Building history
The theatre opened on 12 August 1929 as a super-cinema, and was modelled on the Roxy Cinema in New York. [2] [3] [1] It was designed by the specialist cinema architect John Fairweather, most famous for his Green's Playhouse cinema in Glasgow. [1] The original colour scheme was described on opening as follows:
"Tones of ivory and stone predominate on the walls, and the roof is decorated with bands of pale green leaves intersected with gold at intervals. The seats in the different parts of the house have been upholstered to harmonise with the general scheme of the decoration. The organ fronts are in Venetian style, and the clock settings, which are square, are neat and attractive." [4]
The cinema closed down in the early 1970s. [5] Following a threat of demolition, a public campaign achieved a petition of 15,000 signatures which resulted in the building being listed as Category B in 1974. [5] The cinema was then converted into a theatre between 1978 and 1980 by the Lothian Region Architects Department. [1] In 1983, the theatre was sold by Edinburgh District Council into private ownership. [5] The theatre was owned respectively by Norman Springfield, Apollo Leisure Group, SFX and Clear Channel Entertainment before coming to its current owners, ATG in 2009. [5]
The listed status of the building was upgraded by Historic Scotland to Category A in 2008. [1]
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