General History of The Main Leeds Odeon
Located at the junction of Briggate with the Headrow, the Odeon first opened as the Paramount Theatre with a showing of The Smiling Lieutenant, starring Maurice Chevalier, in 1932. This picture palace had a seating for 2,556 and featured the fourth largest Wurlitzer organ in Europe. The Cinema was very populer and had 1.2 million viewers over its first year.
In 1940 the name was changed to the Odeon following the purchase of the Paramount cinemas in the United Kingdom by the owner of Odeon, the Rank Organisation and became a concert venue, while still being a cinema.
In 1969 it was converted to a twin cinema, and in 1978 a third screen was built in the bar, the former Paramount Restaurant.
In 1988 the Odeon was refurbished and made into a 5-screen cinema with a reduced seating capacity of 1,923.
The Odeon, which was the last picture palace in the city centre, closed due to competition with local multiplexes and the impending opening of a thirteen screen multiplex at The Light retail and leisure complex originally operated by Ster Century and now Vue, it closed in 2001. The building which was originally to be converted to an apartment & leisure complex but was almost immediately bought by Primark who converted it into a large three storey clothes store that opened in August 2005.
It was designed by Frank Verity and Samuel Beverley.
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