Grosvenor Theatre

About

The Ace Cinema, originally the Grosvenor Cinema and now known as the Zoroastrian Centre, is a Grade II* listed Art Deco former cinema in Rayners Lane in the London Borough of Harrow.

Building: Ace cinema is streamlined Art Deco in style, the facade featuring a central concrete sculpted design of a stylized elephant's head with a trunk. The auditorium has a circle that originally seated 405 and stalls that originally seated 830. There was originally a stage 44 feet deep and six dressing rooms, and the oval foyer had a sunken area that contained a café.

History: Ace cinema was designed by Frank Ernest Bromige and opened as the Grosvenor Cinema on 12 October 1936, showing The Country Doctor. On 5 May 1937 it became part of the Odeon chain; it was subsequently renamed the Odeon in 1941, the Gaumont in 1950, and once more the Odeon in 1964, by which time the seating had been reduced from the original 1,235 to 1,185. After the Harrow borough council refused an application by Odeon's parent organisation Rank to convert the cinema into a bingo hall, it was acquired by Ace, a small independent group, and on 1 October 1981 became the Ace Cinema; it was closed on 6 October 1986. From...