yet another triumph for its architect. A reinforced concrete corner structure clad in red brick was called “extra-super-modernistic,” while the “sumptuous interior” struck a viewer “dumb with excitement,” although some journalists called it “bizarrely decorated.” The interior walls were painted bronze, orange, and gold, with opaque glass lampshades providing illumination. For the 1,080-seat auditorium, Gonda designed a special chair, with added attention to “slope, height, comfort and appearance.” Cathay Theatre introduced a number of innovations, such as the rooftop projector, to screen films al fresco. In November 1932, after two years of construction, the 2000-seat Ritz Theatre (融光大戏院) opened in Hongkou district, becoming the largest movie house in Shanghai. The façade with “severe constructional lines” was “naturally devoid of any superfluous ornamentation,” reserving ample space for billboards. The reinforced concrete single-story building had a large elliptical foyer with a domed ceiling on the ground floor, while the 2,000-seat auditorium was situated underground. In 1934, Gonda publicized the plans for the Cosmopolitan Theatre on the border of the French Concession and the Chinese City. The six-story building was free not only from all the ornament but also “from the faults of false modernism such as is often seen.” The movie house on the ground floor accommodated 1,100 seats, and there were two floors of offices and three floors of apartments above it. The entrance was sheltered by a canopy, used for lighting and for advertising; three illuminated columns above it supported allegorical figures carrying globes of floodlight. The wide proscenium arch extended over the entire front of the auditorium; the stage could be used for theatrical performances as well as for movie screenings. Gonda's expertise in the construction of movie theatres and hotels ensured him commissions in other cities in China. Late in 1934, Gonda designed the 800-seat Capitol Theatre in Beijing (then called Peiping) and the 900-seat Victoria Theatre in Tianjin's British Concession. The latter building was sited on a corner lot and combined a vertical stepped structure in the centre with horizontally banded wings. The canopy over the entrance functioned as a lighting feature, and the interior was lit with concealed lamps. The Capitol Theatre in Chefoo was also credited to C. H. Gonda. Early in 1936, the Grand Hotel (大华饭店) opened in Hangzhou, built for the local magnate W. S. Tung on a site of a private villa on Wuping Road. The four-story building, overlooking the famous West