Vintage Theaters

[yachtsilverswan]

Atlanta's restored 1929 Fabulous Fox Theatre (cont)

Yes STORY, Atlanta's Fox Theatre is one of those rare venues that gives me goosebumps.

The whole Fox experience is grand - in a way that only the 1920's could be grand. Patrons debark at the curb to walk a 150 foot covered tiled arcade. At the main doors, period costumed docents take your ticket and point you to the full bar in the main lobby. Champagne in hand, you ascend the Grand Staircase, up through the Mezzanine, opening onto the Loge - surrounded by crenulated Moorish fortifications and capped with a starry sky - well it's just breathtaking. Taking your seat, you see the massive Moeller "Mighty Mo" Pipeorgan rise hydraulically from the orchestra pit. The Mighty Mo commands 3,622 pipes - ranging in size from the diameter of a pencil to a behemoth 32 feet tall and wide enough for a man to stand inside. It is the second largest pipe organ in the country - second only to the Wurlitzer installed at Radio City Music Hall. Thirty minutes of Bach later, with the final bars of the pre-curtain organ concert, the Mighty Mo lowers into the pit, and the orchestra begins to tune up.

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Look at the Fox's 75th Anniversary website - centered on the webpage is a color photo of the marquis and an American Flag.
http://www.foxtheatre.org/anniversary75.htm
This is a Macromedia Flash Player slide show. Click past the old photos, past the cheesy cakes, past the slimy politicians - and you'll find color photos of the interior of the Fox as it appears today. Even the Gentlemen's & Ladies' Lounges are opulent.

 

[jake_fink]

The Moorish Architecture was wildly popular at the time, following the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter.

Great looking cinema, but what does Moorish architecture have to do with Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb?

 

[yachtsilverswan]

Evening Jake - I'm not an architect or a historian,and perhaps degreed professionals will weigh in here. The story told by the Fox docents goes something like this. Carter first entered the staircase of Tutenkhamen's tomb in 1922, and spent the next ten years excavating the artifacts. Initially financed by Lord Carnavon, Carter and his patron became estranged, and Lord Carnavon died in late 1922. After Lord Carnavon's death, Carter financed the excavation himself, with help from the Egyptian government. When in England, he gave frequent lectures detailing his finds and discussing the past & present culture of the region. Those lectures sparked a populist interest in Islamic culture, art, and architecture - including the Moorish architecture of Spain and North Africa. Atlanta's Fox Theatre was originally constructed by Yaarab Temple Shriners as headquarters for their 5,000 member organization. The Shriner's architects drew on the fashionable interest in Islamic art and architecture, as well as the foundational stories of the Shriner's organization. But following the 1929 stock market crash, the Shriners were unable to retain control of the building, which passed first to the City of Atlanta, then to several movie house chains, and then into bankruptcy. Rescued from the wrecking ball and restored by a private group, Atlanta's Fabulous Fox Theatre is one of the grandest working auditoriums in the South.

 

[Story]

Comodore,
I'm sure one of the ladies can weigh in with supporting documentation on the Art Deco jewelry designs that show heavy Egyptian influence.

 

[Hannigan Reilly]

3-d tour of the Virginia theater, downtown Champaign, Illinois

​

 

[Pilgrim]

I don't have a photo, but in Loveland Colorado a small downtown theater was preserved and turned into a live performing venue. I saw Eric Burden and the New Animals there a couple of years ago, and Leo Kottke is a regular. This theater had enough stage area behind the proscenium that it makes a very nice small performanc theater. Probably seats about 300.

 

[Paisley]

The Mayan in Denver

 

[DancingSweetie]

Here in Sacramento we have the beautiful art deco Crest Theatre. There are pics at www.thecrest.com/pictures

 

[artdecodame]

There are a few interesting photography books on this subject, by the way:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/08...104-1242973-1310342?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0964311968/ref=cm_bg_d_5/104-1242973-1310342?v=glance&n=283155

 

[decodoll]

Hey there, DancingSweetie! I grew up in Sacramento, and I always loved The Crest Theatre! Do they still have concerts there as well as old movies?

In San Francisco we have The Castro.

 

[DancingSweetie]

Hi Deco Doll! They still show movies but they are of the independent film/artsy type. They did show The Notorious Bettie Page but I didn't get around to seeing it there. They don't have concerts there anymore but the children's theater company performs plays on the stage.
My mom talks about the old Alhambra Theatre that was around before my time, it's too bad they demolished it.

 

[decodoll]

That's too bad. We used to see old movies there all the time. I saw Gone With the Wind there. And tons of concerts.

My mom always talks about the Alhambra too! Stupid Safeway!! Ya know the water tower next to it that is next to the bloodbank? Or at least it used to be. My mom said as a kid she always thought it was filled with blood! lol

 

[DancingSweetie]

How funny, I think everyone thought it was filled with blood.

 

[Story]

Boo!

http://www.stageofstars.com/history.html

Municipal Auditorium "haunted," drawing more ghost hunters
June 13, 2006
By Raechal Leone
raechalleone@gannett.com

The question is no longer whether Shreveport's legendary Municipal Auditorium is haunted, but how many spirits live there. Todd Weaver, case manager for ghost-hunting group Louisiana Spirits, said Monday the results of a June 5 investigation show "there's definitely activity" at the auditorium.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060613/NEWS01/606130328/1002/NEWS

 

[DanielJones]

I remember the Fremont! I saw a Japanese animated movie about the Monkey King called Alakazam the Great there when I was about 4 years old. Is the FOX still there is San Luis Obispo as well? Thats where I saw 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Sorry to say the Fox is long gone, as well as the Madona Theatre down at the Madona Plaza. The Fremons is the only classic left in San Luis Obispo. But I'm happy to say that the Palm Theatre in the old China Town section of town is still going strong.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Atomic Glee]

While downtown Fort Worth is home to two beautifully done retro modern theatres (one, the Sundance, is Art Deco revival, while the other, the Palace, is Streamline Moderne revival), all the grand '30s movie houses - the Worth, the Hollywood, and the Palace - fell to the wrecking ball in the '70s.

Or, did they?

First, a little backstory.

That's the building I live in - the Electric Building, a 1929 skyscraper that was originally the home of the Texas Electric Service Company. From 1930 to about 1976, it also housed the Hollywood Theatre, one of the grand Art Deco movie houses on 7th Street in downtown Fort Worth.

Those of us who are Fort Worth architecture/history geeks know that the Hollywood Theatre isn't technically *gone* gone - rather, it was gutted for use as a bank, then as a parking garage. We've all read how bits and pieces of the theater are still there in the garage. As it turns out, though, there's far, far more of the Hollywood left than we know.

In fact, a huge part of the Hollywood is *still intact.*

It's sealed away in the innards of the Electric Building, locked off from human contact. Somehow, between the remodelings, the bank, the apartments, and the garage, a big chunk of the grand old movie house escaped virtually untouched. Now, it rests. The projector no longer hums and clatters, the screen is no longer filled with images of movie stars. Nobody comes around anymore. It's in disrepair, covered in dust thick enough to swim in, slumbering in an endless night as black as pitch.

It is, however, still there.

Friend and fellow Electric Building fan Mary Bess (she works for an architectural firm whose office is in the old theatre lobby) had the rare opportunity to see these ruins, and was allowed to take photos. She had no way to host them, and she has very graciously allowed me to host them for her, and now I present them to you. Get ready for a time warp.

Let us begin in one of the restrooms. Here, you see one of the vanity areas. For those of us who have only ever seen black & white photos of the place, enjoy the sight of color. Again, it's pitch black and the air is clouded with thick dust. We only see this because of the flash of the camera.

Here, another angle of the vanity. Note the graffiti on the wall, sealed away for so many years. Imagine how long those names have been there, and what those people might be doing now.

Next, an aside. I cropped out the graffiti, and ran it through a wonderful Photoshop filter known as "Mr. Contrast," capable of abilities far beyond the scope of Photoshop's normal Contrast tool. The names popped out at me.

Next, the toilets in this same restroom.

While we're up in this area, check out this former water fountain. The detailing and trim is all still intact.

A closeup of the water fountain. This sort of ornate trim used to be the standard, not the exception. Even in its state of disrepair, the beauty of this place puts modern movie houses to absolute shame. Imagine what the Hollywood was like in person in her golden era.

Moving right along, this old wall safe is still in place. I think somebody made off with the money a long time ago, though.

The outer door of the wall safe.

Here, we have a storage area.

 

[Atomic Glee]

This little room is a janitor's closet.

Here is the area underneath the balcony.

Another angle.

Here, a small spiral staircase.

Now, we're heading up the staircase into the balcony lobby.

This is the balcony lobby, amazingly still intact after all these years.

Let's head to the balcony, shall we? Yes, it's still there. Here, we're looking at the ceiling detail in the balcony. The great black dust-filled void beyond?

The theater.

Wanting to bring out some of the details in the blackness beyond, I ran a section of that photo through the Mr. Contrast filter, fiddled with the settings, and got this. You can see the wall & ceiling better in this. Yes, that's the theatre. It's still there. This image reminds me of something you'd see in a documentary about filming the wreckage of the Titanic.

Looking back up the balcony, we see that, yes, the projection room is still there.

Here, a staircase that I believe we saw in the balcony lobby pic that leads to the projection room.

 

[Atomic Glee]

Finally, another amazing detail. Fans of the book "Cowtown Moderne" by Judith Singer Cohen will recognize these light fixtures in the photo looking towards the seating and balcony in the book.

Another shot of the theater light. Even in this condition, it's still a stunningly beautiful thing.

Finally, a closeup of the light.

So, there you have it. Fort Worth's very own lost ruins. The Hollywood hasn't left us - it's just been hiding. This Art Deco gem is just sleeping, deep inside the Electric Building. Perhaps one day it will get to see light once more.

Massive, massive thanks to my friend Mary Bess for letting me share her amazing photos.

It's so cool, living mere feet from these ruins.

 

[DanielJones]

Now that's cool! Will it ever be brought back to it's former glory?

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Atomic Glee]

Now that's cool! Will it ever be brought back to it's former glory?

Cheers!

Dan

Anything's possible, but I doubt it will get really restored for the time being. The lower level of seats is now used as a parking garage for the residential redevelopment of the office tower. That's where I park, in fact, and the ceiling above the parking is the ornate underside of the balcony!

What I'd love to see is at least the remaining portions cleaned up and used for tours, which doesn't seem too unrealistic. At least they survived. The old theatre lobby *has* been beautifully restored, grand staircase and all, and is used for office space for a local architectural firm (the old office lobby has been restored and reused for offices as well, and the elevator lobby has been restored for use of the residents of the tower).