The Irish Independent

A major refurbishment of the Savoy cinema pays tribute to the cinema's venerable history, yet signposts the start of an exciting new era. It's back to the future for Dublin's Savoy cinema with the wraps now formally being taken off a new €2m refurbishment today, marking the 75th anniversary of the landmark entertainment venue. The Savoy is Dublin city centre's oldest remaining cinema. Designed in the same stripped Classical style as the adjacent Gresham Hotel and Hammam Chambers, the Savoy made its mark as one of the great 'atmospherics' - the massive interior decorated on a Venetian theme. The original safety curtain had a painting of the Doge's Palace, the proscenium arch was in the shape of a Venetian bridge, and decorative Venetian windows and balconies looked down on the audience. Those days are gone now, as the cinema was split up to provide multiple smaller theatres some years back.