The Odeon Cinema, originally the Gaumont, is a

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: Science and technology * Multiplex communication, combining many signals into one transmission circuit or channel ** Multiplex (television), a group of digital television or radio channels that are combined for broadcast * ...

cinema in

Holloway, London Holloway is an area of North London in the London Borough of Islington, borough of Islington, north of Charing Cross, which follows the line of the Holloway Road (A1 road (Great Britain), A1). At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head, London, ...

, England. It was built in 1938, and designed by the American architect

C. Howard Crane Charles Howard Crane (August 13, 1885 – August 14, 1952) was an American architect who was primarily active in Detroit, Michigan. His designs include Detroit's Fox Theatre and Olympia Stadium, as well as LeVeque Tower in Columbus, Ohio, whi ...

. It is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

: the listing text states that "its external impact is still greater than almost any other cinema, an example of trans-Atlantic bravura."

History and description

The cinema is situated at the corner of Tufnell Park Road and Holloway Road. It was designed by C. Howard Crane, an American architect resident in London in the 1930s. It was a project of Hyams and Gale, who also built

Gaumont State Cinema Gaumont State Cinema is a Grade II* listed Art Deco theatre located in Kilburn, a district in northwest London. Building Designed by George Coles and commissioned and built by Phillip and Sid Hyams, the cinema opened in 1937. The ''Gaumont S ...

in Kilburn, London, and is similarly large, originally seating 3,006 in one auditorium. Hyams and Gale was acquired by

Gaumont-British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was a British company that produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of France's Gaumont (company), Gaumont. Film production Gaumo ...

before the cinema opened. There was a restaurant, seating 220, above the entrance; theatre facilities included an orchestra pit, dressing rooms and rehearsal rooms. The first film shown, on 5 September 1938, was '' The Hurricane''."Odeon Luxe Holloway"
''Cinema Treasures''. Retrieved 25 December 2024. The building was damaged on 8 November 1944 by a

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...

; the external walls and foyers survived, but the interior was destroyed. After reconstruction, the cinema re-opened on 21 July 1958, showing the film ''

Run Silent, Run Deep ''Run Silent, Run Deep'' is a novel by Commander (later Captain) Edward L. Beach Jr. published in 1955 by Henry Holt and Company, Henry Holt & Co. The story describes World War II submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean, and deals with themes of ...

''. The building, on a wedge-shaped site, has at the corner a rectangular tower, faced with

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...

. Above the entrance, the tower has windows with engaged columns, and friezes with a

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyru ...

design. There is a lower wing to the tower, also faced with faience, to the left on Tufnell Park Road. To the right there is the auditorium block, of brick, with a parade of shops below. The cinema was renamed the Odeon in 1962; in 1973 three screens were installed, and later there were eight screens. From 2019, when it was converted to an Odeon Luxe Cinema, there are seven screens.

References

External links

* {{Odeon Cinemas, state=expanded Buildings and structures completed in 1938 Cinemas in London Odeon Cinemas Grade II listed cinemas Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Islington Theatres in the London Borough of Islington