Curzon Mayfair

Curzon Mayfair, a Grade II listed building, is one of London’s oldest and most prestigious art-house cinemas.

The birth of Curzon Cinemas occurred on 6th March 1934, when a modest building on Curzon Street, Mayfair, opened its doors for the first time, inviting audiences to Willi Forst’s biopic of Schubert, Unfinished Symphony. Built by The Marquese di Casa Maury and designed by architect Francis Lorne in a European style, the brick facade was low-rise and the only relief was a vertical white stone feature that had the name ‘Curzon’ mounted on it in green neon script.

Inside, the 492-seat auditorium was provided on one level with a raised section containing luxury ‘club’ seats. In contrast to the picture palaces of the era, the Curzon Cinema had an austere interior, but with luxurious blue carpets and velveted armchairs.

Photos courtesy of woody1969

In early September 1939 the cinema was closed for refurbishment, but due to the war it stayed closed and was taken over for army screenings. It was during this time that Harold Wingate acquired the lease and the cinema has remained in the family ever since.

After the war, the Wingates became distributors of foreign language films, bringing classics like The Bicycle Thieves and The 400 Blows to London audiences.

However, property prices in the area were ever increasing and the cinema was sitting on a prime location. Closed in 1963, it was demolished in 1964 to make way for an office block which would include a new cinema on the first floor.

The new Curzon opened in April 1966 with Viva Maria and now boasted a larger 530-seat auditorium, a huge 43-foot by 20-foot screen and two Royal Boxes. In 2002, the rear stalls were converted into a second screen, offering a wider selection of films.

 

Taken from the Curzon Mayfair website.