A richly modelled Scots Renaissance frontage disguises the scale of an early purpose-built cinema auditorium behind it.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1913; mid-twentieth-century alterations
- Architect / designer
- Wilson and Tait; later alteration designer uncertain
- Type
- Scots Renaissance cinema and auditorium
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB50873)
- OS grid reference
- NS 92755 82109
Architecture and continuing use
The seven-bay entrance block is almost symmetrical, with ogee-roofed outer pavilions and a central entrance beneath the original Empire Electric Theatre inscription. The taller hall behind preserves much of a mid-century decorative scheme.
Its story
The Empire Electric Theatre opened in December 1913 and became La Scala in 1916. It was adapted for sound and later widescreen presentation before cinema use ended in 1971. A bingo club occupied the building until 2006; subsequent demolition proposals were refused.
Why it is included
The Category B building is an unusually elaborate and substantially retained early cinema, important both for entertainment history and the civic character of Station Road.
What to notice
- Original theatre name carved above the central entrance.
- Ogee-roofed pavilions at the ends of the low frontage.
- Contrast between the ornamental entrance and the large hall behind.
Reading the surroundings
View only from public streets. Do not enter, test doors or use surrounding private ground; vacancy does not create permission or imply structural safety.
Timeline
- 13 December 1913 The Empire Electric Theatre opened to audiences.
- 1916 The venue adopted the La Scala name.
- 1971 Regular cinema operation ended and later bingo use followed.
- 2006 The bingo club closed, leaving the building without an established public use.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The HES record was amended in 2024, but no reliable source reviewed here establishes a new occupied use or safe interior access.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Former La Scala Cinema, LB50873 — Current designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: LB50873 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
- Falkirk Local History Society: Grangemouth La Scala — Detailed opening, alteration, cinema, bingo and vacancy history.
- Falkirk Council: Grangemouth Town Centre Masterplan — Current regeneration context and recognition of the former Electric Theatre as a heritage asset.
Location
OS grid reference NS 92755 82109 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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