Cluny Ecoles

Located in the Latin Quarter on the south (Left Bank) of the River Seine and across the street from the Cinema Le Champo. The Cluny was a former “concert cafe” named Brasserie Lorraine, built at the ground floor of a building. The main entrance had a small facade on a busy street and on the other side a long façade situated in front of the Roman ruins of the Latin Quarter.

It opened on 31st January 1913 as the 580-seat Pathe Cluny. There were 373-seats in the orchestra and 207-seats in the balcony. The auditorium was shaped like a theatre with a single balcony and boxes. In the 1930’s the stage was razed, a projection booth was built under the balcony in a corner with a door opening on the street. This door was always open so that you could see the projectors running from the street.

Seating 385, this very atypical theatre had a special atmosphere and after a long period of second run movies turned to first run with a 70mm equipment and was the only cinema premiering the movie “Porgy and Bess” in Paris.

Around 1975, a second screen was opened in the basement (100 seats). Run by an independent owner, this theatre could not compete against the rise of multiplexes in the district and closed around 1987.

Since 1990 it is the Institut Finlandais (Finland Institute) a cultural center with a multipurpose auditorium.

Recent comments (view all 1 comments)

woody on September 25, 2009 at 1:21 pm

now operating as the institute finlanda and screening films
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3951784670/