Birmingham Odeon

Birmingham Odeon
Birmingham Odeon
Former names Paramount Theatre
General information
Type Cinema
Architectural style Art Deco
Location New Street, Birmingham
Coordinates 52°28′41.88″N 1°53′49.2″W / 52.4783000°N 1.897000°W / 52.4783000; -1.897000Coordinates: 52°28′41.88″N 1°53′49.2″W / 52.4783000°N 1.897000°W / 52.4783000; -1.897000
Completed 1937

The Birmingham Odeon is a cinema located at 139 New Street in Birmingham, England.

It originally opened in 1937 as the Paramount Theatre, featuring a seating capacity of 2,439. It was built on land made vacant by the removal of King Edward VI School to its new home in Edgbaston.

The cinema received its current name in 1942[1] after it was purchased by Oscar Deutsch's Odeon Cinemas chain. During the 1970s and early to mid-1980s it was a very popular venue for concerts.[2] In 1988 the auditorium was divided into six screens (with two further screens installed in other parts of the building during the early 1990s), ultimately forming an eight screen multiplex with an overall seating capacity of 1,732.

The rear aspect of the building occupies a striking position overlooking the railway tracks at the southeastern approach to New Street station, making it one of the city's most familiar landmarks.

References

  1. ↑ "Birmingham Paramount becomes an Odeon". Evening Despatch. England. 28 August 1942. Retrieved 25 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  2. ↑ "Odeon Birmingham in Birmingham, GB". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
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