Listed Building: ODEON BUILDINGS AND ODEON CINEMA (1376369)

SJ4066NW 07-FEB-1989 CHESTER CITY (IM) NORTHGATE STREET (West side) Nos. 1-5 (Consecutive) Odeon Buildings and Odeon Cinema Alternatively known as: Odeon Buildings and Odeon Cinema, Hunter Street Cinema and 5 lock-up shops, 1936, by Robert Bullivant, steel frame on reinforced concrete piers clad in hand-made brick, flat roof except for shallow sloping section to Hunter Street in green glazed tiles, Art Deco style. PLAN: Prominent corner site at junction of Northgate Street and Hunter Street, principal frontages to both streets. Entrance to Hunter Street (S) elevation. EXTERIOR: Ground floor in blue brick with banded rustication, upper levels in buff brick with horizontal channelling to E elevation. S side of auditorium lies to 4-storey Hunter Street (S) elevation with main entrance and corner tower set back to E end. 3-storey E elevation facing Northgate Street with curved N end, five shops to ground floor (one to corner tower facing Hunter Street) with ancillary rooms above, glazing intact to shopfronts but all boarded over, horizontal glazing bars to upper parts of windows. 4 wide 9-light horizontal windows to both upper floors of E elevation; those to N end follow curve of building. 5-storey tower to corner junction with central shop doorway to S face flanked by shop windows in same style as those to Northgate Street, three full-height slender vertical multi-light windows to floors above separated by shaped vertical ribs, ground floor shop window to right (E) return, later street lamp attached to E side of stair tower (not on original photographs). S elevation of auditorium with raised brick bands to upper levels, surmounted by shallow sloping tiled roof set between two stair towers at each end of auditorium; tower to right with three tiers of triple 3-light windows. Both towers with shaped vertical ribs. 4 pairs of glazed double doors to ground floor E end set between corner and auditorium towers provides main entrance, double-curved brick edge to right separates entrance from adjacent shop, late C20 canopy with programme advertisements, tall multilight window above of 7 rows of 3 lights (those to centre are wider) within raised brick panel lights upper foyer. Exit doors to N, S, & W elevations. INTERIOR: Most original doors survive. Ground floor entrance foyer with altered tickets and sales areas, original lighting under suspended ceiling panels containing modern spotlights possibly removed, original birch and walnut veneer banding to walls removed. Entrance inserted to SE corner of foyer to incorporate corner tower's ground floor shop, N party wall of shop removed to incorporate adjacent shop, suspended ceilings. Door to left (W) side of foyer leads to former stalls vestibule. Two 1971 screens inserted into original rear stalls, plain side walls. Two flights of stairs to rear of foyer converge and lead to upper foyer/lounge. Upper foyer with original central lighting trough running full length of area from N-S, original radiator grilles, rounded solid concrete balustrade to top of stair. Door to SE corner leads into first floor offices/staff rooms. Square window of ticket/refreshment booth to centre of W wall flanked by pair of original double doors with tall, slender vertical handles and small glazed panels with two horizontal glazing bars. Circle vestibule with doors in similar style to each side leading into toilets; that to right with original domed light fitting with sun motif. Central pair of double doors in same style lead to vomitory (tunnel) containing short stair accessing circle, original honeycomb patterns of small vents (original plenum air-cooled system) under later suspended ceilings. Main auditorium with acoustic plaster walls, sloping ceiling formed of series of bands carrying concealed lighting towards proscenium, streamlined ribbed-plaster curve on to proscenium frame, tear-shaped recesses flanking proscenium contain concealed lighting, front side walls with shortened back-lit decorative grille features (adjacent original honeycomb vents removed), orchestra pit, Odeon clocks. Rear circle divided into 2 screens, original large lozenge shaped ceiling panel/laylight spans divided area, birch and walnut dado, stairs to each outside corner lead directly to ground floor exterior (N & S elevations). Matching dado removed to rest of auditorium. Altered former balcony extended over front stalls (seating removed), accessed via two late C20 side stairs to front of auditorium. Projection box inserted to front centre of former stalls. Offices above shops to E side of building largely modernised with some partition walls, plain timber stairs. Top floor staff and ancillary rooms to E end of main auditorium block above foyers with parquet floors, original doors labelled with room use. Access to roof with rectifier, battery and resistance rooms. HISTORY: The Odeon Cinema in Chester was constructed by P Hamer Ltd of Swinton to the designs of Robert Bullivant (chief assistant in Harry Weedon's architectural practice) at a cost of approximately £60,000. The original interior scheme is said to have been designed mainly by Mrs Oscar Deutsch. The steelwork construction for the building was carried out by Bannister of Walton, and the original canopy was produced by Swansen. The cinema was opened on 3rd October 1936 by the Mayor, M T Davies-Jones, and attendees included film star Douglas Fairbanks Jr, the managing director of Oscar Deutsch Cinemas, and Harry Weedon. It was the second super cinema in the city following construction of the Gaumont in 1931. The modern Odeon look was prohibited at the cinemas constructed in Chester & York, and instead a more restrained design in buff brick rather than faience was produced in order to blend in more with the surroundings of the historic cities. Chester's local authority was concerned about construction within the city walls and would only permit construction of a building that did not look like an Odeon. Instead of the standard house style lettering the original Odeon sign at Chester was produced in Trajan lettering. When first constructed the cinema had seating for 1,628 (1,080 in the stalls, and 548 in the circle). The rear stalls were divided in 1971 into two screens and a new projection suite created, and in 1991 the rear circle (by this time a disused area) was divided and two new screens inserted leaving room for projection (using the original projection room) to the original screen. The external entrance canopy was replaced in 1991, and the original signage removed in the early C21. SOURCES: Eyles A. 2002. 'Odeon Cinemas 1: Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation'. London: Cinema Theatre Association. Harwood E. 1999. 'Picture Palaces'. London: English Heritage. Hornsey B. 1993. 'Cheshire Cinemas from 1910 until the Present Day: A Survey'. Wakefield: Mercia Cinema Society. Various. 1936. 'Modern Cinemas'. London: The Architectural Press. REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The Odeon Cinema, Chester is designated at grade II for the following principal reasons: * It was designed by the nationally renowned cinema architect, Robert Bullivant, who was chief assistant in Harry Weedon's leading architectural practice, which specialised in cinema design and produced the trademark Art Deco style design for Odeon cinemas nationwide * It is a good example of a mid-1930s Art Deco cinema with a striking cubic massing and tall corner tower * The exterior is relatively unaltered and the interior, despite subdivision of the main auditorium, retains many original features including original doors, stairs, decorative light features, and ancillary rooms * The exterior displays unusual and more restrained styling for an Odeon cinema, which was deliberately carried out in order to be more in keeping with the building's historic surroundings * The original floor plan is still readable despite later alteration, and the main circulatory spaces and access routes remain intact * The main auditorium retains its dramatic ceiling formed of a series of bands containing concealed lighting with a ribbed-plaster curve on to the proscenium Listing NGR: SJ4042266549