Transformation of Cinema Buildings and Spaces in Nicosia: Early-Mid 20th Century Heritage

Abstract

Cinemas emerged as a new and genuine expression of culture at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1920s cinema buildings became important for developing city life and especially as a social public space for entertainment. The period of great success of cinemas was inevitably destined to fade with the arrival of TV. However, this period left behind interesting architectural heritage. On the other hand, the “box of dreams”, the cinema industry, is a suggestive media contributing in defining other aspects of popular culture in a period of hectic changes and progress. The scope of this paper aims to investigate this specific building type, cinemas, within the context of modern heritage value in northern Cyprus. The purpose is to raise awareness on significance of cinema buildings thus to foster their protection and enhancement. The study also aims to investigate the historical relation of these buildings to their environments and neighborhoods as well as their transformed current situations. Some buildings were replaced with new ones, some were abandoned, and some others were converted into different uses. These transformed situations are results of changing economic, socio-cultural life styles and changing morphology of the cities. This paper aims also to stress the role of Cypriot architects and architecture in the international panorama within the Mediterranean area, in a peculiar multicultural context. Common features with other countries and local characteristics of the selected buildings are detected and analysed. Architectural qualities and solutions are studied to understand the reflections of the studied period. This study follows a qualitative research approach. The key discussions are made through investigating the cinema buildings and spaces in Nicosia, Northern Cyprus, as a case study method. This research investigates these buildings and spaces through historical archives, photographic surveys and producing maps for showing the location of these within the historic Walled City of Nicosia and its close surrounding. This stage provides significant data about their historic conditions and surroundings and comparisons with today’s current situations. In addition, interviews with local residents who used these cinemas in those periods are also carried out to support historical information and highlight the socio-cultural and economic understanding of those days.