Survey Data
Reg No
20514216
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social
Original Use
Assembly rooms
Historical Use
Cinema
In Use As
Restaurant
Date
1860 - 1865
Coordinates
167610, 71629
Date Recorded
20/07/2002
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Terraced two-bay two-storey assembly rooms, opened 1861. Roof not visible for inspection. Richly decorated double-arched façade, having highly decorated carved limestone balustrade to parapet, yellow brick façade with limestone banding and rich carved foliate decoration, plinth band with limestone dressings, paterae to ground and first floors with carved heads or floral motifs, cast iron lettering fixed below parapet, round headed arches with alternating brick and limestone voussoirs and limestone hood mouldings, retaining pair of entrance openings to ground floor with wrought iron fanlights and timber panelled double leaf doors, and timber sliding sash windows flanked by polished marble colonettes; street frontage.
Appraisal
"The Assembly Rooms", designed by Richard Rolt Brash and originally known as "The Protestant Hall", hosted well known opera companies and orators of the day. The first demonstration of "moving pictures" in Cork was given here in 1896 and in 1911 it was adapted as a cinema known colloquially as "The Assems". it ceased showing films in 1964 and has had many uses since then. It remains significant for its beautiful façade retaining much original fabric.