Istanbul’s iconic Emek Movie Theater was declared a historical and cultural heritage landmark on Tuesday despite the fact that the building where the facility is located was destroyed in May 2013 amid protests. The destruction of the theater on Istiklal street at Beyoglu , once known to Greeks as Pera, had been attended by Greek-French director Costa-Gavras and had met with police attacks prior to those of the nearby Gezi Park protests.

The Emek Movie Theater was built in 1924, the first of its kind. A report ordered a stay of execution for the construction plans, known as Grand Pera, based on the expert assessment. The report noted that the new construction plans and the design of the project were not compatible with the historical and cultural fiber of the area.

About the movie theater, once loved by the Greeks who lived in Istanbul
The movie theater began construction in 1884 under the name of “Club des Chasseurs de Constantinople” (Hunters Club of Constantinople), and first opened its doors in 1924 under the name of Melek Sineması (Angel Cinema) because of the Art Nouveau style angel figures on the screen. The inner walls and the top of the movie theater have the baroque and rococo style figures. The building has since been known under different names such as The Greek Gym of Strangali in 1909, then as “Nouveau Cirque” (New Circus), In 1918 the building was known as “Yeni Tiyatro” (New Theater), and “Emek Cinema” in the 1940s. Latterly the building had been used as a skating palace.