Goodbye, Phoenix Arts, hello... Phoenix Square!
For years, Phoenix Arts was at the heart of the city's arts scene. Now its legacy is to live on in Leicester's brightest arts landmark, the £21 million digital media centre.
The lime green building is to be renamed Phoenix Square after the independent cinema and venue in Newarke Street, Leicester, which it is to replace.
Ted Cassidy, chairman of the Phoenix Arts board, said: "We're very pleased, given the long tradition of the Phoenix in the city, that the brand will live on.
"Phoenix Square is all about the exciting opportunities the digital future offers – but it's also about continuing to bring the quality of independent and world cinema to as wide as possible an audience in Leicester."
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The eight-storey building, which opens in the autumn in the city's Cultural Quarter, will house two cinemas and one smaller screen, a cafe and bar area, 63 apartments and various studios and editing rooms.
It will join Curve as a highlight of the city's Cultural Quarter.
Leicester City Council's cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Patrick Kitterick, said: "The Cultural Quarter already features the impressive new Curve theatre and the successful LCB Depot, and I am confident that Phoenix Square will further raise the city's profile."
On Saturday, building work took a major step forward when a huge crane which has been key to assembling the building was lifted free of the site.
Sudhir Amin, operations manager on the site, said: "The project is going well and on time and on budget.
"I think Phoenix Square is an exciting name and keeps the context with the old Phoenix. It's going to be a destination building that people will head towards."
Fans of the Phoenix Arts centre said they were pleased the name was being kept on.
Susan Markham, 56, from Wigston, said: "At least it's got the word Phoenix in it. It's like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I suppose."
Ann Shaw, from Wigston Fields, said: "I'd have preferred it if they just left the Phoenix here."
Comments
by adam johnson, Leicester
Thursday, February 19 2009, 10:03AM
“Oh dear! Rising out of mediocrity more like. Pretty uninspiring, short-sighted yet again by the council. Nice building though. Unfortunately this bunch will always hold Leicester back as an up an coming, exciting place to live and work - Im off to Nottingham!”