Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The theatre of the Eldorado was built in 1894 on the site of a former brewery of the Gambetta course in Lyon, acquired by M. Gentelet in 1891. Confed to the architect Claudius Porte, he opened his doors on 15 June 1894 with artists from the Moulin-Rouge, quickly becoming a popular place. Originally dedicated to concerts, he evolved to melodrama, comedy, and opera at the beginning of the 20th century, before turning into a cinema in 1929, while keeping artist numbers during intermissions.

In 1977, director Bruno Boëglin installed his troupe there until 1986. Filed with the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1982, the theatre was abandoned in 1992. Despite its protected status, a ministerial exemption allowed its demolition in 1993 to build an office building. The classified decorative elements (mascarons, columns, luminaires) were to be reused in the new atrium, but this promise was not fulfilled. The site was removed from historical monuments in 2010.

The building embodied the evolution of Lyon leisure, from music hall to spoken cinema, reflecting the cultural transformations of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Its destruction marked the loss of a major architectural and artistic heritage, despite attempts to partially preserve its decorations. Archives and studies, such as those of Enzo Cormann (2017), document its history and its impact on Lyon's cultural life.

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