RESTORATION work has begun on the last remaining Art Deco picture house in Belfast – Strand Arts Centre – with the venue celebrating 90 years of big screen action in 2025.
The £6.5 million redevelopment will preserve and enhance the cherished cinema, which dates back to 1935, and create a new home for the arts in East Belfast.
The work is funded by the UK Government, Belfast City Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, alongside corporate and public sponsorship driven by the Strand team.
Once completed in summer 2026, the revamped venue will include state-of-the-art cinema facilities, a licensed café, creative learning studios and new performance spaces within the current balcony screen and front stall areas. There will also be an interactive exhibition where guests can experience the cinema as it was in pre-war Belfast and learn about the Strand’s unique place amongst the city’s other iconic picture houses.
Original architectural features, including the famous façade, entrance and foyer, will all be retained, along with improvements to disability access to cater for a diverse range of audiences and multi-purpose spaces available for community and charity hire.
Patricia Corbett from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, and Mimi Turtle, Chief Executive of the Strand Arts Centre
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, said: “It is so positive to kick off 2025 with work to restore one of Belfast’s most striking and beloved buildings, coinciding with Heritage Treasures Day today (Tuesday 14 January).
“Council is pleased to have helped Strand Arts Centre secure the funding needed to preserve this treasured asset for future generations and to deliver this project which will boost both our arts sector and the local community, though outreach programmes and job and training opportunities.
“Finding sustainable uses for our city’s built heritage is so important, and other council-led projects, including the nearby Templemore Baths, show what’s possible with vision and commitment. I look forward to catching a movie in the new look Strand when it reopens next year.”
