Assembly Rooms (Derby, Derbyshire)

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The Assembly Rooms are a building in the English city ​​of Derby in Derbyshire . The theater, which was reopened in 1977 instead of a previous building that was damaged by a fire and which was also used as an event location, is located on the central market square of the English city. In the course of a fire on the roof of the attached parking garage in March 2014, the building was shut down and various concepts for the construction of a new building and later for the renovation of the building were submitted. The refurbishment, which was finally approved in December 2018, was put on hold in January 2020 due to a budget overrun.

history

In 1963 the old Assembly Rooms were damaged by fire. By 1968, plans were drawn up for the construction of a new event location, and it was finally decided to build on the north side of the town's market square. As a result, the local council launched an architectural competition through which thirteen proposals were submitted by April 1970. A proposal from the architectural firm Casson, Codnor and Partners ultimately won . The proposal included part of the old facade of the Assembly Rooms, but the facade was eventually torn down there and rebuilt in the Crich Tramway Village . The proposal was in the style of brutalism and cost four million pounds sterling , which was paid off by an increase in the council tax. The building was planned as a multifunctional hall and should include spacious foyers, bars and other restaurants, a few shops and a parking garage. In the summer of 1972 the building, which was planned as a multifunctional hall, began to be erected; initially, the summer of 1975 was set as the completion date. However, due to problems and setbacks, the completion was postponed to 1977. Since this year the anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth II was celebrated and the city of Derby held the status of City , there were plans to build the new event hall Royal Assembly Rooms , Queen Elizabeth Hall or Queen's Silver Jubilee Hall . These suggestions were ignored in favor of the name Assembly Rooms . The new Assembly Rooms were finally reopened on November 9, 1977 by Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon , Queen Elizabeth's mother, as part of a gala at which the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra also played. On November 9, 2002, the 25th anniversary was celebrated with an open house.

On March 14, 2014, the building was damaged by fire , as a result of which the building had to be evacuated because a performance of the play Ballroom To Broadway was planned a few hours later . The fire broke out in a building services room on the roof of a neighboring, connected parking garage when a cooling system overheated. After the fire, the general public assumed that the Assembly Rooms had hardly been damaged, but numerous problems prevented them from opening quickly; in April it was announced a closure for at least eighteen months. The essential building services room was completely destroyed, and the air conditioning, heating, and water and gas systems in the building were also damaged. There were also fire safety problems. Apart from that, the roof and the steel reinforcement would have had to be replaced within the next ten years . There were also financial problems; The operation of the building was no longer economical due to the small number of seats and high maintenance costs. Shortly afterwards, on March 5, 2015, the building was shut down by the Council, which was then run by the Labor Party , and various options were considered for how to proceed with the building or a new building. After the first plans were presented in September 2017, a public survey about the plans took place over the next few months. In January 2018, the council announced that the building would be demolished and that a new venue with 3,000 seats including a parking garage would be built in its place. This was to become part of a cultural district around the city's market square. The budget should be £ 44 million and the new building should be completed in the fall of 2022.

Possible concept of the design after the renovation; in the background Derby Cathedral

After the Conservative Party took over the majority in the Council in May of the same year , the redevelopment of the property was now planned, which was approved in December 2018 with a budget of 24 million pounds sterling. The Assembly Rooms should play a key role in the so-called City Center Masterplan 2030 , which aims to revitalize the city center. It should be completed in autumn 2020. In 2019, the renovation was limited to basic maintenance for a short time as the council lost confidence in private project managers. The end of the renovation was postponed by twelve months to 2021. In October 2019, the project received a grant of just under £ 4.5 million from a local economic partnership initiative.

However, in mid-January 2020, the redevelopment halted when the cost added another £ 6 million. In a statement, the council said that despite statements from consultants that the budget will be met, the cost could exceed £ 30 million, according to a report commissioned by the council. This calls into question the business case of the project, said the chairman of the council. As the taxpayer was not expected to do this, the renovation was stopped. The chairman regretted that such an important contribution to increasing the vitality of the city center would be lost and that various options would now be examined. The Labor leader said that "two years of time, resources and money have been wasted."

Events

Over the years, the theater has been used as a venue for various musicians in addition to the regular season. Elton John , Tony Bennett , the Manic Street Preachers , Iron Maiden and Take That were among the guests in the Assembly Rooms . The Assembly Rooms also served as the venue for several snooker tournaments , for example from 1980 to 1993 for the British Open .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Jane Goddard: Royal seal of approval for Derby's new Assembly Rooms 40 years ago. Derby Telegraph, November 9, 2017, accessed April 29, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Zena Hawley: This is why Labor claims Derby Assembly Rooms has not reopened. Derby Telegraph, March 28, 2020, accessed April 29, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Giverny Masso: Redevelopment of fire-damaged Derby Assembly Rooms halted as estimated costs soar. The Stage, January 22, 2020, accessed April 29, 2020 .
  4. ^ Derby Assembly Rooms: Fire-hit music venue work delayed. BBC News , September 23, 2019, accessed April 29, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Consultation for Performance Venue Begins. Marketing Derby, November 23, 2017, accessed April 29, 2020 .
  6. ^ New Assembly Rooms. In: derby.gov.uk. Derby City Council , January 2020, accessed April 29, 2020 .
  7. ↑ a b c Derby Assembly Rooms: Project 'paused' over £ 30m costs. BBC News , January 22, 2020, accessed April 29, 2020 .
  8. ^ Robin Johnson: Blow to Derby city center businesses as work on revamping Assembly Rooms halted. Business Live, January 23, 2020, accessed March 24, 2020 .
  9. ^ Ron Florax: Tournaments In Assembly Rooms. CueTracker.net, accessed April 29, 2020 .

Coordinates: 52 ° 55 '24 "  N , 1 ° 28' 34"  W.