The Thiseion (formerly Eden) summer cinema

7 Ap. Pavlou, Thiseio, 1934.

Architect
Emmanuel Lazaridis (1894-1961)



The interwar Thiseion is one of the very few instances of a neighbourhood outdoor cinema that was designed by an architect. It started as a radical refurbishing of a popular outdoor theatre that had operated on this site from the late 19th century. The theatre was remodelled into a modern cinema named Eden, on the basis of drawings by architect Emmanuel (Manolis) Lazaridis, graduate of the Ecole des Beaux Arts of Paris.
The façade provides a rationalist solution to the problem of outdoor cinemas using limited means. The seating occupies a rectangular courtyard with a high wall. The entrance, ticket office and snack bar were designed in the Art Déco style, and situated along its long side. On one of its short sides stood the Art Déco screen, opposite which was the projection machinery. The area in between was covered with audience seats and a few coffee-shop type tables.
Later interventions and arbitrary decoration have downgraded this historic summer cinema aesthetically.

TRANSPORTATION