There's some pretty old buildings in the heart of London, and one of those is the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square. Built in 1937 on the site of the Turkish Baths and the Alhambra Theatre from the 1850s, it cost £550,000 to construct. The first movie shown was The Prisoner of Zenda, which happened on Tuesday, November 2nd 1937 with 2,116 seats available.
Soon, we'll be talking about the last movie shown there, though. It has been announced that the 76-year-old building is set to be demolished and replaced with a 10-storey block by The Edwardian Group.
The block will incorporate a hotel, spa, and a cinema, but only with two screens available. It is also expected to create 400 new jobs at the location. £2.9 million will be invested in affordable housing as part of the project, and any flats that are removed during the redevelopment are expected to be replaced.
English Heritage objects to the project due to the loss of "architectural and historic character," but also that due to the height it will overshadow the Grade 1 listed building that is the National Gallery.
Source: BBC News
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