The historic art deco cinema on Station Road in Harrow is being slowly transformed into a modern development.
The building will feature a four-screen cinema, a café, a community space, and an 11-storey block of 78 flats.
Exclusive photos shared in the Harrow Online Group on Facebook show the work is almost complete leaving residents with views of the beautifully restored art deco frontage.
Opened as the Dominion Cinema in 1936 near Harrow on the Hill, it was renamed the ABC in 1962. At that time, its art deco exterior was covered with steel sheeting to cut maintenance costs.
In the mid-1980s, the ABC cinema was renamed Cannon by Cannon Cinemas. In 1995, it became Safari Cinema, showing Bollywood films until its closure in March 2020 due to COVID-19.
A Gala Bingo Club and later a church used the former stalls area. In January 2021, plans began to demolish the auditorium for flats while restoring the facade.
When the metal facade had been removed revealing the original design, photos shared by Harrow Online showed that the restoration work that was underway.
This project will refresh Harrow and change the look of the area significantly. The cinema will also return to its original name, the Dominion, from its current name, Safari Cinema.
The restoration aims to bring the building back to its former glory and provide new amenities for the community.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
