La Pagode (Closed)
57 Bis Rue de Babylone, 7th
Designed by architect Alexandre Marcel in 1896, La Pagode was a gift from François-Emile Morin, the then-director of Le Bon Marché to his wife (she left him for his business partner shortly thereafter). Originally commissioned as a ballroom, its opulent (and stunning) interior—and flanking bamboo gardens—were transformed into a cinema in the '30s. When it was slated for demolition in the '70s, director Louis Malle stepped in: Now, you can see art house films here in what has to be one of the more original cinemas in the world.
