Hammersmith Apollo

Hammersmith Apollo (styled HMV Hammersmith Apollo since 2009 in a name deal with the owners MAMA Group) is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962. In 2007, the building was purchased by the MAMA Group, who were taken over by the HMV Group in 2010.

History

The venue was opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, Hammersmith and seated over 3,500 people. It was designed by Robert Cromie in the Art Deco style.

In 1962, the building was re-named the Hammersmith Odeon, a name many people still use for the venue along with the phonetic abbreviation "Hammy-O". The venue was later refurbished and re-named the Labatt's Apollo following a sponsorship deal. Musical Theatre Star Michael Ball was the last person to play Hammersmith when it was named 'Odeon' and the first person to play following its renaming as the 'Apollo', both during his 1993 sell out tour.

In the early 1990s, it was again re-named the Hammersmith Apollo. It became a Grade II listed building in 1990 and was upgraded to Grade II* status in 2005.

In 2002, the venue was again re-named, this time to the Carling Apollo after another brewery struck a deal with the owners, US-based Clear Channel Entertainment (spun...
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