The new People’s Palace was built following the destruction of the Queen’s Hall in a fire in 1931. It was built next to the original building, which was handed over to Queen Mary College to redevelop for teaching purposes.
The new People’s Palace housed a Great Hall, and a Small Hall, and provided plays, concerts, dances, and film screenings until the early 1950s. In 1952 the building was sold to the College, as dwindling attendance and financial problems made it difficult for it to continue.
The interior of the building was restored in 2013-2014 to recreate its original 1930s grandeur.