La Scala Cinema
The La Scala Cinema , formerly the Empire Electric Theater , is a former cinema building in the Scottish town of Grangemouth in the Council Area Falkirk . In 2007 the structure was included in the Scottish List of Monuments in Category C.
history
In the early 1910s, the first purpose-built cinema buildings appeared in Scotland, of which the Hippodrome, which opened in neighboring Bo'ness in 1912 , is probably the oldest. The Grangemouth movie theater opened as the Empire Electric Theater in December 1913 , making it one of the oldest cinema buildings in Scotland. After three years, the company was renamed La Scala Cinema . The interior has likely been extensively redesigned at least once. With the introduction of the sound film in the 1930s, the hall was adapted to the new needs. The architect could be Alistair G. MacDonald , son of the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald who planned the renovation. In the 1940s there was room for 655 people in the auditorium. In 1952 and 1962, fires broke out in the building, which is why renovation work was carried out. From 1971 the building was used as a bingo room.
description
The building is in a prominent position next to the town hall in the north of the city. The south-facing front along Bo'ness Road ( A904 ) is architecturally based on the Scottish neo-Renaissance style and is almost symmetrical. It consists of an elongated, one-story building with a vestibule , which is flanked on both sides by two-story towers. The masonry is made of brick , the edges and openings of the building are set off with sandstone . Colossal pillars adorn the edges of the towers. Above the central entrance, the name Empire Electric Theater is engraved on a sandstone slab. Blasted gables crown the two entrances to the towers. The simple cinema is behind these parts of the building. Its roof is not even and slopes down easily. The roofs are partially covered with gray slate. The building is no longer in its original state and has been rebuilt and expanded several times.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
Web links
- Entry on La Scala Cinema in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland's database
Coordinates: 56 ° 1 ′ 11.4 " N , 3 ° 43 ′ 19.4" W.