As a first step to restoring the Art Deco, Broadway Cinema in Prestwick, the squash courts that were installed in the 1980’s have been removed and the original auditorium revealed. With the Broadway's stage revealed once more, the next major step duly arrived, as Ayrshire's new largest cinema screen was raised for the first time.
Images and Video courtesy of the Friends of the Broadway Prestwick
The Broadway's first new screen since 1956 brings some Ayrshire history with it too as the original cinema screen of the fondly remembered Magnum Leisure Centre in Irvine! Cinemascope arrived in '56 and now 69 years on it returns! Raising the screen was no easy task as an enormous frame had to be constructed and winched into place, before the intricate fitting operation could begin.
Once stretched and secured, it was time to fire up their digital and 35mm equipment and project the first pieces of film back into the Broadway's stage since One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest! Half a century on, the magic of film is back.
The Broadway Cinema, beautifully designed in the Art Deco style, opened in 1935 with a capacity of 1,060 seats, state-of-the-art projection equipment, and featuring a furnished tearoom and four new shop units. The Broadway stood as a pillar of the community for decades and brought the magic of film to the town during the golden age of cinema.
After years of lying empty the charity Friends of the Broadway Prestwick bought the building on behalf of the community in April 2024, with funding from the Scottish Land Fund and support from South Ayrshire Council. Burrell Foley Fischer are working with the trust on their vision to bring the building back to life as a flexible creative space offering cinema, theatre, comedy, live music and a hub for the community.