Cinema Majestic

The design of this building dates back to 1910. Designed by architect Leon De Keyser, a Neo-Classical style building was established, in which Theâtre Pathé was founded. The cinema room was a modern concept with all the luxuries: radiators that provided heating, a beautiful floor carpet and stylistically finished doors. It was clear to the general public that the Pathé set higher standards.

Around 1920, the name of Theâtre Pathé was changed to Cinéma Majestic. Forward as ever, Cinéma Majestic took care of a true first in Ghent in the year 1929, starting with the installation of the very first sound system in a cinema. The very first use of this installation was on February 7, 1930, at the performance of the sound film “Ombres Blanches”.

The Art Deco style facade as we know it now was designed in 1937 by Antwerp architect Johannes Hendrik van den Broeck. A pre-emerging middle part, fully opened in glass, commends the spacious entrance to reveal the activities in the lobby. This glass cage that is still present is accentuated by an imposing illuminated and streamlined concrete awning, still an impressive appearance in the current street scene. The Cinema Majestic was for high-level entertainment, where people visited their best Sunday apparel.

With the advent of the television and its popularity, the number of cinema visitors dropped drastically. Therefore, in 1976, it was necessary to transform Cinema Majestic’s grand auditorium into a 2-room duplex cinema, the Majestic Club and the Majestic 2000. This was a temporary solution, but cinematic research continued to decline. In 1982, the Cinema Majestic has to close its doors for the first time. A new attempt for reopening was undertaken, but in 1985 this old glory finally went bankrupt. By 2017 it was in use as a Zara clothing store. By the summer of 2017, they had re-located across the street and the former cinema was a Bershka clothing store.

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