More than half of fire-hit Hartlepool Odeon cinema has been demolished
Demolition of the fire-hit former Odeon cinema in Hartlepool is continuing.
Council chiefs say the work is “progressing well” but road closures around the building at the junction of Raby Road and York Road, as well as Dent Street behind, remain.
This week, the first section of the two Art Deco decorative panels, called friezes, on the front of the property were removed in an apparent effort to save them.
Each panel is made up of three slabs and their future will be decided by the building’s private owners.
They have been on the building since the cinema, originally called the Majestic, opened in July 1936.
Website North East Statues states: “The panels on the front of the Majestic echoed the themes of the time (on both the plan and the finished building), depicting nude dancers in front of beaming suns and Utopian cities in anticipation of a Utopian future.
"They contained many of the key elements of art deco design, including the nested, clean lines and overlapping motifs.”
More than half of the building has now been brought down, including all of the roof with large diggers able to access the centre of the gutted site.
Meanwhile, residents who were evacuated following the fire on Saturday, October 5, have been allowed to return.
In its latest update, Hartlepool Borough Council, which has liaised with the owners over the demolition, said: “Demolition of the former Odeon Cinema building on Dent Street in Hartlepool is progressing well.
“A number of residents were previously staying in alternative accommodation following the fire but we are pleased to be able to confirm that they have now been able to return back to their properties.
“Whilst demolition works continue, road closures will remain in place in Raby Road, and the end of Young Street and Dent Street.”
The Odeon, which had been derelict for around 25 years after last being a bar, was left structurally unsafe and beyond repair following the blaze.
Hartlepool Borough Council worked with the owners to secure permission to demolish it at the owners’ cost.
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson and bailed pending further inquiries.