It consists of two parts:
– On one hand, the Apollo room with a capacity of 2500 seats, completely autonomous, initially intended, besides its congress function, to be an opera and performance hall. It is scarcely used.
– On the other hand, an immense building made up of various spaces distributed over three levels. There are three auditoriums ranging from 250 to 758 seats and five exhibition spaces from 1,400 to 2,500 square meters.
These are connected by a vast hall, spanning three levels, and covering more than 1,100 m2.
The current municipal government aims to relocate the city hall to the Gare du Sud site, covering it with a canopy. All services would be grouped there, including those for daily consumption, leading to a self-management operation. This structure would therefore bring little economic development to a neighborhood that has recently suffered after years of tramway construction. The Acropolis, which has always operated in self-sufficiency, has not brought significant clientele to the area where it is located.
So why not take advantage of this immense building by installing municipal services there? Economically, it would avoid the costly construction, for taxpayers, of a new building.
Due to its autonomy, the Apollo room could remain a performance hall whose management would be simplified, no longer being responsible for the rest of the palace.
In the remaining immense space, municipal services, the council chamber, could be installed by modulating the spaces.
The current city hall still operates on a system worthy of Courteline. The city hall of the 21st century should focus more on teleworking. Immobilizing premises for collaborators costs a fortune to the community. Today, internet and intranet can allow municipal employees to stay at home, work, and meet regularly in multifunctional and multiservice spaces.
The main building of the Acropolis would then be reserved for these meeting rooms, public reception services, the Mayor’s office, and directors’ offices in an exceptional setting.
In this project, the Gare du Sud could become a multicultural center combining a performance hall, creative spaces, and exhibition sites, which would add value to the Liberation neighborhood, which needs revitalization after these dark years.
This is a new challenge for the municipality emerging from the 2008 elections. It is also an element of the program that future candidates must develop. The redevelopment of the Acropolis remains a desire, linked to the construction of a new congress palace, but perhaps the people of Nice have other suggestions to offer.
Christian Gallo
© Le Ficanas ®
