Address: Cumberland St, York, YO1 9SW (now on the side of the Grand Opera House)
Description
Three signs adorn the top of three window panes, recalling the diverse activities once hosted at the Empire nightclub.
The different signs read ‘Boxing, Coffee Bar, Thurs Fri Sat Dancing, Wrestling’, each surrounded by vibrant images and cartoons.
The signs have since been covered over by various advertisements. This is how they look now:
History
Originally commissioned in the mid-1860s as a corn exchange, the building opened in 1868, designed by George Alfred Dean in the Italianate style.
Its role as a corn exchange dwindled following the late 19th-century agricultural depression.
In the early 20th century, William Peacock transformed the site and an adjacent warehouse into the Grand Theatre and Opera House, which opened in 1902.
It transitioned to the Grand Opera House & Empire Theatre in 1903, began showing silent films, and was renamed the Empire Theatre in 1916. The venue faced closure in 1956 due to high entertainment taxes.
1958 – Displaying the renovations that transformed the Empire Theatre into the S.S. Empire Source: York Press
Acquired by Ernest Shepherd in 1958, the venue was repurposed as the S.S. Empire, serving as a bingo hall and roller skating rink until its closure in 1985.
In 1987, the India Pru Company restored the theatre’s original features at a cost of £4 million, reopening it as the Grand Opera House.
Despite financial challenges in the early ’90s, it reopened in 1993 and was later acquired by the Ambassador Theatre Group in 2009.
1960s – The S.S. Empire Source: York Press
This landmark has undergone numerous transformations, reflecting shifts in social and economic contexts, and remains a pivotal cultural venue.
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