RITZ
CINEMA
NATHAN ROAD
KOWLOON
RIT
17
Architect:
G. D. Su.
*
J
Photograph of the cinema taken at night from Nathan Road.
With all the new cinemas that have been built in the Colony, one wonders just when will this sphere of enter- tainment reach its saturation point. Perhaps the very reason for its popularity is the comparative cheap- there are also gangways at the front Ramps ascend from the foyer to each and back of the auditorium and be- side of the balcony, which contains tween the front and back stalls. 342 seats.
ness of this form of relaxation.
Of course, all of the new theatres
At the west end of the building are do not cater for the same class of the entrance to the front stalls with people nor do they provide exactly a separate ticket office, and the ad- the same standard of entertainment;
vertising office. some cinemas are luxuriously ap-
films only, while
are
pointed and reserved for first run In addition to the two exits leading
others
but to the lobby, there are two others glorified halls showing older films. near the front of the stage, one on The building at present under review each side of the auditorium, and two falls somewhere between these two exits in the south wall leading to extremes, and though built as econo- Shan Tung Street. mically as possible and intended as a second run theatre, by virture of its striking elevational treatment it stands out from its similarly sized contemporaries.
The Ritz Cinema was completed in March 1953 on the southern portion of the lot bounded by Nathan Road on the east, Shan Tung Street on the south, Portland Street on the west and Nelson Street on the north Though the site is only 150 feet by 51 feet, the building has accommodation for an audience of 1090.
As a sign of the times, it is interest- ing to note that the provision of air- conditioning in the original plans has become almost mandatory in cinema design in the Colony for all but the smallest and cheapest of structures.
The entrance to the Ritz Cinema is from Nathan Road into a lobby con- taining the ticket counters and a soda fountain. From this lobby there are two entrances to the auditorium and a staircase to the circle.
The auditorium is 103′ 4′′ by 48′ 0′′ and contains 748 seats in the front and back stalis combined. The back stalls seats in the centre of the theatre are staggered for better viewing. The seating is divided into three blocks by two gangways run- ning the length of the auditorium;
The building is of R.C.C. frame construction with brick filler walls. The roof to the auditorium is of cor- rugated asbestos sheets supported on this is of Celotex. steel trusses, the false ceiling beneath Other subsidiary roofs are of R.C.C. slabs covered with 2 cement screed and Sika. The
canopy over the entrance is also of
reinforced concrete.
The auditorium and balcony floors The foyer on the mezzanine floor are finished with coloured cement; overlooks the lobby: from this foyer the lobby and foyer are finished in staircases lead down to the lobby and terrazzo; the stage, advertising room. to an exit on Shan Tung Street, and and air-conditioning room floors are two other staircases lead up to the finished in cement; toilets have white upper part of the circle, the office and mosaic floors and 5 feet high white the air-conditioning machinery room. glazed dadoes.
Photograph of the auditorium taken from the stage.
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