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