Prestwick Broadway celebrates its 90th Anniversary
The Broadway Cinema was officially opened on 29th April 1935 as Prestwick’s new super cinema with a grand opening ceremony and the film ‘The Barretts of Wimpole Street’. With a capacity of 1,060 seats, beautifully designed in Art Deco with state-of-the-art projection equipment, and featuring a furnished tearoom and four new shop units, the Broadway instantly became a jewel in Prestwick’s crown and a central hub for the community. The Broadway stood as a pillar of the community for decades and brought the magic of film to the town during the golden age of cinema.
Designed by renowned cinema architect Alister Gladstone MacDonald, the Broadway was constructed with an elegant central tower and Art Deco wings curving in to meet it above wide entrance doors and a sheltered canopy. There are six gold Broadway camels on the ceiling of the Auditorium which are part of the building design and formed part of the 1930’s air handling system. The architect was the son of James Ramsay MacDonald, the UK’s first Labour Prime Minister.
The Broadway was visited by famous stars including Sir Harry Lauder, Vivian Blaine, and Bob Hope, and thrived through the golden age of cinema up to the 1960s when it began a slow transition to bingo, becoming the Broadway Bingo & Social Club full-time by 1966. A brief revival of cinema would occur ten years later, lasting a period of ten months until the last film would be shown on 20th November 1976, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In 1981, the Broadway would be transformed with an amusement arcade in the front, and squash courts in the rear, complimented by changing facilities and a gym. Renamed Prestwick Leisure Centre, this chapter of the Broadway’s history would last until 2003.
After years of lying empty the charity Friends of the Broadway Prestwick bought the building on behalf of the community in April 2024, with funding from the Scottish Land Fund and support from South Ayrshire Council. Burrell Foley Fischer are working with the trust on their vision to bring the building back to life as a flexible creative space offering cinema, theatre, comedy, live music and a hub for the community.
To celebrate the 90th Anniversary the Broadway are launching an exciting new logo and branding developed in house by local Graphic Designers and Broadway volunteers, Katie and Liam Young.
Friends of the Broadway will also soon be announcing a new partnership with Ayrshire Film Company and Prestwick Academy to launch a new Film Society.
Guy Walker Chair of Friends of The Broadway Prestwick said
“This is a crucial time in our journey to bring our beloved Broadway back to life. Our passionate Board members and an army of dedicated local volunteers have been busy fundraising and working extremely hard. On our 90th Anniversary we are revealing our exciting new brand and logo focussing on our heritage and our beloved Broadway camel. Today is also the 90th Birthday of our Broadway camel! We look forward to welcoming the community, starting with our members back into the Broadway in the near future to see our progress for themselves.”