"Originally built in 1894 as the Gambrinus Halle, used as a café/bar. It was converted into the Cinema Grambinus in 1922 to the plans of architects A. Muggia and F. Poggi.
The cinema was damaged by a fire and was renovated to the plans of architects Miniati & Bencini in 1950. The Cinema Gambrinus was still open in 2010. It has since closed and has been converted into a Hard Rock Café restaurant."
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"The Hard Rock Cafe in Florence is set within a unique historical location in downtown Florence just off a corner of Piazza della Repubblica, in what is known by all Florentines as the site of the old Gambrinus cinema.
After visiting the Hard Rock Cafe and seeing the setting, I was interested in doing some research on the old Gambrinus movie house. Even if my very Florentine husband knew it was a site for social gatherings, he did not know that before it became a cinema in the early 1920's, the Gambrinus hall was actually born as a cafe! Much like the more renown cafes nearby that still exist: the Gilli, Paszkowski and Giubbe Rosse found in Piazza della Repubblica. Like these cafes, the Cafe Gambrinus was an important cultural and social meeting place in 19th and 20th century Florence, so much so that all Florentines can remember a period of their life when they used to go there to meet up with friends, to watch a movie or to socialize at the cafe or outside under the portico.
The Gambrinus cafe was built in 1894 and it was unique compared to its neighbors in that it had a large internal terrace that looked down on the main cafe floor. Another huge difference from its neighbors was that it was also a game hall: the basement was a smoke-filled, male-dominated world where billiards, poker and other card games were played away from the eyes of their spouses. Even after the cafe became a cinema in 1922, the game hall below was maintained for a long while. As its name rightly recalls, this was a place where joviality reigned.
While many of the cinemas in downtown Florence have closed over the last 20 years, the cafes have survived. The Gambrinus, as a cinema, finally threw down the towel and closed its doors in 2007. Finding out about its history, I believe it makes perfect sense that it was reborn as a cafe just 4 years later, when the Hard Rock Cafe arrived in Florence."
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