Metropole Tuschinski

Located in the Scheveningen district to the north of the city centre at the corner of Carnegielaan & Laan van Meerdervoort. The Metropole Palace was opened on 15th October 1936 with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in “Top Hat”. It was built to hold 1,600 seats, but 1,260 larger luxury seats were initially installed. Seating was provided in orchestra and balcony levels in the shell-shaped auditorium. There was a fountain and water feature containing real fish at the base of the staircase to the balcony. An unusual feature in the front orchestra area was a glass floor which could rise up, and be used as a dance area.

Although some distance from the city centre cinemas, the Metropole Palace attracted many premiere attractions, and during the 1930’s foreign stars such as Shirley Temple from America, George Formby from the United Kingdom and Mistinguett from France made personal appearances here. During the German occupation of World War II, the Metropole Palace ceased screening films and became a dance hall, utilizing the glass floor in the orchestra level. It became a cinema again from 27th April 1945.

In April 1949 it was sold to the Tuschinski group based in Amsterdam, and it was re-named Metropole Tuschinski from 30th June 1950 when a gala premiere was held for the French film “La Beaute du Diable”(Beauty and the Beast) directed by Rene Claire.

From June 1962 until 29th November 1963 Natalie Wood in “West Side Story” was presented for 518 days on a Roadshow run.

In 1976, the Metropole Tuschinski was converted in a five-screen cinema. A closing date is not known at this time, but it was demolished, and in October 2008, a block of 30 apartments named Residence Metropole was being built on the site.

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