Pathé Palace in Bruxelles / Belgium

 I got this postcard with the view of the cinema Pathé Palace in Bruxelles from my sister. It is an old view on a new postcard.

The cinema Pathé Palace opened in 1913. The house was built as an auction house in 1881 by Albert Dumont (1853-1920). In 1913 the house was converted into a cinema in the trendy Italian style. The pioneer of Cinematography and now owner of the building, Pathé Frères, commissioned Paul Hamesse. 

The result was the largest cinema in Brussels with a capacity of 2,500 seats and space for an orchestra. It is the oldest surviving cinema in Belgium. On the roof of the house you can see the well-known symbol of Pathé - the rooster.

In 1950, architect Rie Haan undertook a thorough renovation to match the narrower tastes of the time. The dome disappeared under a false ceiling. The cinema disappeared total in 1973 and a home appliance store was built in its place.

In 1999, the cinema came back with the arrival of Kladaradatch (Yiddish for "big spectacle"). The new owners reassembled the different parts of the building and connected them through the PPCafé. Despite adequate public participation, bankruptcy followed after only a year and a half. Later the Théâtre National found a new home there. 

In February 2018, the cinema Pathé Palace reopened its doors after fourteen years of vacancy. More than 600 seats are available in the four rooms (373, 140, 80 and 60). The program consists mainly of art house films.