McCabe Architects have shared their design of the refurbished and extended Ritz building.<\/p>\n
The project is now at tender stage to secure a main contractor and, subject to a successful appointment, works are expected to commence in the near future.<\/p>\n
McCabe Architects said: \u201cThe SEED Project will involve the careful conservation of its distinctive mid-20th-century International Modern street fa\u00e7ade, complemented by a new three-storey rear extension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis adaptive re-use development, when completed, will provide a vibrant enterprise hub, designed to support business growth and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
This project aims to bring jobs, activity, and renewed ambition to the area and represents the first phase of a wider regeneration initiative, which will also include a new multi-storey car park and enhanced public realm works in Ballybofey.<\/p>\n
Last September, the green light was given for the project – a part of phase one of the \u20ac10 million Ballybofey-Stranorlar Regeneration Strategy – to go ahead to the tender stage.<\/p>\n
The poject was launched in 2021, but has been beset with delays, in the main over an appeal against a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).<\/p>\n
The Ritz building is listed on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) and was designed by John McBride Neill, a noted cinema architect.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/613552254_1407520794075370_1854848680922710160_n-1767952844146.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Several years ago, an online campaign, Save the Ritz from being blitzed\u2019 was launched in a bid to save the iconic building from the bulldozers. After hundreds signed a petition, Donegal County Council refused a proposal to raze the building, saying: \u201cThe building forms an important part of the streetscape and built fabric of the town at this location.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ritz opened as a cinema in 1946 and served that purpose until 1982 when it became home to the Balor Arts Centre, which moved to a new building only a few doors away in 2008.<\/p>\n