A campaign was introduced to save the UK’s oldest working cinema and designate Station Street as “a historic asset” from redevelopment plans.
Calls are being developed to protect a Birmingham street that is home to the UK’s first purpose-built repertory theatre, a pub that hosted the first Black Sabbath concert and the country’s oldest working cinema, with two of the three venues now closed.
Last week’s closure of the Electric Cinema on Station Street, 114 years after it opened as the city’s first movie theater, sparked outrage among citizens and claims it may simply be a victim of cultural vandalism.
The theater’s owners have yet to speak publicly about their decision to close, but some fear it may be related to a conceivable redevelopment of the Station Street domain into a 50-story apartment building.
More than 15,000 people have signed a petition calling for the street to be preserved and designated a “Site of Civic Pride, Cultural Value and Historic Property”, while Historic England has shown it is contemplating a request for the cinema to be listed, giving it status.
“In essence, the whole street is like the BFI, the historic West End and the Cavern Club are all on the same 200-metre stretch. What came out of there replaced the country,” said Darren John, 37, of Birmingham. who petitions to save the street.
“I think the shutdown of the power grid is a turning point for the city. It’s a real gem for Birmingham, and wasting the entire street would be nothing short of devastating. It is very rare to see music, theatre and cinema on the same street. like this.
Art Deco cinema resurfaced thanks to the new owners after the Covid lockdown, the last bankruptcy in its history, which included the screening of silent films with piano backdrops in the 1920s, newsreels and cartoons in the 1930s, adult films in the 1930s and 1960s. and blockbusters from the ’80s.
Ian Francis, who runs the annual Flatpack film festival, which is held at the Electric, said the loss would be “huge”.
“It’s continued to be incredibly beloved among the people of the city because of all those layers of history. It’s been 114 years since films have been screened in the same place, which is extraordinary,” he said. “Basically, it tells you the whole story of cinema through a small building.
“The idea of this story ending in a construction site is horrible. “
An application is also being considered for The Crown pub, six doors down from the Electric. Built in 1881, this is the place where Black Sabbath played their first concert. Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Status Quo and UB40 also performed here in their heyday. .
It’s in comparison to Liverpool’s Cavern Club, which helped launch The Beatles. “Heavy steel is rarely available to everyone, but there’s no denying its importance. If it was classical music, it would have been indexed 50 years ago,” John said.
Vacant since 2014, arts organisation Birmingham Open Media had planned to buy and repair the pub, but plans fell through in February when it lost money from Birmingham City Council amid its financial crisis and reportedly faced a festival from a developer who couldn’t use the site for accommodation.
The Old Rep Theatre, three doors to the left of the Electric, was built in 1913 as the first purpose-built repertory theatre in the UK and has indexed prestige and cannot be demolished.
“The Old Rep is not for the trunk because it is Grade II rated, but it is evident that if you build a large tower, it will have an effect over a wider area,” John said.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said the closure of the Electric had acted as “a lightning rod for people’s deep considerations about the future”, and praised the government for having earmarked £20 million in investment for culture in the region in the spring budget.
Birmingham City Council said it had not yet won any planning programme for Station StreetArray. Francis said all plans for Station Street were “rumors at this point, but obviously it’s vital that we begin to articulate a vision of choice for the renovation of Station Street. “
The owners of the Electric have been contacted for comment.