21.11.13

The Hippodrome


What we see above is the hotel and shopping building which today stands close to Place de Clichy.

Until 1973 a completely other type of building stood here, first built for horse racing, a hippodrome, which stood ready in 1899, also used for soccer games and all kinds of shows, then for a while used as a circus.


Rather soon it was transformed to a cinema and took the name of « Gaumont Palace » in 1911. The projection of films those days involved a great danger of fire  – some serious accidents had occured including the one at the « Bazar de la Charité ». (I talked about it in a previous post.) For this reason the films were in the beginning projected from a seperate room behind the theatre (a mirror system) on a transparent screen.


1930-31 the architecture was seriously modified in an Art Deco style - as well the interior as the exterior. It was said to be the biggest cinema theatre in the world with some 6 000 seats. Different modifications took place over the years to adapt to new projection techniques, a giant screen… , but fashion changed, the large public was not there any more … and the Palace disappeared in 1973 and was replaced by the hotel and shopping building you van see on the top picture. .



Music was performed in the cinema theatre. There was an orchestra and an organ. The organ has been saved and can today be found in the only « pavillon Baltard », which was saved when the « Les Halles » were remodeled (to say it kindly) in the beginning of the 1970’s. You can find it in the suburb Nogent-sur-Marne. Today « Les Halles «  are again remodeled, but that’s another story.

       

8 comments:

Jameson Farn said...

Absolutely love your website!

Jeanie said...

I thought I recognized Clichy as a spot I'd been! How I wish I could have discovered this when it was a theatre. That is my passion -- classic theatre interiors. Oh, how lovely it must have been!

Cezar and Léia said...

I love the circus vintage poster!Great article about this historic place. I appreciated a lot all the information that you provide us about different places in Paris, thanks a lot!
Léia

Studio at the Farm said...

I gather you don't like the re-modeling of "Les Halles" :)
The old Hippodrome still manages to look attractive, though.
Wonderful post, Peter, and I LOVE that old hippodrome poster!

Studio at the Farm said...

I gather you don't like the re-modeling of "Les Halles" :)
The old Hippodrome still manages to look attractive, though.
Wonderful post, Peter, and I LOVE that old hippodrome poster!

Alain said...

Un immense cinéma, mais une scène de théatre et sans doute un écran qui nous paraitrait bien petit.

Thérèse said...

Des batiments qui ont leur propre vie et leur propre probleme d'heritage.

angeleno moon said...

Thank you for the wonderful info!