Sliema’s iconic Chalet could make a comeback after its doors were shut more than 50 years ago, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

Newly appointed Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said rebuilding the pier-like structure was part of new government plans to revitalise the stretch of Sliema coast known as Għar id-Dud – between Fortizza and Tigné Point.

“The Chalet is disused today but it was once a prime commercial site. We want to commercialise this beautiful structure again, and use the revenue to finance a new, free, public beach for Sliema,” Dr Mizzi said.

Although no concrete plans had yet been laid out for the site, Dr Mizzi said the government wanted to discuss the rebuilding of the Chalet with interested parties in the private sector.

“We are talking about a low-rise structure, as it was when it was originally constructed, which would house some form of commercial element that is acceptable for investors and the government alike,” he said, adding that this would likely be a mix of dining and entertainment establishments. 

We want to commercialise this beautiful structure again

The Chalet was first built in 1926 and although it was closed for good in 1963 it remains a prominent part of Sliema’s social history.

Dr Mizzi said the Chalet-rebuild idea was all part of the government’s plan to finance a new “top class” bathing site for residents and tourists to use for free.

“We want to make a public beach, a proper one, with showers and all the necessary facilities, and we want it to be free for the public to use,” he said, adding that “the last thing government wants to do is create another private lido”.

This bathing facility could even see the reintroduction of a pebbled beach that once surrounded the foot of the Chalet before it was eroded in the 1940s, he said.

However, before anything was drafted, the government would be consulting with the ERA to see what could and could not be done to revitalise the Sliema coast. 

Meanwhile, Sliema Mayor Anthony Chircop has already written to the government to request a meeting to discuss the matter in more detail.

On Saturday he told the Times of Malta the council was in favour of a new free-access bathing facility for residents to enjoy.

Sliema’s iconic Chalet was once a popular entertainment venue.

The Chalet story

In November of 1923, a call for tenders was issued on The Government Gazette offering a “concession for 30 years of a public site at Għar id-Dud, Sliema, for the construction of a new entertainment chalet”.

After entrepreneur Carmelo Axisa’s tender was chosen the following year, a 30-year emphytuetic lease, subject to an annual payment of one pound, was signed.

The chalet was completed in 1926 to the design of British architect B.W. Cordell of the Royal Engineers. At the time, the two-tier reinforced concrete structure was described as “in the contemporary style of Neo Liberty and Art Nouveau architectural idiom. A real site to behold”.

It was illegal at the time for young people to see adults dancing

“The chalet beautifully lit by colourful electric bulbs presented a charming sight,” reported the Malta Chronicle in May of 1926 shortly after its opening night.

“It is beautifully constructed in reinforced concrete on a jutting rock with two spacious storeys, having accommodation for refreshments, dancing, and bathing, for hundreds of people at one time.

“Enjoyable music is provided by an excellent orchestra,” the report said, adding that the staff complement included a cook, pastry chef and more than 14 waiters and handymen.

Patrons at the chalet, the Malta Chronicle report says, were “a mixed lot”.

It was illegal at the time for young people to see adults dancing, so the street level dance hall had shutters on the window to be closed when dances were held.

The same applied at sea level to avoid scandalising young bathers.

In the evening, patrons including civil servants, lawyers and even magistrates normally started showing up at around 9pm. The chalet’s two bars were connected by a service elevator via the central structure, through which drinks, sandwiches and pastizzi were moved around – a modern luxury for the 1920s and 1930s.

For reserved patrons, the lower deck was the place to be on a Sunday evening. There, a band played but there was to be no dancing permitted. Instead tables and chairs were laid out, and no one was allowed in without a shirt and tie. In 1939 the fun had to stop. The chalet was closed off along with most entertainment venues as WWII broke out.

And, in 1942, disaster struck. The chalet was hit by a bomb during an enemy raid with the site suffering substantial damage.

Although it was rebuilt, in July 1959 it was declared structurally unsound and in 1963 it was closed down permanently by its owners.

At the time The Sunday Times of Malta reported that the once picturesque Chalet had now become a dangerous site. Most of the intricate woodwork had vanished after the strong winds and rough winter sea had battered at the foundations for months

In 2006 what was left of the Chalet structure was pulled down leaving only the foundations.

ivanmartin@timesofmalta.com