{"id":416270,"date":"2025-09-11T16:51:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T16:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/416270\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T16:51:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T16:51:28","slug":"the-mancunian-way-a-piece-of-new-york-in-manchester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/416270\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mancunian Way: A piece of New York in Manchester"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s happening to the Cornerhouse? PLUS Town Hall unwrapped for ChristmasHello,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Little has changed since the Grade-II listed Oxford Road station was last revamped back in 1960.<\/p>\n

It still sits atop the hill like some great Art Deco fortress, it still smells the same and you still need your big coat on the wind tunnel platforms – even in summer. But at some point soon, it will all look very different.<\/p>\n

The powers that be have grand plans to transform the station as well as the former Cornerhouse and Screen One buildings – all of which sit on a prominent corner of Oxford Road<\/a> and Whitworth Street West.<\/p>\n

Get news, views and analysis of the biggest stories with the daily Mancunian Way newsletter – sign up <\/strong>here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The station is due for a major overhaul, which could see a tower crane plonked on the site<\/a> of the former Screen One aka The Tatler Cinema.<\/p>\n

The Cornerhouse and Screen One as they look today(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

The fate of the Cornerhouse building which housed the bar, art gallery and shop is as yet unknown. But Manchester Council, which owns it, says it wants to create \u201can entryway to Manchester city centre<\/a> that we can all feel proud of\u201d.<\/p>\n

What currently stands in that very prominent space is a shabby building covered in graffiti; a large area of scaffolding and a dilapidated cinema block.<\/p>\n

As one councillor told me: \u201cIt\u2019s a bad advert for Manchester.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the summer, efforts were made to spruce up the walls of Screen One with a colourful and charming mural. HOME and Network Rail – both responsible for that flourish – say it will remain in place for two years. A good start at least.<\/a><\/p>\n

Grafitti on the walls of the former Cornerhouse(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s been a decade since the Cornerhouse closed its doors for good and it sits there like some sad, grey ghost of the past.<\/p>\n

That venue holds fond memories for many Mancunians. A place frequented by artists, writers and movie buffs, it was once a haunt of ex-Manchester United legend Eric Cantona.<\/p>\n

The Manchester Modernists Society described it as \u201ca little piece of Berlin or New York in Manchester\u201d.<\/p>\n

A real opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Cornerhouse certainly holds fond personal memories. I will never forget watching Rosemary\u2019s Baby there on a sixth form trip.<\/p>\n

Or the ferocity with which a snooty man in a silk scarf shouted at my friend as he unwrapped individual Starburst sweets during a screening of Inland Empire.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not pretend it wasn\u2019t hugely pretentious too.<\/p>\n

A view of the Cornerhouse Cinema in Manchester (Photo by: Loop Images\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It was certainly a favoured spot for people wearing expensive glasses to \u2018umm\u2019 and \u2018arr\u2019 about the latest Almod\u00f3var film over a Malbec. And personally, I\u2019ve always found HOME to be a little more welcoming and inclusive.<\/p>\n

But the Cornerhouse was a huge part of our cultural heritage for 30 years.<\/p>\n

With this \u2018remodelling\u2019 project, the council and Network Rail have a chance to capture the nostalgia of the Cornerhouse, the Tatler cinema and the Art Deco charm of the station and build on it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an opportunity they can\u2019t let slip away.<\/a><\/p>\n

Unwrapped for Christmas<\/strong>(Image: Manchester city council)<\/p>\n

The scaffold shroud hiding the roof of Manchester’s new-look town hall is slowly being removed.<\/p>\n

Rami Mwamba donned a hard hat and watched as a crane capable of lifting 300 tonnes started to unveil the Victorian-era roof. The operation is set to last months, but the council is hopeful workers can complete one side in time for the Christmas<\/a> markets.<\/p>\n

So far more than 300 workers have replaced 100,000 roof slates, fixed 37 chimney stacks and restored 1,200 windows among many other changes.<\/p>\n

The restoration project is said to be some \u00a376m over budget.<\/p>\n

Rami and Paul Britton have all the details here.<\/a><\/p>\n