Ricerc@Sapienza

The creation of the cinema Impero, iconic building in the roman suburbs, took place in a particular moment, the fascist period of the early 20yh century, when the communication strategy, which involved the whole cinematographic system, produced a remarkable increase of specific screening places. Its construction, the third Roman hall of the period for capacity, was authorized by the Governor in 1937, with the condition that only ‘Italian’ materials were used and shows the typical architectural features of the fascist buildings.
One of its features lies in the existence of a contemporary ‘twin cinema’, still open at Asmara, whose image is on the cover of the ‘Asmara: a Modernist City of Africa’, Management Plan UNESCO.
Completely renovated in 1956 by the Studio Pennisi-Savelli which, according to the custom of those years, characterizes the interiors with a particular paneling; the cinema began to decline during the Seventies, following a process linked to the decadence of the film industry itself and remained abandoned for over thirty years.
A few years ago a public planning seminar was created to prepare a project for the re-use of the building, with the collaboration of some associations and the local community. The proposal, with the media support, has finally encouraged, in 2016, the beginning of the works by the property. Now it is possible to make a first, temporary analysis of the intervention that, due to some choices, has altered the building image. It is clear that the building has regained its importance in the social fabric of the district; but the transformation of the façade, the addition of incongruent elements and the persistent state of abandonment of the cinema hall raise some doubts about the correctness of the reuse intervention.