It is housed in the remodelled 1936 Odeon Cinema, a grade-II-listed building,[1] together with a newly built extension to hold the theatre auditorium.

It was designed in the Art Deco style by Robert Bullivant, under the leadership of Harry Weedon, with a total auditorium capacity of over 1600 seats.

While most Odeons of that time were faced in ceramic tiles, red brick was used in Chester to respect its historic setting, near both the cathedral and the Victorian town hall.

The adjacent office block, Commerce House, was demolished in 2013 [10] and the plan revised to create an integrated cultural hub, providing theatre, cinema, library and restaurant.

Following a public consultation led by Manchester agency True North, the name Storyhouse was adopted in 2016 to cover both the building and the activities contained within it.

The lofty lobby between the extension and the old Odeon provides a circulation space, which can be used for performances or informal film screenings.

The bookshelves of the library are distributed throughout the Odeon building at both ground and first floor levels; they are not separated from the restaurant and bar.

The dedicated children's library occupies its own separate room near the main entrance at ground floor level, with a story-telling space.

[18] Storyhouse received its official opening by Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on 14 June 2018.