LONDON (February 23, 2010)--Britain's culture minister has officially declared The Beatles' Abbey Road Studios an historic building, officials said Tuesday in an announcement that ensures that the venerable, but money-losing, music studios cannot be significantly altered without government permission.

The north London town house once hosted one of the world's most sophisticated recording studios, used by artists including The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck and Radiohead.

It is still used by orchestras: The film soundtracks for "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" were recorded at Abbey Road.

But the studios' future was called into question in recent days.

The current owner, EMI, said the studios have been losing money for years and that it is seeking cash to revitalize them.