The renovation of Platea Madrid by Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio, which can be visited in this edition of Open House Madrid, has divided 6 spaces into 4 different floors. The pit at the bottom is an area dedicated entirely to the restoration and the fusion of cuisine of different cultures with the Spanish one that will open in September 2022.
On the second floor is the central courtyard where drinks and food from the surrounding bars can be consumed. The stage is still preserved in the same place where it was located in the past. The two boxes are currently closed to the public.
The first will be opened as a cocktail bar area in September and the second, formerly a smoking area, is now reserved only for private events.
On the second floor is the central courtyard where drinks and food from the surrounding bars can be consumed. The stage is still preserved in the same place where it was located in the past. The two boxes are currently closed to the public.
The first will be opened as a cocktail bar area in September and the second, formerly a smoking area, is now reserved only for private events.
Platea by Lázaro Rosa-Violán. Image courtesy of Platea.
The building had some protected elements that could not be removed or modified concerning the original work of architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto, so the Lázaro Rosa-Violán studio respected the original structure of the cinema. The lighting and decoration are inspired by the 50s and 60s, seeking an atmosphere similar to that of its initial opening in 1952.
The building had some protected elements that could not be removed or modified concerning the original work of architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto, so the Lázaro Rosa-Violán studio respected the original structure of the cinema. The lighting and decoration are inspired by the 50s and 60s, seeking an atmosphere similar to that of its initial opening in 1952.
Mezzanine floor plan of Carlos III cinema by Luis Gutiérrez Soto.
History:
The space where Platea Madrid is located was the former Carlos III cinema and Cleofás hall, a mature project by architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto. An ambitious housing project, a commercial gallery, cinema, and nightclub, which occupied the first block of Goya Street in Madrid, next to the Paseo de la Castellana and Plaza de Colón.
Cleofás was home to great protagonists of the Madrid artistic scene of the '70s and '80s, such as Moncho Borrajo, who found success in Cleofás with back-to-back performances for 2 years. Also Tip y Coll, Camilo Sesto and Concha Marquéz Piquer and great international stars such as Sofía Loren.
The Carlos III complex is a paradigm of Spanish architecture of the fifties of the twentieth century: The volumetric composition of the complex is projected as a perfect assembly, whose components are concentrated around the crossing of the commercial passage, attracted in a centripetal way by its dome of pavés.
The Carlos III cinema was closed in 2007 and in 2014 Platea, a gastronomic space compatible with the conservation of the space, was opened. The work respects the volumes of the original project, maintaining the stalls and the stage, the part of the building containing the large stalls and the basement of the auditorium has been rehabilitated and converted into an open area of tables and chairs surrounded by small restaurant premises, all decorated by the interior designer Lázaro Rosa- Violán.
