He died in 1955 and his wife Adalet İlmen died in 1966. The cinema, taken over by the charity society, was then run first by their daughter and then by the grandsons of Süreyya İlmen. The audience hall of the Süreyya Cinema was renovated in 1996, and state of the art technical equipment were acquired in 2003. Also, the exterior of the building underwent a reconditioning in accordance with the original design. However, all these efforts and the investments made for modernization did not bring the expected result to increase the audience. By the beginning of 2006, Kadıköy Municipality under Mayor Selami Öztürk launched a redevelopment project after leasing the building in August 2005 from the Darüşşafaka Association for a term of 40 years. The restoration included the frescos at the ceiling and on the walls, and the sculptures on the facade. The construction works lasted almost two years and the cost amounted to around 14 million YTL (approx. $9m). Süreyya Opera House reopened on December 14, 2007 performing the oratorio "Yunus Emre" (Opus 26) by Ahmet Adnan Saygun. Thus, Süreyya Pasha's dream of an opera house came true after 80 years. The theatre stage has a width of 14 metres, depth of 10 metres and height of 4.90 metres, with an orchestra pit added newly. There are 14 dressing rooms that were built without changing the architecture of the building. The audience capacity of the opera house is 570 seats. The ballroom on the second floor can accommodate 500 guests. The opera house is home to the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet. Opera and ballet performances are staged three days a week at the venue. The venue also hosts events such as art exhibitions, festivities and celebrations like the Republic Day Ball.