Details
MIDDLESBROUGH CORPORATION ROAD,
NZ 4920 SE south side.
9/21 Empire Mecca
Social Club.
II*
G.V.
Theatre, 1896/99 by Ernest Runtz (London). Mid C20 canopy. Now used as
social club. Steel-framed, with terracotta (Doulton & Co.) facings, painted
below canopy. Brick at rear. Lakeland slate roof at front. Largely flat
roof on auditorium. Welsh slate roofs at rear. Lead-clad domes. Spanish
Baroque style. 4-stage, one-bay towers flank 2-storey centre with
mezzanine. Continuous moulded plinth. Centre has 4 doors, alternately
blocked and renewed, under lintels with enriched cartouches and paired
segment-headed overlights, in enriched pilaster surrounds with continuous
cornice. Canopy, suspended from iron ties cuts across lintels and towers
and extends along returns. Renewed fascia sign fills mezzanine, flanked by
colonnettes with tulip feet to shafts and scrolled flame finials.
Slightly-recessed 1+5+1-bay first floor. Renewed round-headed windows in
middle bays, with keyed archivolts and balustraded aprons. Enriched
quasi-Composite columns on pedestals, with continuous shallow frieze and
cornice and inverted consoles, between bays. Blind end bays have enriched
bas-relief escutcheons. Rendered brick oversailing band below straight
parapet with late C20 applied illuminated letters. Steeply pitched roof.
Towers each have 2-light window with column mullion, below canopy. Square
window in applied Composite pedimented aedicule, with enriched frieze and
continuous cornices, in 2nd stage. Sculptured phoenix clasping outer corner
on 3rd stage. Oversailing band on enriched consoles, between 3rd and 4th
stages, the latter with paired rectangular windows under enriched escutcheon
flanked by plain pilaster strips. Chamfered angles at top of 4th stage.
Cornice and scalloped parapet with ornamented finials on pedestals at angles
and above pilaster strips. Domed octagonal lantern has paired blocked
round-headed windows, with moulded imposts, in each face of drum. Ramped and
scroll-topped diagonal buttresses. Moulded modillion cornice, and vase
finial with flagpole. Similar returns, and 9-bay first floor; ground floor
of right return altered. INTERIOR: 3-bay foyer has marble engaged Roman
Doric columns, with egg-and-dart capitals, carried through deep
rinceau-enriched frieze, to heavily moulded panelled ceiling. Auditorium
has 2-tier horseshoe-plan gallery and circle with raked seating, renewed in
gallery. Elliptical-fronted dress boxes have basket-headed openings with
enriched panelled responds and intrados, recessed behind quasi-Roman Doric
(lower) and fluted Ionic columns; top entablature under enriched escutcheon.
Boxes supported on giant scrolled brackets. Heavily-moulded corniced
ceiling, divided into geometric patterns by richly-ornamented ribs. Central
gas lighting burner,suspended from brattishing, screens ventilation shaft.
Gallery, circle and box fronts, chamfered proscenium arch and ceiling,
enriched with rinceau, cherubs, escutcheons and tropies of musical
instruments. 3-bay panelled basked-arcaded saloon, behind Roman Doric
screen, adjoins gallery at front of house. Formerly known as Palace of
Varieties.
Listing NGR: NZ4966620350
