THE FACILITIES
The spaces of the Plaza Centre Cinema extend over more than 2,500 m² in the heart of Geneva, just a few steps from Lake Geneva and 200 meters from Cornavin train station.
The Plaza Centre Cinema will include several facilities, including the restored historic cinema, an immersive space, exhibition spaces, a bookstore-shop, a café, a brasserie, and a cinema hotel.
Designed in 1951 by architect Marc J. Saugey, the Mont-Blanc Centre, a heritage-listed building rising above the cinema, already houses a dozen professional cinema and cultural organizations on its upper floors, making this location a new hub for culture and film distribution in the center of Geneva.
The Historic Cinema Hall
An exceptional architectural space, the cinema hall will be restored to its original design and color palette. The project envisions rows of seats arranged around a central nave, restoring the historic configuration imagined by Saugey, which created a direct passage from the outside to the inside, from the street to the screen.
The hall will have 500 seats on the ground floor and 100 seats in the balcony. The golden frame that originally surrounded the screen will be restored and slightly enlarged.
The remarkable concrete stage will remain intact and will be extended by a retractable proscenium that follows its curve, allowing for the organization of cine-concerts, live performances, and conferences.
The monumental balcony will be redesigned with a series of confortable benches and small tables, allowing for the service of drinks and light snacks, with the renovation including a direct connection from the balcony to the restaurant.
This space, which can accommodate 100 people, can be used separately for private screenings, seminars, or meetings.
The Immersive Space
The immersive room is a new space excavated beneath the historic cinema hall. It will be circular and accessible via a ramp-exhibition space. This facility will be dedicated to immersive experiences, interactive installations, and digital creations.
The room will also be able to host other audiovisual installations and serve as a second cinema hall with a capacity of around 80 people.
The Bar Glacier and the bookstore
At the entrance of the cinema, the right-hand arcade will lead to the News Room, a welcoming and confortable space open to the street, which will also serve as an entrance to the Bar Glacier and connect to the bookstore corner. Screens will display the latest news about Swiss cinema and its presence around the world.
There will be a bookstore corner, comfortable chairs, and the ability to plug in your computer or smartphone to an outlet to chat, work or relax.
A direct access will lead to the historic Bar Glacier, which will offer coffee, tea, lattes, ice cream, cakes, and sandwiches during the day and transform into a wine bar in the evening.
The Brasserie
A café-restaurant named Café de l’Europe existed on Rue du Cendrier as early as the beginning of the 20th century (see the excellent article by Elisabeth Chardon in La Couleur des jours – no. 52).
During the transformation of the neighborhood and the construction of Mont-Blanc Centre, Marc J. Saugey chose to revive this place of conviviality at the heart of his multifunctional project. Thus, the Brasserie de l’Europe was born, taking on much more modern contours. After a few decades, the brasserie was replaced by a Chinese restaurant, the Mandarin, which closed its doors a few years ago.
The Brasserie Europe will be reborn in the same location, on the first floor of the building, with its immense bay window overlooking Rue de Chantepoulet and the square where the charming Anglican “Holy Trinity Church” stands.
It will offer bistronomic cuisine featuring local products, seven days a week, and late into the evening.
The restaurant will be intimately linked to the Plaza ecosystem. Customers will have direct access to the cinema and will be immersed in the cultural atmosphere provided by the Plaza Centre Cinema.
The Hôtel Plaza Cinéma
Although the hotel did not exist before the renovation of the building, the idea was found in the Saugey archives. The Plaza Cinéma Hotel will offer 20 rooms in this urban, modernist environment infused with cinema.
The establishment will provide a unique cinematic experience in Geneva and Switzerland. Genuine film screenings will be offered in the rooms on screens the width of the bed, with a carefully curated program by the programmers of Plaza Centre Cinéma.
The cinema-hotel will be located on the first floor of the Mont-Blanc Centre. The entrance and reception will overlook the walkway in front of the restaurant terrace. Guests will be able to enjoy the cultural and artistic offerings of the Plaza, including exhibitions and cinematic and immersive proposals. They will also have privileged access to certain programs at the Plaza Centre Cinéma.
The Mont-Blanc Centre
The Mont-Blanc Centre heritage listed building rises above the cinema. Its multifunctional structure designed by Marc-J. Saugey is inspired by American aesthetics with its glass curtain walls. Located at the corner of Rue de Chantepoulet and Rue du Cendrier, it completely transformed the landscape of this former artisan district of Geneva during its construction between 1951 and 1953.
Today, the Mont-Blanc Centre is an integral part of the Plaza Centre Cinema and hosts about ten cultural and cinema-related organizations. Three film festivals have their offices there while waiting to showcase their gems in the historic cinema hall.
Among the actors and organizations located in the Mont-Blanc Centre:
GIFF, Geneva International Film Festival & Digital Market
FIFDH, Festival du Film International & Forum sur les Droits Humains
Everybody’s Perfect, Queer International Film Festival
Flux Laboratory
Centre d’art contemporain Genève
Cineforom
Profilms
Rita Productions
Large Network
Schaffter Sahli
FdMP architectes
Meriweza