The building is in the Art Deco style, it was constructed in 1932 to a design by William Thornley. It opened as a cine-variety venue. It had an original seating capacity of 1878 (other sources say 1848)- and in its restored state has 614 seats in the stalls, 318 in the front circle and 254 in the rear circle (the balcony). The site involved cutting into the rock.
