Front view of Regal Cinema

Front view of Regal Cinema. This building was designed and built by Charles Stevens, son of Frederick William Stevens. This heritage property opened to public viewing in 1933. It is amongst Mumbai's first Art Deco buildings and one of the few single screen cinemas that survive in the city today. Built for entrepreneurs Framji H. Sidhwa and K.A. Kooka in reinforced concrete cement, innovative for that time, Regal Cinema is an early representative of modernity in the city.

A planned, mixed-use structure with shops on the ground floor. Regal pioneered cinema construction in the city - it was the first air-conditioned theatre, and even offered its patrons the use of an underground parking lot. On its facade, in yet another first for the city, its name was lit up in neon. Note the geometric motifs and subtle vertical accents on the building's stepped facade, including the vertical signage, all distinctive features of Art Deco design in Bombay.