Cine Pompeya

Cine Pompeya was once a picture palace on Madrid's grand boulevard, Gran Vía, and its building still stands today as a reminder of the street's cinema-going glory days, even though the screen itself is long gone.

Where is it and how do you get there?

The building sits at Gran Vía 70, in the Centro district (Universidad area), on one of the busiest and most photographed stretches of the avenue. It's an easy walk from Plaza Callao — just a couple of minutes — and the nearest metro stations are Callao and Santo Domingo, both served by lines 3 and 5. If you're strolling Gran Vía between Plaza de España and Callao, the Pompeya building sits right on that natural route.

What's the story behind Cine Pompeya?

The complex at Gran Vía 70 was designed by architect Juan Pan da Torre, with the project dated to November 1947 and construction wrapped up in 1949. From the outset it was a mixed-use building, combining apartments and shops with a lavishly decorated cinema hall seating 481 people across the stalls and balcony.

At the time, Gran Vía was Madrid's true cinema strip — close to a dozen movie theaters operated along the same street, all competing for audiences with the latest releases. Cine Pompeya earned a place in the city's collective memory for its unusually long run of the 1967 film "Helga, el milagro de la vida," which drew crowds throughout its extended screening.

Toward the end of the 1990s the building underwent a major renovation led by architect Alfonso Pérez Guerra (1997–1999), reshaping the interior for events and conferences — a process that stripped away much of the cinema hall's original decorative work. A further transformation followed in 2002, when architect Antonio Moneo carried out the conversion of the building into a hotel.

What can you actually see today?

Even though the cinema no longer operates, the facade still turns heads on Gran Vía. It's dominated by a triumphal, neo-baroque entrance echoing the nearby Telefónica building, one of the avenue's architectural icons. The most distinctive decorative feature is a pair of sculpted atlantes by Antonio Cruz Collado, appearing to bear the weight of the ornamentation above the doorway on their shoulders. That eclectic, almost theatrical facade — blending classical references with the decorative flourishes typical of the late 1940s — makes it one of the more rewarding architectural stops along this section of the street.

The building now operates as a hotel (Senator), with the former cinema spaces repurposed for events. The interior isn't generally open to casual visitors, so the building is best appreciated from the street while walking Gran Vía.

When's the best time to visit?

Gran Vía is busy at all hours, but the Pompeya facade looks especially good in late-afternoon light, when the sun catches the detail of the neo-baroque portal, and again after dark, when the street's neon signs and shop windows light up. It pairs well with a walk toward Plaza de España or down to Gran Vía's eastern end near Gran Vía 1, both flanked by buildings from a similar era.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cine Pompeya still a working cinema? No. The hall stopped functioning as a cinema after the 1997–1999 renovation, and the building has operated as a hotel since 2002.

Can you go inside the building? The interior isn't open to the general public beyond hotel guests — the main draw for visitors is the facade, best seen while walking along Gran Vía.

Who designed the building? The original 1947 design came from architect Juan Pan da Torre, while the sculpted atlantes on the facade were created by Antonio Cruz Collado.

How do you get there? Take the metro to Callao or Santo Domingo (lines 3 and 5), then walk a few minutes along Gran Vía to reach number 70.