It was designed by John Jacob Zink, a prominent theater architect, and built by E. Eyring and Sons.

[2] During the 1960s the Ambassador was a first-run cinema, showing movies immediately upon release, as opposed the second and third-run theaters more typical of the outer portions of Baltimore.

[3] During its time as a cinema, it was a regular destination for future movie director Barry Levinson, who went almost every week.

[2] The Ambassador Theater is a large two-story brick auditorium with a ziggurat-like stepped facade organized around two vertical pylons.

The front entry opens into a two-story foyer space leading to the auditorium, extending upward behind the facade steps.

Stairs to either side give access to the upper level, housed in flanking curved facade pylons There is no balcony, the second floor consisted of the projection booth and accessory space.

Fire exits were provided at each corner, with passages leading back out to Liberty Heights Avenue.