City Screen Picturehouse, which opened in January 2000, is built on the riverside site of the Yorkshire Evening Press buildings. The site had remained derelict for over a decade and was something of an eyesore in the middle of one of the most historic city centres of the country. City Screen purchased the site and with assistance from the National Lottery through the Arts Council redeveloped it for use as a cinema with neighbouring restaurants.
Architects Panter Hudspith designed the entire complex with a remit to refurbish parts of the existing structure and to introduce a number of new elements. The three auditoria are located on the upper level. Each auditorium is given a different expression - one is clad in stone, one in zinc, one in timber. A new riverside walkway was also constructed along the front of the building, allowing public access to this stretch of the river for the first time.
