The Ambassador Cinema was Dublin's longest-running cinema and was operational on and off until 1999. It operated as a music venue between 2001 and 2008. The Ambassador's current use is as an exhibition hall & event centre. The building was constructed as part of the Rotunda Hospital in 1764 as an assembly hall and social rooms on what is now called Parnell Street. Again known as the Rotunda (its nickname being the 'Roto' or the 'Roxy'), the cinema-going public thronged to the venue. Over the years, the cinema changed hands until the 1940s when it was run by Capitol and Allied Theatres Ltd.