La Pagode

Sometimes you find some for Paris surprising architectures. Here is an example of an oriental looking pagoda, which actually is a cinema, logically called “La Pagode”.

It’s a bit “hidden” in an area of Paris which is not so much spontaneously visited by cinema-goers (57 bis, rue de Babylone, 7th) - not far from the Rodin Museum. It was built some more than 100 years ago and first used as a private ballroom, later made public. In the 1930’s it was transformed to a cinema.

During the 1970’s it became rather an art movie theatre. In the 90’s its future seemed quite dark, but it has in the meantime been officially “classified” and the present owner has an obligation to keep it as a cinema. The films showed now are “normal” ones, not necessarily art movies.

There is a lot of renovation work needed and partly ongoing and you can see some plastic covers on the roof. There is a small garden in front of the building, which was open when I passed. The grey weather and the naked trees made the pictures a bit dull, but on the other hand it made the building more easily visible and I had no shadow problems.
The movies proposed when I passed did not incite me to pay a ticket and I was not sure to be able or allowed to take any pictures inside anyhow – a pity as the major theatre (a smaller more modern one has been added) is quite spectacular. I show you instead a picture “stolen” on Google.