"Espace en flux": A project blending design with history

In 1894, circus owner Fritz Renquin opened his "Apollo-Theater" at the intersection of Rue de Strasbourg and Place de la Gare. Avenue de la Liberté did not yet exist.

This café-theatre put on a wide-ranging programme of variety shows that included burlesque, acrobatics, concerts, singing, dancing, skating, theatre, micro-opera, cinema, magic and athletic combat. John Grün, the strongest man in the world, was the star of the 1901 season. The Apollo-Theater even attracted French, German and Belgian troupes, which passed through on a monthly basis.

There were both matinées and evening shows, which were advertised in the "Bürger und Beamtenzeitung" and aimed primarily at the local population. Shows were performed for several consecutive days – a testament to the theatre's success. Tickets were sold in cigar shops in Ville Haute and on Avenue de la Gare.

The theatre had box seating and space for up to 440 spectators. The restaurant could serve 50 tables at a time. Both the food and the shows were touted as being top quality, yet they were always offered "at the best prices". Many sports clubs and cultural and leisure associations held meetings there. Notaries held property auctions at the theatre, and associations put on public dances, evening concerts, choral performances, dance performances, athletic competitions and plays. Along with the Luxembourg City municipal theatre and the function hall at City Hall in the Old Town, the Apollo-Theater / Casino de la Gare was the only café-theatre in the capital – other than Fritz Renquin's circus at the Glacis – which was made of stone and could accommodate up to 2,000 people.

Madame Pauly, the owner of the Hôtel Chicago, which stood opposite, purchased the "Casino de la Gare" and rented a 1,500 m² space to the Bazar Champagne department store – located on Avenue de la Liberté – where it could display furniture and model rooms.

From 1907, the site was occupied by the Hôtel Chicago. This establishment revived the tradition of Renquin's and Amberg's shows. In 1919, to continue drawing audiences, Madame Pauly renovated the main auditorium, giving it a more modern look. In 1922, the property was purchased by one J. P. Merten-Kaul from Niederwiltz. It changed hands again in 1926, when it was bought by Josef Possami-Bergamimi, a hotel owner who did business in the municipality of Hollerich. Possami-Bergamimi then sold the property in 1932 to Lambert Heurneupont, who operated the City Garage on Rue Joseph Junck. In 1933, the architects Jacques Haal – from Grevenmacher – and Jean Mackel drafted a construction project. The Hôtel Chicago went out of business that same year. The closure was headline news in the local press. Due to opposition from the Local Interest Group (Syndicat des Intérêts Locaux), the project could not be completed as quickly as planned, and the "Flesche Jacques" bottle merchants continued to occupy the premises until March 1946. The "Al Letzebuerg" café held out until April 1949 despite the owner's opposition. The Escher Tageblatt announced the closure of the "the old ramshackle building built over the alignment, which has been an eyesore in the Gare cityscape for years" (…) The owner and the manager have reached an agreement. The demolition of the old walls will begin soon, or has already begun, respectively. By next year, the construction of a new 6-level building will have been completed." The Hôtel City opened soon thereafter.