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The Salón Condal was one of the cinemas in the Clot district. It was located in via Xifré 14, corner Bassols, a few meters from the terminus of the trams that reached the area located at the corner of via Rogent with Maiorca. Here Mallorca Street disappeared to become Nuria Street and did not continue until after Meridiana Avenue, ending at the missing Espronceda bridge.
In the place where the cinema was built there was in 1906 the old Café Salón, a place where the men of the neighborhood gathered after meals to have a coffee and play dominoes or cards on those ancient tables.
At the time, the bars had tables in veined white marble, with black painted wrought iron feet. The players spent hours playing, the ones playing dominoes were the loudest, as when they placed the chips they hit them violently on the table (especially if they pretended to be the other way around, closed or won the game), which produced a deafening sound. noise and let other tables know.
The card players were quieter, they played on a green carpet on which they placed vegetables or pebbles to score each game and although they did not make the noise of the others, their hands could also be heard.
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In 1911, with the fever of the cinema, although two streets higher was the Teatro Fomento Martinense, its owner decided to try his luck with the cinema. He built the new venue with an entrance from both streets, so that the spectators had a comfortable entrance and exit.
Condal Hall film program.
Built with a ground floor and two floors, the first was dedicated to the amphitheater and the second, much shorter, had the machine room and the warehouse of cinematographic tools.
The Bassols street facade had several windows on the upper floor, which were opened during breaks or between sessions for airing. On the side of via Bassols it had emergency doors, some services that, although valid at the beginning, over the years have been one of those that have led to more problems in the municipal checks carried out every year by the city council.
The small atrium housed the box office and the stairs to go up to the amphitheater on the first floor and to the engine room on the upper floor.
Finally, a bar that, in addition to the drink, prepared cones with the newspaper in which they put nuts, lupins and tigers.
It was inaugurated in 1911, with a capacity of 1,068 spectators, 618 in the stalls and 450 in an amphitheater that rested on a series of metal columns on both sides.
Sala Condal program from 1944.
The floor consisted of a wooden plank, which had repercussions not only on its maintenance, but also on the endings of the action films, as when they came to the end and the good guys defeated the enemy, the audience of the children kicked hard against the ground in victory cartel.
It was another of the cinemas that appeared in the newspapers only on special occasions or following health checks, because the inspectors always found something that did not comply with the municipal ordinance.
In 1916 it was one of the few times he appeared in the newspapers for a good cause.
It was because of the ship Prince of Asturiasliner considered the flagship of the Spanish navy, owned by the Naviera Pinillos, which sank on March 5, 1916, after hitting some rocks.
As a result of the sinking, 108 crew members and 197 third-class passengers died. Her owners immediately opened a collection to raise funds for the families of the victims.
Announcement of the Condal Hall Benefit Party.
April 5th The vanguard communicated to the readers that the next day, at half past eight in the evening, a festival would be held at the Salón Condal cinema, in the Clot district, in which valuable artists would take part for the benefit of the families of the castaways Prince of Asturias.
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It was one of the worst cinemas I have known in my youth, although I only went into it once, ignoring my parents’ bullfighter’s recommendation that it was a very dirty place (with a reputation as a flea market).
A classmate lived in front of the cinema and that Sunday in 1956, taking advantage of the fact that an interesting film was being shown (instead of going to school, making films on Sundays), we decided to go in and check what was being said about him. .
Condal Hall 1944 billboard.
The experience was a real disaster, the old films were cut every two by three and, when the lights went on, as the operator hung the tape, we looked around to see if what they said about the trades was true. . Curiosity was stronger than advice.
In recent years it has appeared in the newspapers for reasons related to the lack of safety and hygiene, the failure of the seats to be anchored to the ground, which meant that once the inspection was completed, the lines were stretched to obtain greater capacity. The lack of fire hydrants, the poor state of services, the modernity of the new facilities and the scarcity of spectators led to its closure in 1969.
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