Grand Theatre

Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre is a protected cultural heritage site in Shanghai.

Grand Theatre

Now known as the Grand Cinema, it is located at 216 West Nanjing Road, facing south-north toward People’s Park. It was jointly established by British-born Cantonese businessman Lugen and the manager of the American International Mortgage Bank, who formed the United Film Company. In the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), the old cinema and adjacent buildings were demolished, and the new structure was completed in the 22nd year (1933). The cinema covers an area of 4,016 square meters, with a building area of 6,250 square meters. The structure has two floors, along with a translucent milky-white glass signboard, bringing the total height to 30.5 meters. Designed by Hungarian architect László Hudec, the building adopts a reinforced concrete frame structure. The lobby features twelve tall chromium-steel-framed glass doors, with black marble cladding on the side walls. The lobby is spacious and bright, with a colorful terrazzo floor inlaid with copper strips. Two wide symmetrical staircases lead up to the second floor. The balcony houses a decorative fountain, while the auditorium ceiling is adorned with golden wave-patterned concealed lighting. The exterior of the building showcases the so-called American Art Deco style, featuring a façade composed of interlocking vertical and horizontal panels. The south façade uses large glass panels and a milky-white canopy, with lamp posts added slightly further back. The building is lavishly decorated and fully equipped, with over 1,900 seats in the auditorium. In early 1940, the Grand Theatre installed simultaneous interpretation headphones (known as “earphones for translation”) on all seats, translating foreign films into Chinese to help non-foreign-language-speaking audiences understand the plot. As a result, many other cinemas followed suit. In May 1958, it was renovated to become Shanghai’s first wide-screen cinema. Historically, it was known as the “Number One Cinema in the Far East.” The building underwent major renovations in 1980, with the exterior clad in beige ceramic tiles, altering its façade somewhat. In 1992, it received another major interior renovation. Aside from changes to the seating arrangement, the interior was largely restored to its original appearance, with no significant alterations made. In 1989, it was designated as a protected cultural heritage site in Shanghai.