The Philharmonic Hall was built on the site of the former St Paul's Church (once known as the Portland Chapel) to replace the St James's Hall in Regent Street which had been demolished in 1905.
By 1914, the hall had changed name to the Philharmonic and a Ward Lock guide to London produced soon after the end of the First World War (1918) reported that the hall was "mainly used for cinematograph displays" [REF].