Campaign to Save the Futurist on Lime Street
Lesley Mullally, Sue Gilmore and Neil Holmes are leading a campaign to save the Futurist building on Lime Street. After seeing the building in disrepair, Lesley decided to look more into the building and eventually started up a website (link at bottom of article) so that people can sign a petition to keep the building.
When the building first opened it doors it was named the Lime Street Picture House, then the City Picture House, and finally its Iconic name in 1920. The Futurist held over 1000 people and could also house an orchestra for the silent movies, the Futurist was also among the first cinema's in Liverpool to play movies with sound in 1929. They installed "Western Electric Talking Equipment" as it was called.
The building made it through World War 2 and did not suffer too much damage, though repairs had to be made at one point due to bomb damage. The Futurist showed news reels during the war.
In 1954 Twentieth Century Fox leased The Futurist & showed cinema scope films for the 1st time in Liverpool showing wide screen movies, this was until 1960 when ABC took it over for £135,000, they spent a further £50,000 on upgrades, reducing the seating capacity to 870. It was in 1982 when the Futurist closed for good, a victim of video, television and recession.
Lesley commented: "I am campaigning to save the front facade of the futurist hoping it can be integrated into future redevelopment plans for Lime St. Similar to the Printworks building in Manchester and also the Met Quarter in Liverpool. I also want the facade to be assessed and secured so that this can happen, if u look at the building there are trees growing out of it, the windows are not secured and it seems to now be a home for pigeons."
"The futurist building is not listed and it is not in a conservation area, it really is down to us, the people to raise awareness and make sure it is saved."
When the building first opened it doors it was named the Lime Street Picture House, then the City Picture House, and finally its Iconic name in 1920. The Futurist held over 1000 people and could also house an orchestra for the silent movies, the Futurist was also among the first cinema's in Liverpool to play movies with sound in 1929. They installed "Western Electric Talking Equipment" as it was called.
The building made it through World War 2 and did not suffer too much damage, though repairs had to be made at one point due to bomb damage. The Futurist showed news reels during the war.
In 1954 Twentieth Century Fox leased The Futurist & showed cinema scope films for the 1st time in Liverpool showing wide screen movies, this was until 1960 when ABC took it over for £135,000, they spent a further £50,000 on upgrades, reducing the seating capacity to 870. It was in 1982 when the Futurist closed for good, a victim of video, television and recession.
Lesley commented: "I am campaigning to save the front facade of the futurist hoping it can be integrated into future redevelopment plans for Lime St. Similar to the Printworks building in Manchester and also the Met Quarter in Liverpool. I also want the facade to be assessed and secured so that this can happen, if u look at the building there are trees growing out of it, the windows are not secured and it seems to now be a home for pigeons."
"The futurist building is not listed and it is not in a conservation area, it really is down to us, the people to raise awareness and make sure it is saved."