Sol Cinema

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Memory spaces · Year: 1947 · Authors: Fermín Suárez Valido

Under the name Cine Sol, a cinema hall was built in the heart of the Schamann neighbourhood. The building project was carried out in the post-war period by the architect Fermín Suárez Valido for the businessman and owner Manuel Marrero.

The exterior appearance of the building intended to house the cinema was typical of this type of establishment erected at that time: a façade of regionalist typology with clear elements of architectural expressionism; and inside, a long rectangular hall which in this case had a capacity of 625 seats.

The Sol Cinema officially opened its doors on 7 August 1947 with the screening of the film Los majos de Cádiz , also titled La maja de los cantares , a 1946 musical drama directed by Benito Perojo and starring Imperio Argentina, Vicente Ariño and Mario Gabarrón. A feature film very much of its time.

This neighbourhood cinema was completely renovated in the 1960s. The update was carried out by the same architect Suárez Valido, who modernised its facilities in 1968. Its façade now timidly adapted to the brutalist currents of the moment. Inside, it lost capacity (now 540) but gained in comfort, features (lighting, seats, etc.) and common areas (toilets, ticket offices, smoking area, hall, etc.). The transformation of the cinema extended to its very name, which now became Sol Cinema.

The reopening of the new Sol Cinema took place on 13 February 1969, with the screening of Disney's magnificent film The Jungle Book from 1967. From that moment on, converted into a cinema for re-releases and simultaneous premieres, it became known in the city for showing Disney films. In fact, a small Walt Disney Museum was located in its facilities, formed by a collection of objects related to animated films from the cinema itself.

Perhaps the Sol Cinema was one of the best cinemas in Ciudad Alta, but unfortunately, the crisis of cinemas in the mid-1980s led this historic Schamann cinema to close its doors officially on 17 July 1986. The building still stands today, now heavily modified and converted into a bingo hall.

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