Petition to Save Edinburgh's Old Odeon

As you stroll past the future tram on public display in Princes Street, while perhaps appreciating its contemporary design and sanitised efficiency, is there a tiny, impractical part of you that wishes it could still resemble that streetcar named Desire or those once seen in a David Lean epic? Although in this case progress is predominantly positive, in the case of the proposed partial demolition of the old Odeon in Clerk Street, it seems acutely melancholic.

The cinema, opened in 1930 as the New Victoria, is home to a grand auditorium containing Scotland’s largest proscenium arch. Built by William Trent and designed by the artist Beattie, a ceiling containing stars mimicking the Milky Way overlooks and the walls nestle sculptures of the three muses of drama, music and art. Updated in the 1960’s (yet reversible) the Odeon was B-listed and in the process of applying for A-listed protected status, when an application to convert it to a hotel (via demolition of the auditorium) was accepted by the council in December last year.

Encouragingly, support is growing for possibilities to save the historic building and restore it to a functional public space for the film or arts sector, without damaging the beauty of the original interior described as ‘the best surviving example of architecture of its time’ in the UK by the Cinema Theatre Association. The current proposed hotel development is awaiting approval by Historic Scotland and is poised only one step away from proceeding. A petition has arisen to provide an outlet for opposing public opinion to appeal to Historic Scotland for preservation of the site.

If you too think there is room for both conservation and development, and would like the Odeon to sit deservedly alongside its peers; the Cameo, Filmhouse and Dominion, you can petition via the click of the mouse via the link on the right.