Survey Data
Reg No
31811022
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social, Technical
Previous Name
The Magnet Ballroom
Original Use
Ballroom/dance hall/disco
Historical Use
Factory
Date
1935 - 1940
Coordinates
193163, 281072
Date Recorded
04/08/2003
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached L-plan three-bay two-storey ballroom, built in 1936, with single-storey bay to north and projecting two-bay single-storey wing to south, now used as a mushroom factory. Corrugated-iron barrel roof with plastic cover, hidden by parapet. Rendered walls with Art Deco Style detailing with date "AD. 1936" to parapet. Square-headed openings with replacement windows and stone sills. Door openings with replacement timber doors with stucco Art Deco stucco surrounds, accessed by concrete steps. Ballroom set back from road with rendered piers with stepped pyramidal capping to boundary wall, timber rails to street front.
Appraisal
The Art Deco style derived from a reaction against Art Nouveau and was inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. It led to a new found enthusiasm for ancient Egyptian motifs. The Egyptian influence can be seen in this structure, originally known as the Magnet Ballroom. Its rendered detailing, door surrounds and gate piers echo the Modern style, expressing strong verticality. Its design is unusual in Strokestown, being a predominantly Georgian town, and as a result this building is unique. Furthermore this building is not only architecturally significant it is also of social importance, having been one of the few ballrooms in the vicinity.