The Astoria Theatre is a former cinema in Brighton Built in 1933 in the Art Deco style for a local entertainment magnate who opened one of Brighton's first cinemas many years earlier, it was the first and most important expansion of the Astoria brand outside London. It initially struggled against the town's other "super-cinemas", but enjoyed a period of success in the 1950s and 1960s before rapid decline set in, culminating in its closure in 1977. About 20 years of use as a bingo hall followed, but the building—whose clean lines give "a sense of spacious grandeur"[1] in a prominent city-centre site—has stood empty since the late 1997 and has passed through several owners. Permission was granted in 2012 for its demolition and replacement with an energy-efficient business centre, but it still stands as of Today.
Its a shame but plans have been approved to demolish this Great Building in favour of a modern development.
Just around the corner in North Road is another Closed cinema,
The Coronation Cinema was a conversion of a former shop and it opened in 1911 as the Coronation Cinema, the architect responsible for the conversion was Alfred Carden of Brighton. Initially seating was on one floor but in 1914 a balcony was added which increased the seating capacity to 350. In 1928 it was re-named the New Coronation Cinema and it became the last cinema in Brighton to be equipped with sound, which was installed in 1932, although for some reason silent films were still being screened at the New Coronation in 1933. In 1934 it was re-named Troxy Cinema.
In 1935 alterations were carried out by architects Gates & Sons (Brighton) and the cinema recieved a new Art Deco style facade. It was re-named for the final time in 1938 when it became the Rex News Theatre, initially screening newsreels and shorts, but this didn’t last long. The Rex Newsreel Theatre closed on 17th June 1939 with the feature films "San Quentin" starring Pat O'Brien and "Ever Since Eve" starring Marion Davies.