On a quiet street opening into one of the main squares in Timișoara, we encounter one of the finest examples of modern interbelic architecture, a masterwork of the architect Mihai Dolliner. The context of its apparition is typical of the interwar period when architects from Bucharest arrived in Timișoara and designed most of the new public buildings.
Initially named Scala Cinema, the Art Deco building was built by the constructor Emil Gonda. The edifice enchants through its formal simplicity, functional coherence, as well as the details of the various textures that make up the main façade. One notices the entrance, the groups of 3 vertical niches enclosed with coloured glass that hide the trajectory of the rain pipes, as well as the porthole windows typical of Modernist architecture.
The building’s story is also interesting from the point of view of the names it has born over time, as they reflect the changing social realities of the city. Initially Scala Cinema, was also known as Thalia Cinema, while during the communist era it was renamed New Times Cinema. Known today as Studio Cinema, the building is under restauration, preparing to become a landmark on Timișoara’s cultural map.
