Marseille 13th - Athena Theatre
- department: Bouches-du-Rhône
- municipality: Marseille
- naming: Athena Theatre
- address : Albert Einstein Street
- date: 1906
- protection: unprotected building
- label patrimoine XXe: Commission régionale du patrimoine et des sites (CRPS) of 28 November 2000
In 1906, at the request of Paul Barlatier, director of the Marseilles newspaper Le Sémaphore, a theatre was built on a wooded site in Château-Gombert. Its name, Athena Nike (victorious Athena), recalls that it is inspired by the Greek theatres, and more specifically the famous buildings of the Acropolis.
The programme is ambitious: a large stage, bleachers with 1,500 seats, and a stage wall decor... made of reinforced concrete. It is a question both for the sponsor to highlight his interest in modern techniques and to reduce construction costs. The decoration is nevertheless faithful to the architecture of the Greek temples: three degrees lead to an esplanade on which rise four fluted columns, each resting on an attic base and overhanging an Ionic capital. The entablature is composed of two strips of frieze, the upper being decorated with moulded reliefs. Much appreciated, this theatre will see its attendance decrease during the war years. Some silent films were made there, however, before it was abandoned during the interwar period.
The city of Marseilles has recently undertaken a rehabilitation of the Athéna public park.
- Editor: Eve Roy, drac paca crmh, 2005