In an area of Paris that doesn’t have much of note, culturally (despite being very close to Montmartre) this historic building was falling into ruin. The Paris city council has saved it and work has just begun on its transformation…
Closed for over 20 years, this exceptional building has been close to meeting a nasty end many a time. Build in 1921, its neo-Egyptian facade and interior (including some exceptional mosaics) make it something special indeed.
The main auditorium had space for nearly 1,200 people! Unfortunately, from the fifties onward the place started on a long, slow downward spira. TV had arrived, the area was changing. The owner, Pathé, showed B-movies there, changing to Indian and Arab cinema in the seventies. The place fell into disrepute. In 1983, the cut-price store Tati on the opposite corner bought it, hoping to expand. When this proved impossible (the building had been added to a list of protected monuments), they decided to leave it empty rather than let a competitor use the space. Before long, it was starting to fall apart, and after a short period as a nightclub, the building closed definitively.

Finally, around 2003, action by local associations such as les Amis du Louxor and Histoires et vies du 10e pushed the city council into action. They bought the site and started planning how to renovate. In 2010 planning permission was granted, and work has just started. The Louxor will be back!

The main auditorium will now seat 340 people (with two upper balconies), the original décor will be recreated, and two smaller cinemas will be created by digging into the basement.

There will also be a small exhibition space and a café, including a terrace with view onto Montmartre! It’s a great project for a mainly poor area that’s a little neglected. For those of your who speak some French, the architect tells us more in the film below.

People sometimes say that Paris is a ‘museum city’, meaning that it trades solely on its past and doesn’t innovate, but this project is proof that we can be inspired by the pas to create something relevant to the future. The Louxor won’t be opening straight away (more like early 2013), but just the idea of a new cinema and arts space may get the neighbourhood moving in the right direction, and once its open it’s sure to be a hit.

If you’d like to learn more (and speak soem French), the whole story is on paris.fr.

And even if you don’t speak French, there are loads of interesting photos on the site of Les Amis du Louxor: www.lesamisdulouxor.fr