Odeon Cinema, Flat Street

Flat Street, Sheffield, S1 2BA.

Building

Roofed and walled permanent structures.

Age

Built 1956, as soon as post-war building regulations permitted.

Rarity

Very few brand-new single-screen cinemas were built in Britain after 1939. This one represents the effort of a major national circuit (which had been trying to open in Sheffield since 1933) to resist the impact of television and other social changes by providing greater space and luxury and technological innovation than pre-war cinemas could offer. A second post-war single-screen cinema, the ABC, opened nearby on Angel Street in 1961 but was demolished after it closed in 1988.

Architectural and Artistic Interest

Wedge-shaped brick auditorium continued by single-storey glass foyer looking across diagonally to Fitzalan Square. 55-foot screen with concealed lighting on each side of the proscenium.

Group Value

Forms a punctuation point at the south-west corner of Fitzalan Square, between the General Post Office and the White Building overlooking Alfred Drury's statue of King Edward VII, all of them Grade-II listed .

Historic Interest

Has a special place in the history of the Sheffield cinema industry, the post-war entertainment industry and the Odeon chain, which was by 1956 owned by the Rank Organisation.

Landmark Status

An elegant 1950s design, distinct from subsequent modernist buildings elsewhere in the city, some of which have not stood the test of time. A well-mannered presence in the midst of the early-twentieth century development of Fitzalan Square.

n/a

14 Sep 2022