Originally a theatre, the Empire Pleasure Palace was situated on Glasgow Road opposite Bon Accord Street and opened on 31 December 1914. The following day, it was advertised in the Clydebank Press as "Clydebank's most up-to-date Pleasure Palace". Designed by architect Richard Henderson for the Clydebank Picture House Co, and built at a cost of around £4,000, the Empire seated 1,300 patrons.
The Empire was later converted to a cinema. On the evening of Sunday, 21 June 1959, a spectacular blaze lasting three hours razed the building to the ground. According to a report in the Clydebank Press, it appeared there had been a break-in that evening and the burglars set a fire to eliminate any evidence! Thus did this popular cinema meet its demise.