Buildings pre-dating the Crucible theatre

I remember people flocking to see "The Sound Of Music" at the Odeon, my mother and grandmother included, wasn't this one of the films which viewers wore 3-D glasses for?

I can only recall going to see Elvis films(some more than once, sad!).

Like Plain Talker, I have always wondered what was the previous building which stood on that piece of land (there is a poorish quality photo on picturesheffield - does look like some sort of factory). Hoping someone knows more about this.

I also STR, in the same discussion, the comments about it having the accolade of being the shortest-lived cinema in the city, opening in something like 1954, closing as a cinema in about 1967/1969, and reopening as a bingo hall, shortly after.

Not checked this but I would have thought the ABC on Snig hill would have held that record ?

Or is that just the building....

The frame work that had stood there through the war was taken down in order to build the present structure.

I remember hearing it had been classed as unsafe.

I also heard a long time ago that the building that was originally being erected prewar, was for a new Sheffield news paper ?

Richard Ward in his book - In Memory of Seffield's Cinemas, explains why the steel work was dismantled and gives some details of the original design.

A site for an Odeon cinema was first leased from the City Council in 1933 but it was not until 29 April 1938 that plans for the proposed building between Flat Street, Norfolk Street, Milk Street and Sycamore Street were revealed. The scheme was to incorporate a three-storey block of offices and four shops and the cinema designs by Harry Weedon were in the modern style favoured by Odeon at the time.

Work started in 1939 but came to a halt within a few months when war broke out. Restrictions on construction work were not removed until 1954 but by that time the City Council's redevelopment proposals included a new civic circle road scheme which affected the site and the cinema had to be redesigned.

The site was previously occupied by the cutlery works of Joseph Rodgers & Sons Ltd.

Strange but I can still see those red girders now if I close my eyes, I used to look at them through a small arched grill window in the old wall on the Norfolk street side when ever we passed going to and from Pond Street bus station .

Looking back though, I'm surprised that they were just left there like that when they were cutting down park railings to make steel ....