Grand Cinema Fairview
Further along Fairview towards town is the former Fairview Grand Cinema This was built in the late 1920 s by architects Henry J Lyons who were also responsible for the Strand Cinema in the North Strand in the 1930 s The cinema particularly its facade is a high quality architectural example of the boom in cinema building which took place in Dublin in the early 20th century many examples of which still remain
At its peak the cinema could cater for 1400 patrons and is also an example of typical plot development in Fairview still evident when viewed from Fairview Park The facade of the cinema fronts onto Fairview but the volume of the theatre itself is turned at an oblique angle to the facade relating directly to the nearby Fairview Avenue rather than the facade.
This is best evidenced in an aerial photo of the floods which hit the area in 1954 The cinema ceased to operate in the 1970s part of the original theatre was demolished in recent years to make way for an apartment development which was never built The remainder of the cinema has been in recent times occupied by a shop Much of the fabric of the facade interior is either lost or obscured however some idea of the original grandeur of the building can still be appreciated when viewed from the Park.
One of the most interesting stories from Fairview in the mid-twentieth century concerned people trapped in the cinema because of an escaped LION.
See the story on the next slide!
