The building was originally designed and built in 1936 in the
Streamline Moderne style by
Robert Arthur Bullivant, and operated as an Odeon Cinema. When it was first opened, the Odeon was one of the most extravagant and largest buildings in the region, with one screen and seating 2,182 guests. The terracotta panels, which feature mermaids, were hand-moulded by
William Neatby at the
Lambeth premises of Doulton and Co. The cinema was opened on 28 July 1938 with a screening of
A Slight Case of Murder. Seating was provided for 1,307 in the stalls and 875 in the upper circle. In 1974 it became a three screen cinema when the original auditorium was subdivided. The main Screen 1, located in the circle and front stalls, became a 1,237 seat screen, allowing for two smaller screens, 2 and 3, underneath the circle of the rear stalls which seated 123 and 111. In 1988 a fourth screen was added by converting the remaining front stalls into a 401 seat screen. The original Odeon closed on 16 July 1997 when the twelve screen Odeon multiplex opened at Freemans Park. The building has been
Grade II listed since August 1997, giving it protection from unauthorised modification or demolition. The building has been restored and converted into a venue for corporate and social events. == Today ==