Historic Art Deco Cinema Saved From Hotel Conversion

A West End theatre turned cinema will not be converted into a hotel after a planning application was rejected, lending hopes it can be brought back to its former glory.

The Saville Theatre, a Grade II listed Art Deco theatre that is currently an Odeon cinema, is primarily known for its famous 40m long relief across its front, known as “Drama Through The Ages”.

This has raised hopes in the theatre world that listed building restoration can bring the historic structure back to its former glory.

The Saville Theatre was originally opened in 1931 and spent nearly 40 years as a live performance venue until 1970 when it was converted into a twin cinema, and later a four-screen cinema in 2001.

In 2018 it was set to be converted into a hotel, with a basement cinema as a small memorial to the venue’s importance to the art world. However, an investigation that took place revealed that a substantial amount of the old theatre had survived throughout the years.

The old stage house remained large parts of the outer walls and original roof, the dressing room block as well as the staircases. There may be even more of the original Art Deco design underneath the fabric.

Converting the building into a hotel would have destroyed any chance of restoration and destroyed all of the surviving interior details, leaving just a fascia, which led to the application’s rejection in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Due to this discovery, any potential conversion will need to be a cultural venue, to ensure it does not damage the original aesthetic.