Grade II Walthamstow cinema undergoes major reconstruction with Pilbrow & Partners

Pilbrow & Partners has been working with Soho Theatre over the last three years on the development of restoration proposals for EMD Walthamstow.

These plans convert the 1929 cinema, designed by Cecil Aubrey Masey and Theodore Komisarjevsky, into a 1,050-seat live performance venue with a focus on comedy.

The scheme meets a series of challenges, including restoring the fabric of the building which has been vacant for over a decade.

Senior founding partner, Fred Pilbrow, said: “The EMD cinema has been a focus for intense community action to save and restore this important building.

“I am delighted that our proposals have helped secure support from Waltham Forest to save this unique and iconic building. We are excited about its future at the heart of community and cultural life in Walthamstow.”

Waltham Forest has announced its acquisition of the Grade II listed cinema and has committed £17m to the refurbishment.

The venue will form the centerpiece of the Borough’s cultural strategy and the announcement formed part of Waltham Forest’s London’s inaugural Borough of Culture programme for 2019.

The historic building opened in 1929 on a site that had been a music hall since 1887. The building closed in 2003 and has remained on Historic England’s ‘Buildings at Risk’ register for the past decade.