Bradford Live: Sneak peek inside city's 'jewel' ahead of Autumn opening after £50m refit for old Odeon building

To Lee Craven, founding director, there is something about this building – and its procession of places – that “gets under your skin”.

“My mum and dad met here, at a dance in this ballroom,” he added. “If we’d stripped it all out, made it all new now, it would just be monotonous and boring.”

First built in the 1930s the old Odeon building has stood empty and derelict for well over two decades, casting a shadow of decay over a prominent part of the city centre.

This project has faced some slating at times, with costs doubling over initial estimates of £25m, and after the original operator NEC dropped out last year.

Now Trafalgar Entertainment has been named as the venue's new operator. It is close-lipped on opening acts, but hint at conversations with some comedy stars. And with first glimpses inside, it knits together.

The auditorium is vibrant in shining lights, against the grandeur of gold leaf in the ballroom. Art deco slants add stylish designs, with slashes of colour.

For those working behind the scenes, it has been a labour of love. Testing, at times, with progress paused for lockdowns or new finds.

Tony Heseltine, on site every day for three-and-a-half years as senior construction manager, can still remember the first time he set foot in this building. It was 1977, and he was eight-years-old, watching the first Star Wars film with his father.

When RN Wooler won the contract, he asked to be a part of the refurbishment.

“It does bring back memories,” he said, looking around at the now crisp lines.

“We used to come in the morning and 'get lost' in the corridors, staying until 10 o'clock at night to watch movies. Nobody minded."

Almost all of the team, brought up or living in Bradford, have memories of this building as it was before. Now it is gleaming and new once more.

There are the two grand foyers, striking in classic hues. The grand ballroom, has been artfully restored with its original plaster, bespoke mirrors, and then the vast auditorium. Together, they are to create all kinds of places for live music, comedy events, weddings, exhibitions or graduation balls.

Today the turret, which served long ago as a Victorian tea room, shines in a pale buttery yellow. Tall windows flank each curved dome, striking in black and white.

The glass here, in almost every frame, is as it was. Each piece, polished and preserved, was fitted back into place in its own checkerboard jigsaw.

As for old plasterwork, left to rot over decades, careful moulds were used to capture their grandeur, to bring back and protect these original designs.

“It’s all made to match what was originally here,” added Mr Heseltine. “The colours are as close as we can understand to the original – given that we only have black and white photographs.”

It was important, he added, that as much of this history could be retained as possible.

Downstairs, in what used to be the cellar of an old brewery, original flagstones were uncovered. Now they lie half bare, beneath great towering oil boilers. This space is to be for open mic nights, or folk bands. A small performance bar, perhaps.

And on the wall is the original hand-painted poster from when the building first opened as the Odeon in 1969. Barbra Streisand takes centre-stage in Funny Girl.

In the main auditorium, once filled with concrete bunkers for cinema screens, there is now space for 3,800 people both seated and standing, with two-tiers of balconies above.

Every care has been taken in preservation, but this isn't a museum piece. An intricately carved façade stops abruptly where the concrete cut in, as a modern reminder of the scars it bears. These threads, old and in new, shape this building's history.

Under the ballroom floors contractors found a child’s shoe, which was buried a century ago, as a talisman for luck.

The project has cost £50m, with some £43.75m from Bradford Council and the remainder funded by WYCA, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and DCMS.

Some studies suggest Bradford Live could bring 300,000 people a year to the city, with an annual financial boost topping £20m.

To make money you sometimes have to spend money, said Bradford Council's portfolio member for regeneration, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw. If Bradford is to “stand on its own two feet", he added, then this kind of investment is needed.

“This is a long-awaited moment,” he said. “It’s all coming to life. This will be a jewel in the crown for Bradford for generations, and a major driver for regeneration.”

BRADFORD LIVE: WHAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO SAY

Dan Bates, executive director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, said this was the "jewel" in the city's crown: "It's not been an easy process, but it's an absolute gem. I can't wait for it to be open. Just to be here, seeing the building come a bit alive again, is really exciting. People do have such fond memories - there isn't a building like it in Bradford. The mix, of heritage, all the grand bits like the ballroom, the auditorium which is so stylish but not too posh. It's like Bradford. It's true. Now we can see these beautiful details."

Sir Howard Panter, co-founder Trafalgar Entertainment, hailed the "remarkable" tenacity of teams to make the project work despite obstacles that have come their way. He said: "This is extraordinary, what you have done. It's testament to all of your vision. It will pay dividends, I promise, for this city. This is not just a venue for Bradford, but for the whole of the North of England and the whole of the UK."

Helen Enright, chief executive of Trafalgar Theatres & Venues, said the operators were having "interesting conversations" with "high profile" artists about a line up for the setting. She said: "We can't really say anything yet, but we are hoping to go on sale mid March with an initial programme. We've been really heartened by the interest. We would love to launch with some acts that have connections to Bradford. We have to see what we can land."

Leader of Bradford Council, Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, said: "This will be quite an emotional day for the people of Bradford. It's part of their social history. I'm just so pleased that now we are able to show the people of Bradford this is part of their future as well as their past. This is the final piece of that city centre puzzle. It really cements our place as one of the most beautiful cities in the North of England - or indeed in the country."

Coun Alex Ross-Shaw said Bradford Live can help drive regeneration. "If we increase the prosperity in the district that helps fund key services," he said. "Our heritage, in terms of our Victorian and mill heritage and architecture, that is quite well known. This building has played a role in that social history of Bradford for the past 100 years. It has been key to invest, to show there are better times ahead. This venue will play a huge part in that."

Kirsten Branston, of Bradford Live, said that growing up in Bingley in the 1980s and 90s, it was always a "real treat" to go out to Bradford. "I'm a massive music fan," she said. "Being able to have something right here on our doorstep is incredible. There has been a bit sheer bloody-mindedness to it," she added. "Not doing this was never an option."

Chris Morrell, of Bradford Live, said: "There's been so many swerves and twists, so many things that could and did go wrong. But this has always made sense - we've got a purpose-built venue the size of Manchester Apollo and it's smack bang in the middle of Bradford. It's a really good reason for people to come to the city."

BRADFORD LIVE: A TIMELINE

1930: The New Victoria Theatre was built on the site of a former brewery, William Whittaker's, which closed in 1928.

1950s: Became The Gaumont, known for its stage shows and cinema, and for the acoustics with its own Wurlitzer organ. Stage concerts brought major names from The Rolling Stones to the Beatles.

1969: The building was taken on by the Odeon Group, subdividing the original auditorium to install two concrete 'boxes' which served as cinema halls, with a bingo hall underneath.

2000: It closed in disrepair.

2012: Bradford Live founded and Bradford Council took on building ownership

2016: Funding fell through, with the building "crumbling". Teams granted six month extension, and NEC appointed as operators

2018: Contracts were signed, funding 'clicked into place' and work began on stripping out building. Design team appointed, with RN Wooler as contractors.

2022: Original date to reopen delayed as problems discovered

2023: Bradford Live confirms it is to launch with a series of tribute bands.

Apr 2024: Business leaders call for clarity as speculation mounts amid rumours that NEC look to leave their lease.

Sep 2024: Operator NEC pulls out, under what Bradford Live founders described as a 'strategic change of direction' with new management.

Feb 2025: Trafalgar Entertainment is confirmed as the new operator

2025: Early summer – a series of events are scheduled for Bradford 2025 as City of Culture. Autumn – the building is hoped to be formally launched in early September