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Astoria Theatre, Brighton

1933 establishments in England1977 disestablishments in EnglandBuildings and structures demolished in 2018Demolished buildings and structures in EnglandFormer cinemas in England
Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and HoveUse British English from March 2014
Former Astoria Theatre, Gloucester Place, Brighton (IoE Code 486887)
Former Astoria Theatre, Gloucester Place, Brighton (IoE Code 486887)

The Astoria Theatre was a former cinema in Brighton, part of the English coastal city of Brighton and Hove. Built in 1933 in the Art Deco style for a local entertainment magnate who opened one of Brighton's first cinemas many years earlier, it was the first and most important expansion of the Astoria brand outside London. It initially struggled against the town's other "super-cinemas", but enjoyed a period of success in the 1950s and 1960s before rapid decline set in, culminating in its closure in 1977. About 20 years of use as a bingo hall followed, but the building—whose clean lines give "a sense of spacious grandeur" in a prominent city-centre site—stood empty from the late 20th century and passed through several owners. Permission was granted in 2012 for its demolition and replacement with an energy-efficient business centre designed by Conran and Partners, but several alternative plans were submitted subsequently and the building still stood until April 2018, when demolition work started. English Heritage listed the building at Grade II in 2000 for its architectural and historical importance.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Astoria Theatre, Brighton (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Astoria Theatre, Brighton
Blenheim Place, Brighton Round Hill

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Wikipedia: Astoria Theatre, BrightonContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.8261 ° E -0.1362 °
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Blenheim Place
BN1 4AE Brighton, Round Hill
England, United Kingdom
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Former Astoria Theatre, Gloucester Place, Brighton (IoE Code 486887)
Former Astoria Theatre, Gloucester Place, Brighton (IoE Code 486887)
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Jubilee Library, Brighton
Jubilee Library, Brighton

Jubilee Library is the largest public library serving the English city of Brighton and Hove. The Jubilee Library forms the centrepiece of the Jubilee Square development in central Brighton, a £50 million scheme to regenerate a 40-year-old brownfield site. Opened in 2005 by the Princess Royal and subsequently visited by Queen Elizabeth II, the library has won numerous architectural design awards and has been described as "a triumph", "the most important public building constructed in Brighton since the Royal Pavilion" and "the superhero [that] saved the city". In terms of visitor numbers and loans, the library is one of the busiest in England. Before 2005, the seaside resort of Brighton did not have a purpose-built central library, but there had been attempts to create one for more than a century. After several proposals in the postwar period came to nothing—including elaborate schemes which would have combined a library with ice rinks, exhibition halls, car parks and other developments—funding was secured in the late 1990s through the newly introduced Private finance initiative. A suitable derelict site already existed in the centre of Brighton, and a competitive tender process identified finance providers, architects and building contractors. The new library, the first part of the Jubilee Square scheme to be finished, was ready on time and on budget in 2005, and superseded a temporary library which had replaced the 100-year-old facilities in 1999. The new library brings together facilities previously housed in separate sites, and offers extensive IT facilities, a large LGBT literature collection and various social and community activities. Several pieces of art were commissioned for the building and its environs. The building has been described as one of the most energy-efficient structures in England—its carbon footprint is half that of a traditional public building of comparable size, and natural energy is used throughout.