 | |
| Location | Lisbon, Portugal |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°43′08″N9°08′47″W / 38.71889°N 9.14639°W |
| Opened | July 1922 |
| Owner | Lisbon City Council |
Parque Mayer is a theatrical and entertainment district in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Originally created as a summer amusement park, it at one time had four theatres, although one was demolished in 2015 and another has not been used since 1992. Successive proposals have been made for upgrading the area, but none has yet come to fruition. [1] [2]
Parque Mayer was developed in gardens once attached to the Palacete Mayer (now the Spanish Embassy). It is situated between Lisbon's Botanical Gardens and the west side of the Avenida da Liberdade, an important boulevard that heads out of the old centre of Lisbon in a northwesterly direction. The land and an earlier palace are likely to have belonged to a religious order that was abolished by the Marquis of Pombal who was effectively the ruler of Portugal between 1750 and 1777. He sold the property to the Marquise of Alorna and after passing through several hands it was purchased by Adolfo Lima Mayer (1838 - 1918) who demolished the former palace of the Marquise and constructed the Palacete Mayer and its gardens. The palace was designed by Nicola Bigaglia (1841-1908). In 1902 it became the first winner of the Valmor prize, awarded to the best new building in Lisbon of the year. [1] [2]
With the death of Lima Mayer in 1918, the building was sold by his heirs, being purchased by Artur Brandão. The palace was initially used as recreational and gambling nightclub but in 1930 was sold to the Spanish Government. In 1921, the gardens were sold to Luís Galhardo, a journalist and theatrical impresario who dreamed of creating an entertainment area similar to the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen or Coney Island in New York City. As a first step he formed the Avenida Parque Company (Sociedade Avenida Parque), which initially offered activities of the type found in village fairs in Portugal, including wrestling and boxing matches, merry-go-rounds, and shooting galleries. Later, restaurants, a skating rink, a circus, dodgem cars and an open-air cinema were added. [1] [2]
In July 1922, Teatro Maria Vitória , the first theatre in Parque Mayer, was opened. This theatre continues to function, despite having been almost destroyed by a fire in 1986. [3] [4] This was followed in 1926 by the Teatro Variedades , which still exists but has not been used since 1992. [5] Restoration work was due to begin in late 2020. [6] In 1966, this theatre also suffered a fire. Both of these theatres offered what is known in Portugal as Teatro de Revista (Magazine shows, or revues). [1] [2]
Two other theatres were subsequently added. The Teatro Capitólio , which had a modernist design was opened in 1931. It was designed to be multifunctional, serving as a theatre, music-hall and cinema, and featured numerous innovations. It was reopened in 2016 after a long closure caused by water damage to the building. The Capitólio offered serious theatre as well as films. In time, it became known for showing pornographic films, including the first Portuguese screening of Deep Throat . [7] [8] The last theatre to be built, Teatro ABC, which was opened in 1956, was also the first to be definitively closed, being demolished in 2015. This was also used primarily for Teatro de Revista shows. [1] [2] [9]
At the end of the 1970s, the area began to decline in the face of television and alternative entertainment opportunities. Having always had different types of activities to offer its visitors, it lost this diversity and became known primarily for the theatres offering revue or variety shows. With the degradation of these buildings, it became a rather unattractive place to visit. Proposals for its rehabilitation had emerged long before its decline. In 1940 it was proposed to extend the Botanical Gardens to include the Parque Mayer area. In the early 1970s it was proposed to build two hotels in the zone. In the 1990s a plan proposed the demolition of the Teatro Variedades, with the construction of housing, offices, stores and cinemas. [1] [2]
At the end of the 1990s, the British architect, Norman Foster, was asked to create a new revitalization project for Bragaparques, a company that operates car parks, which had become the owner of the site in 1999, paying 13 million Euros. Foster presented four different ideas but no further progress was made. In 2005, Bragaparques exchanged Parque Mayer for land owned by Lisbon City Council in the Entrecampos area of Lisbon. This transaction was subject to legal disputes, resulting in Bragaparques once again become the owner in 2012, following a court order. Further court cases resulted in Lisbon having to pay sizeable compensation to the company. In 2005, the City Council asked the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry for a proposal. Gehry suggested the incorporation of a casino in the area but, again, no progress was made. In 2007, a competition was announced for proposals regarding what to do with the site. Five companies competed, with the winning proposal returning to the idea of extending the Botanical Gardens, while maintaining theatres and other services. In 2010 a contract was issued for the restoration of the modernist Teatro Capitólio, with the work being completed in 2016. [1] [2] [6]
The Theatre Circo is a 20th-century, Portuguese revivalist theatre, in the civil parish of São João do Souto, municipality of Braga. Designed by the architect João de Moura Coutinho, it was first inaugurated on 21 April 1915 with a performance of Ruggero Leoncavallo's operetta La reginetta delle rose.
Theatre Camões is a concert hall situated in the civil parish of Parque das Nações, municipality of Lisbon.
Edward VII Park is a public park in Lisbon, Portugal. The park occupies an area of 26 hectares to the north of Avenida da Liberdade and Marquis of Pombal Square in Lisbon's city center.
The Palacete Mayer is a Portuguese eclectical residence situated in the civil parish of Santo António, municipality of Lisbon. In the 20th century, it was acquired by the Spanish government and became the Embassy of Spain in Portugal.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Lisbon, Portugal.
Santo António is a freguesia and district of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Located in central Lisbon, Santo António is east of Campo de Ourique, north of Santa Maria Maior and Misericórdia, west of Arroios, and south of Avenidas Novas. It is known for its luxury shopping, Michelin star restaurants, and as home to many of Lisbon's most recognizable landmarks and neighborhoods, such as Marquis of Pombal Square, Avenida da Liberdade, and Restauradores Square. The population in 2011 was 11,836.
The Public Promenade was a park in Lisbon, Portugal, that was located where the Avenida da Liberdade is currently laid. Built after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the Passeio become an important fixture in the Lisbon landscape in the 19th century and was a meeting point for the upper echelons of Portuguese society.
Lisbon is one of the most popular city destinations in Europe. The city of Lisbon and the Lisbon metropolitan area attracts a significant number of tourists each year, drawn to its historical and cultural heritage, good transportation connections and good touristic infrastructure.
Laura Alves was a Portuguese actor on stage, film and radio.
Teatro da Avenida, better known as Teatro Avenida, was a theatre located at 150 to 156 Avenida da Liberdade in the city of Lisbon, Portugal, which operated from 1888 to 13 December 1967, when it was completely destroyed by fire.
The Teatro Variedades was a theatre in Lisbon, capital of Portugal, that offered variety or revue shows of the type known in Portugal as Teatro de Revista. Opened in 1926, it has not been used since 1992, but as of 2020 there were active plans to construct a new theatre on the site, incorporating elements of the existing building.
The Teatro da Trindade is a theatre in the Chiado neighbourhood of Lisbon, Portugal, built in the 19th century. It is one of the oldest theatres in Lisbon still in operation.
The Teatro Capitólio, officially called Cineteatro Capitólio - Teatro Raul Solnado, is located in Parque Mayer, in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened in 1931. Because of its early modernist design it has been recognized as the first building of the Modern movement in Portugal and was declared a "Building of Public Interest" in 1983. Suffering from water damage, the theatre was closed in the 1980s and only finally reopened in November 2016 after extensive restoration.
The Teatro Maria Vitória is a theatre in Lisbon, capital of Portugal. It is located in the theatre district of Parque Mayer.
The Teatro ABC was the last of four theatres built in the Parque Mayer theatre district of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. It opened in January 1956 and closed in 1995.
The Teatro da Rua dos Condes, or simply Condes, was a theatre in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. It was opened in 1738 and rebuilt in 1755 after an earthquake. Never considered comfortable, it was demolished and rebuilt in 1888 and eventually converted to a cinema. After a further demolition and reconstruction as a purpose-built cinema, the building now houses a Hard Rock Café. For part of its life the Teatro da Rua dos Condes was one of Lisbon's major theatres, attracting the city's elite, including the royal family. However, with the construction of newer, more modern theatres it gradually moved from offering operas and legitimate theater to vaudeville and revues with more of a mass appeal.
Glicínia Quartin was a Portuguese stage, film and television actor who received several awards for her performances.
Teatro do Salitre was one of the first theatres in Lisbon, capital of Portugal. It opened on 27 November 1782, changed its name to Teatro de Variedades in 1858, and was demolished in 1879. For much of its existence it was one of the two leading theatres in Lisbon, together with the Teatro da Rua dos Condes. Lisbon also had the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, which was mainly dedicated to opera. The Salitre was situated close to the area that later became Lisbon's theatre district, known as Parque Mayer.
The Teatro Tivoli is a theatre located on the Avenida da Liberdade, in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. It is also used as a cinema. The theatre, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024, is presently known as the Teatro Tivoli BBVA as a result of sponsorship by the Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria. The Tivoli has 1149 seats and has been classified as a Monument of Public Interest since 2015.
