Those who have followed our project for a long time will know that I enjoy sharing shots of interesting and attractive buildings, and this shot is of a building that is both. At the moment I'm not travelling much, so it was good that Lucy took this shot on a recent visit to Brixton in south London and sent it to me to include in our project.
The O2 Academy was opened in 1929 as the Astoria Variety Cinema, and it became the Odeon Astoria in 1939. It was converted into a discotheque in 1972 known as the Sundown Centre. The club was not a success and closed down some four months later. In May 1974 planning permission was sought to demolish the Grade II listed building and replace it with a motor showroom and petrol station. However, the redevelopment scheme was scrapped. The building was kept heated after it closed, and was used as an equipment store by the Rank Organisation.
In 1981, the venue was re-opened as a rock venue called Fair Deal, with a concert by UB40, but it closed again in late 1982 with substantial debts.
Simon Parkes bought the venue for £1, and re-opened it as the Brixton Academy. The Academy's success steadily grew throughout the 1980s with numerous reggae productions and it was hired out to major rock and pop acts such as Eric Clapton, Dire Straits & The Police for rehearsal. The venue was also used for video shoots for Wham! (Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go) and Culture Club.
In 1995, Parkes sold the theatre to the McKenzie Group,and investment started immediately, with a complete £500,000 refurbishment of the Art Deco building frontage to its original grandeur, additional facilities both front of house and backstage and a capacity increase to just under 5,000.
The venue is currently run by the Academy Music Group after a rebranding in August 2004 and hosts a range of live acts and club nights. A sponsorship deal led to it becoming the Carling Academy in 2004, and more recently the O2 Academy as O2 became the sponsors.
It has has become one of London's leading music venues, hosting over 50 live album recordings and winning the NME Best Venue 12 times since 1994.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated. Lucy will be thrilled when she hears how popular her picture has been.
Brixton was a place that surprised me when Lucy took me exploring there a couple of years ago. I always thought it had a poor reputation, but it turns out that it has a lot of positive attributes. There is some lovely architecture, including a windmill, and a beautiful park. We have a walking guide collection called 'London's Hidden Walks', and there are three volumes. We discovered Brixton from one of those books. I'm sure that when I can visit Lucy again, we will be following more of these walks.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated. Lucy will be thrilled when she hears how popular her picture has been.
Brixton was a place that surprised me when Lucy took me exploring there a couple of years ago. I always thought it had a poor reputation, but it turns out that it has a lot of positive attributes. There is some lovely architecture, including a windmill, and a beautiful park. We have a walking guide collection called 'London's Hidden Walks', and there are three volumes. We discovered Brixton from one of those books. I'm sure that when I can visit Lucy again, we will be following more of these walks.
Ian
Thank you Vesna, both our daughters have a good eye for a photo. This one was taken by our youngest daughter Lucy.
Ian