At its inauguration in 1933, the building included a luxurious 1600-seat cinema and was finished with a lantern tower whose night lighting served as a sign.
The architect Léonard Varthaliti multiplied the effects of facing on the façade. He clad the first floor and mezzanine with travertine slabs and the posts delimiting the entrance to the cinema were made of Duraluminium, a metal used in the aviation industry at the time. The other floors were covered with a mixture of cement and marble powder imitating travertine.
