The Electric Cinema, Birmingham
A Historic England spokesperson said:
Last year, we received multiple applications to list The Electric cinema. Following a full assessment of the application, we advised that it did not meet the strict criteria for listing.
We know that this news will be disappointing for some people who enjoyed a trip to the pictures at The Electric over the years. The story of The Electric cinema is part of the story of Birmingham, but ultimately listing is not the correct mechanism for protecting or telling this particular story.
Buildings are considered for listing according to the Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings as determined by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Listing is a process that is necessarily strict; assessments for applications can only consider architectural and historic interest of national significance.
The architectural interest of The Electric has been eroded by numerous alterations, no single phase of which survives well enough or is of sufficient quality to merit listing. The building as it survives today is, both inside and out, largely the product of refurbishment in the early 2000s.
Listing is a mechanism that gives a level of protection to individual buildings. The decision not to list The Electric in no way diminishes the significant and lasting impact that Station Street has had on music, film and theatre in the UK and beyond. Nor does it prevent efforts to recognise the importance of this area in other ways, such as by the establishment of a conservation area.
The public sadness in response to the closure of the cinema earlier this year, along with the joy at the news of the listing of the Crown Inn and former Market Hotel (both of which are also on Station Street) demonstrates the value that people place on their local heritage and the pride that it gives communities in the places they call home.
Further information about how listing works and the basis on which decisions are made can be found in Historic England's Listing Selection Guides.
