OUR sister paper, the Luton News, revealed last month how the landmark old ABC Cinema building could be set for a facelift with the ABC Savoy community trust planning to restore the art deco eyesore to its former glory.
The group intend to transform the abandoned George Street building into an arts centre, converting one of the cinema’s old screens into a 450 seat 1930s/40s style cinema, another as a 600 capacity music venue and a third room intended as a multi-purpose venue.
The old building may be somewhat dilpidated now, but our older readers will remember it in a far more grandoise state. So we decided to trawl through the archives and find some pictures of the old building in all its past glory.
Designed by Associated British Cenimas in-house architect William R Glen, the building opened its doors for the first time on October 17 1938 as a 1,892 seater cinema known then as The Savoy.
It was the first cinema in the area to show a 3D film in 1953 and the first in South Beds to install Cinemascope and stereophonic sound.
In 1961, the venue changed its name to ABC before closing for around five months in 1971 when it was converted into a three-screen cinema.
1987 saw the cinema change its name once again - this time becoming the Canon cinema - before changing back to the ABC in 1996.
But 1998 saw the opening of a rival ultra-modern multiplex cinema in the nearby Galaxy Centre and it was just two years before ABC bosses decided enough was enough and the venue screened its last film on November 23 2000.
> To find out more about the ABC Savoy project to give the ABC a new lease of life or to get involved with the project itself log onto www.abcsavoy.org or join the group’s Facebook page.