It is a locally listed Art Deco building, located on London Road, around 0.7 kilometres (0.43 mi) east of St Albans Cathedral.

Originally built in 1931 as the Capitol Cinema, the current building stands on the site of an earlier film theatre, the Alpha Picture Palace.

As a teenager, he was inspired to go into the new art of moving photography when he became acquainted with Birt Acres, and he became a noted figure in the history of early cinema as a pioneering filmmaker.

[3] The cinema failed inspection following the passing of the 1910 Cinematograph Act and was sold through liquidation to George Arthur Dawson the following year.

The new cinema featured a seating capacity of 1,620 with a 20-foot-deep stage, a two-manual Compton theatre organ, a café and dressing rooms.

[1][6] On 30 October 1963, The Rolling Stones along with The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley, Little Richard and Julie Grant appeared at the cinema.

With the opening of the new cinema complex at Jarman Park in Hemel Hempstead in 1995, Rank decided to close the St Albans Odeon.

Hannaway had previously led a project to re-open another historic Art Deco cinema, The Rex, Berkhamsted, around 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of St Albans.

A further fundraising campaign was started to restore the cinema to its original 1930s glory and a new name – The Odyssey – was chosen following a public competition.