Survey Data
Reg No
22305057
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Social, Technical
Previous Name
Rialto
Original Use
Cinema
In Use As
Shop/retail outlet
Date
1945 - 1950
Coordinates
186574, 179251
Date Recorded
04/08/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Corner-sited multiple-bay two and three-storey former cinema, opened 1946. Closed, 1976, and now in use as retail outlet. Comprising rendered stepped gable with projector box to front elevation, glazed central bay with canopy over entrance and with foyers to ground and first floors, flanked by glazed curved bay to southeast and with blank squared-bay to northwest. Flat roofs to entrance block and pitched corrugated iron to auditorium. Rendered walls, with render buttresses to northwest elevation. Square-headed window openings with fixed timber and metal frames and concrete sills. Pairs of glazed doors with concrete step.
Appraisal
This former cinema designed by William (Bill) O'Dwyer is a typical example of mid-twentieth-century architecture in Ireland. Its simple yet decorative style, and elements such as the canopy, curved bay and stepped gable, combine with its corner-sited position on the town square to make it an interesting contribution to the streetscape. It is also a reminder of the importance of cinema to the town and district, from the mid-twentieth century to the present day.