Art Cinéma
We believe that innovative contemporary design can support and encourage community sustainability
Built in the 1930’s as a Chrysler dealership and serving as a post office shipping and tire recap plant, this warehouse-style buildling in Downtown Athens is now home to Ciné, an art house theater and performance space. Ciné contributes to a growing arts scene on the western end of Downtown by preserving and adding onto a historic structure and reactivating it with a community oriented use. Inside, exposed brick walls and steel trusses frame a dramatic lobby and gallery space, leading to state of the art screening rooms.
Transforming this former warehouse into a world-class art cinema included not only renovations of the historic brick structure, but also the construction of a rear addition to house two screening rooms. D.O.C. collaborated with AV and Theater specialist James Bond to ensure that the viewing experience within the theaters was unmatched. In addition to screening rooms, the building was also configured with a “Lab” space for community events, and a street-fronting retail space.
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A tire graphic on the floor of the entry, adjacent to the ticket booth, acknowledges the building’s previous role as a tire recap plant.
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The entry hall and gallery space serve as a community oriented space for exhibitions of local artwork.
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The bar and cafe space, as seen from above, is a comfortable gathering space that encourages patrons to linger before and after movies or events.
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The projectionists’ catwalk floats over the bar and cafe.
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The curved shape of the bar mimics the barrel-arch truss above.
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The catwalk provides access to projection rooms and offices, while also helping to activate the space below.
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Theater 1, one of two state of the art screening rooms.
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The freeform Lab space is used for community performances and events.
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The street is activated at night by the ticketbooth, cafe space for the National restaurant, and dramatic lighting.
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The Hancock Avenue streetscape, as seen during the day.
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An addition, in orange, houses two screening rooms, while still respecting the building’s historic brickwork.
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The building, prior to renovation.
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