Louxor Pathe

Built in 1921, opening on 6th October 1921 as the flagship of the Pathe chain, the Louxor – Palais du Cinema was an Egyptian-style movie theatre. There was an orchestra pit and a pipe organ and even the seats were Egyptian style. It is the only Egyptian style theatre ever built in Paris.

The projection booth was located under the second balcony. The building is at the corner of two main boulevards and tiles with Egyptian art are still on the upper part of the facade.

Through the years the Egyptian design and marquetry friezes by interior designer M. Tiberi have vanished from inside the auditorium. In later years a Cinemascope screen hid the stage and the proscenium.

By the 1970’s the district was changing. Still owned by the Pathe chain, the Louxor turned to a new program policy with Arab and Egyptian movies. With 10,000 patrons each week, the profit was enough for Pathe to keep this theatre different from the other first run theatres of the chain.

The theatre became notorious for drug dealers and prostitution. In 1986, a murder in the stalls level closed the place as a cinema.

The facade was given a Listed building status and the theatre was converted into a disco and was later bought by Tati, a clothing chain store. But because it was forbidden to change the facade, the Louxor was and is still dark.

But in 2003, the city of Paris bought the land and the building and proposed a huge renovation to return the theatre to its former appearance. In early-2008 the building was still unused, but renovation/restoration work began in 2010, with completion set for 2013.

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