Vintage Theaters

[Story]

I just stumbled onto this place -
http://www.thecolonialtheatre.com/index2.html

Anyone have examples in their neck of the woods?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Where I work --

http://www.rocklandstrand.com

Built 1923, restored 2005, and a cornerstone of our revitalized downtown!

 

[J. M. Stovall]

The River Oaks Theater. Took my wife on our first date to see "Casablanca", in 1991.

When it opened in 1941

And more recently

I wish I could find a photo of the inside, it's all gold deco. It's changed very little since opening. The biggest change was turning the balcony area into two smaller theaters.

We have several other cool theaters that have been repurposed. This is the only one that still shows movies (art house flicks).

Now a book store, but not changed too much

Now a Hollywood Video, only the exterior is unchanged

 

[jitterbugdoll]

We have The Orpheum:
http://acmeron.com/puhs/orpheum_theater_phoenix.htm

Sadly, The Fox Theater was torn down in 1975:
http://acmeron.com/puhs/puhs_page_5.htm

 

[Tomasso]

 

[artdecodame]

Our Fox Theatre in Tucson was recently re-opened after a long renovation process. I want to visit it! Itlooks so lovely and art deco.

http://www.foxtucsontheatre.org/

 

[jitterbugdoll]

artdecodame, I saw that when I was searching for a link to the Orpheum. It does look neat!

 

[Zach R.]

I cannot find any pictures online, but this one is downtown:

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/4992/

 

[Zach R.]

Actually, here is one:

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

The Palace Theater, Hilo Hawaii

I went here all the time back in the 1970s. I saw Star Wars there for the first time.

Click on the image for a bigger one:



Please visit their website. The theater was essentially abandoned for years. The restoration was lengthy and difficult, but the hard work has paid off.

http://www.hilopalace.com/

 

[artdecodame]

artdecodame, I saw that when I was searching for a link to the Orpheum. It does look neat!

Indeedy! I love the look of the Orpheum, too, and see they sometimes show old movies. Another historic place I must visit! At least it isn't too far away from me.

 

[jake_fink]

This thread makes me want to cry. toronto used to have so many nice old theatres - big ones and the sweet little nabes, but now.... OH WOE!!!

The chain of rep theatres is closing up at the end of June, which means five fewer old theatres and five more parking lots.

 

[yachtsilverswan]

Ladies & Gentlemen - Atlanta's Fabulous Fox Theatre

The restored 1929 Fox Theatre on Atlanta's Peachtree Street is my favorite spot for date-night.

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

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The 4.900 seat theatre continues the Moorish theme with turrets, spires, and a Bedouin canopy. The domed ceiling is a night sky with twinkling stars and moving clouds.

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Atlanta's Fabulous Fox Theatre hosts touring Broadway shows, live music & comedy, and summer movies (with a pre-curtain organ concert and sing-along on the Moeller "Mighty Mo" Pipe Organ - the second largest organ in the country). Dressing to the nines to attend the Atlanta Ballet & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's production of "The Nutcracker" is an Atlanta Christmas tradition. The Fox's most famous premiere: the 1939 opening of "Gone with the Wind".


http://www.foxtheatre.org/anniversary75.htm


Cocktails at Bluepointe, dinner at New York Prime, curtain at the Fox, afterhours jazz at the Intercontinental, and a late dessert at Buckhead Diner - that's a night on the town.

 

[LolitaHaze]

JitterbugDoll... Is that all we have is the Orpheum? I am actually wanting to start a search on Burlesque/Vaudeville History (30's - 50's) in Phoenix (theatres, theatre houses, performers, shows, ect) I don't know where to start. Obviously the library, but I don't know what I would ask for or where to start looking.

 

[flat-top]

Just over the border from northern New Jersey, the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, New York is a vintage 1924 movie palace run by the Galaxy Theatre Corporation of New Jersey. Operating seven days a week as a first-run movie theatre, the Lafayette features a huge capacity of 1000 seats, quality projection and sound equipment and the Ben Hall Memorial Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ, which is played every Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday afternoon and before the Big Screen Classics presentations on Saturday morning!
http://www.bigscreenclassics.com/indexlafayette.htm

 

[DanielJones]

The Fremont in San Luis Obispo

Here's one that has been a wonderful one to grow up with. The Fremont Theatre in downtown San Luis Obispo. I love the architecture of this place.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Story]

The restored 1929 Fox Theatre on Atlanta's Peachtree Street is my favorite spot for date-night.
.

That .. is... so... COOL! :eusa_clap

 

[Powerhouse]

FIRST OF ALL... ALL ROOT!!! NICE 39 Plymouth!

Secondly..

I have an interesting story of a local deco theatre project called the Suffolk theatre.

http://www.suffolktheatre.com/

I was fortunate enough to make friends with the new owner of the theatre. I met him through the Art Deco Society Of New York World Congress last year. We were given a private tour of the restoration in progress and I was amazed! Very High Art Deco and very moldy! It was great. I was invited to a champagne reception with a live Big Band over the winter. That was swell.. except for my back being out. I could hardly walk! But I made it out anyway.. I made good use of my 1920's mahogany and silver cane. Looked great with my ' 34 tux and Coonskin. Swelloh!

I was so thrilled with this project I offered a FREE Identity Package-logo and everything. I was too late though, they already had someone doing it. And I am happy they did a great job.

Now for the best part....... they were tossing the original seats!!! I got 'em! Not all of them but between my friends and I we nabbed about 40 of 'em. Lighted sides and all. They were piled high out back like mounds of scrap metal...because that's what they thought of 'em. I couldn't believe it! WHY?!
They were all in great shape. Oh well, I hope they will replace them with something correct.

Talks of a grand opening gala event were for this past Memorial day. Didn't happen. Can't wait for this one.. I might not want to move after it opens... maybe.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I've got a great one right near me, the old Peekskill Paramount that dates to 1930. It was saved from wreckers in the 80s and is now the Paramount Center for the Arts. It's been extensively refurbished and is a wonderful venue for concerts, plays, dance, and has a first-rate art-house film program too.

http://www.paramountcenter.org/index.php

 

[Haversack]

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.

We are pretty well blessed here in San Francisco and the Peninsula.

First and foremost in the City is the Castro Movie Theater. It is a churrigueresque cathedral of a place built in 1922 for both movies and vaudeville. It still has the Wurlitzer in the pit and an organist who plays between shows. You always know when the film is about to start as he segues into "San Francisco" from the movie of the same name. The Castro today runs a varied program of movies and live events. Web site is:
http://www.thecastrotheatre.com/history.html

The Balboa out in the Richmond is not really a palace of a place, although it is of that era. It does, however, show more vintage movies than does the Castro. Most recently it has been showing a Boris Karlov film festival.
http://www.balboamovies.com/

My favourite, however, for both venue and films, is the Stanford in Palo Alto. They always have a double feature of pre-1960 movies. Currently they are running a Ronald Colman festival. Inside, it is a walled garden out of the Arabian Nights. You can sit in the balcony and the Wurlitzer in the pit is played. The theatre is backed by the Packard Foundation, (of Hewlett-Packard fame), and a serious film restoration lab. For me it is the best place to see old movies. It will often be packed, and to watch and hear a classic comedy like the Palm Beach Story in the company of a couple hundred people makes it even funnier.
http://www.stanfordtheatre.org/stf/

The one place I regret never having seen a movie while it still existed was the Alhambra in Sacramento. It was so lavish that it even had a walled forecourt and garden with fountains in the style of its namesake. It so dominated the part of town it stood in that was called the Alhambra District and a major street, Alhambra Boulevard was named for it. A Safeway now sits there.

Haversack.