefore under no threat? I am not trying to be smart, it is a genuine question as to how important this site is in comparison to other sites around the country. Was it known about before excavation started for the roadway? As far as I know it was, but I have only heard that through general talk, so I am not sure.

Whats’ not even remotely amusing is that the lawyers for the objectors are considering YET ANOTHER appeal (see http://www.rte.ie). Is the High Court not good enough? Is it a case that people in this country are so arrogant that if the systems and processes we put in place do not give the outcomes we desire that we seek a series of injunctions until we get the outcome we want? At this point they could discover the remains of Brian Boru, a Roman city, King Arthur, and dinosaurs all at play there and I think the vast majority of the public wouldn’t care so long as the bloody M50 got finished.

Cinemas – A photographic display with explanatory notes
at Dun Laoire Town Hall.

Chewy, if you are still going to go to this you should be aware that it is a very, very small display indeed.