The Hammersmith Odeon is one of those venues where the name itself became part of rock lore. Even though the building has not officially been called the Hammersmith Odeon for decades, music lovers still use the old name because so many legendary shows happened with that those words on the ticket stub.
The historic venue opened on March 28, 1932, as the Gaumont Palace cinema, replacing the demolished Hammersmith Palais de Danse and giving West Londoners a lavish local picture palace. Without it they would have had to ride the Tube a half hour into central London.
Designed by Robert Cromie, the Art Deco theater seated 3,487 people and featured a deep stage, 20 dressing rooms and a fan-shaped auditorium that allowed even large audiences to get up close to the action.
In 1962, when Gaumont was absorbed by the Odeon organization, the building was renamed the Hammersmith Odeon and an important shift took place where the venue began hosting live music and fewer film screenings.
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