While few have survived the wrecker’s ball, magnificent early 20th century movie palaces across the nation are getting new life as performing arts centers and event venues.
America’s forward march toward modernization during the 1960s and ’70s left in its wake the carnage of historic buildings turned to rubble and dust. Classic Art Deco theaters, done up to the nines in ornate trimmings, suffered an especially heavy toll.
“Things started to change dramatically for a number of reasons,” says Richard J. Sklenar, executive director of the Theatre Historical Society of America. “There was the rise of suburbia, cars, interstates, and television. People started staying at home to be entertained. In the mid- to late-1960s, buildings started to close and a lot were demolished in downtown areas that needed more parking lots. It was endemic everywhere. Some were also converted into drug stores, health clubs, automobile showrooms, body shops, warehouses, and carpet stores. Where there was demand for real estate, buildings came down.”
The historic preservation movement was galvanized in the U.S. following the demolition of New York’s original Beaux-Arts Penn Station in the 1960s, according to Sklenar.
In 1929 the Film Daily Yearbook of Motion Pictures listed 20,000 motion picture theaters in existence across the U.S., says Sklenar, who estimates about 300 to 350 of those theaters have been preserved and restored for performing arts use.
Many operate as nonprofits, some are municipally owned.
“Many need to maximize their bottom line, and are available for other rentals,” Sklenar says. “Group meetings, banquets, dinners—that fits in with their mission perfectly.”
San Diego’s Balboa Theater
One of the latest restorations, San Diego’ Balboa Theater reopened in January after being dark for 20 years. The $26.5 million renovation lasted two-and-a-half years.
The Balboa, like many others, was built in 1924 as a vaudeville house and was later converted to a Spanish language film theater. During World War II the theater was used by the U.S. Navy to house sailors before they were shipped out. It became a film house again until its closure in the 1980s.
“It’s very Moorish in architecture, very opulent and colorful,” says Don Telford, president and COO of San Diego Theaters. “One of its most unique features is its two 28-foot waterfalls.”
The waterfalls were restored and are now working. In addition, the Balboa acquired a functional, historic theater organ from a theater in New York and it will be installed this year.
The Balboa seats 1,339 and can be used for private events. Its lobbies can host up to about 150.
“With the close proximity of the San Diego Convention Center, I think the Balboa could work well for private events and for larger conventions,” Telford says.
Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theater
Among other prime examples is the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, part of the city’s old Broadway Historic Theater District. Opening in 1926 as a vaudeville theater, the stage has hosted the likes of Jack Benny, the Marx Brothers, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie, and continued to showcase vaudeville through the 1950s.
The theater, which turned into a movie house, was bought by a private owner in the 1960s and renovated in 2001. Although it had been relatively well preserved, the Orpheum needed a sprucing up and technical improvements.
Today the Orpheum is primarily a location for filming and a rental venue, hosting everything from award shows to corporate receptions.
“We get some meetings because we’re close to the Los Angeles Convention Center,” says Ed Kelsey, general manager of the Orpheum.
The 2,000-seat theater can host programs on its stage as well as receptions for 300 to 600 people in its lobbies. Its original Wurlitzer pipe organ is in working order and is available for rental for events. Bar service is also an option and groups are welcome to organize outside catering.
Miami’s Olympia Theater
In Miami, The Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts also survived despite being slated to be torn down for a parking lot more than 40 years ago. Opened in 1926 as a silent movie palace, the theater also staged vaudeville acts and has hosted the likes of Elvis and Luciano Pavarotti.
Maurice Gusman purchased the theater in the early 1970s and, following substantial renovations, turned it into a performing arts venue. Today it hosts the Miami International Film Festival and can be used as a rental for performances or corporate meetings.
“On days we would typically be dark, it’s great to have corporate groups in there to keep the revenue going,” says spokesman Tim Dodson. Corporate groups often meet during the day on weekdays.
The Moorish-style theater can host receptions in its lobby and pre-theater events such as wine tastings. Restorations continue to return the theater to its original design and continued upgrades are conducted on its original Wurlitzer organ.
Detroit’s Fox Theater
In Detroit, the Fox Theatre held its grand opening in 1928 at a cost of $10.5 million. An escape from the Depression era, the Fox attracted patrons with its lineup of vaudeville, live shows, organ concerts, and talkie films. In the 1960s it became the site of Motown-hosted performances and talent searches.
The theater was restored in 1988 at a cost of $12 million and today is the country’s second-largest theater. Since its reopening it has hosted Broadway shows and big-name concerts. Highlights include its six-story high grand lobby and the 13-foot-diameter chandelier inside the auditorium.
For groups, the Fox Theatre can host up to 800 guests for sit-down dinners, 1,500 for buffet receptions and up to 4,800 for a business meeting or private concert event.
Cleveland’s Playhouse Square
Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Center is the country’s largest performing arts complex outside of New York City’s Lincoln Center. Five historic theaters are located here: the Palace Theatre, Ohio Theatre, Allen Theatre, State Theatre, which is the largest of the group, and the Hanna Theatre, slated this year for a nearly $20 million makeover.
Built between 1921 and 1922, the performance spaces presented silent movies, theater and vaudeville until the Depression, when movies dominated the bill. The State Theatre boasted the world’s longest theater lobby, which still displays murals by American modernist James Daugherty.
All except the Hanna went dark in the late 1960s, and it took a monumental effort by the Playhouse Square Association to help resurrect and renovate the theaters. All reopened in the 1980s, save the Allen, which lit up again in 1998.
Groups can rent one theater or multiple theaters, and bands can be hired for dinners.
“Some companies are too large, so they will meet in the Allen Theatre and go over for dinner at Stage Theatre,” says John Hemsath, director of theater operations for the Playhouse Square Center.
Knoxville’s Tennessee Theater
Many smaller cities are also home to renovated historic theaters. In Knoxville, the Tennessee Theatre opened in 1928, built primarily to show movies, with some vaudeville and stand-up comedy in the mix.
“In order to have a future, it had to be converted primarily into a performance venue rather than a movie house,” says Bill Snyder, director of development and community relations for the theater, as well as the house organist.
Following a $28 million renovation, the Tennessee Theatre now presents programming from the Knoxville Opera Company and Knoxville Symphony, as well as live country, jazz, rock, and bluegrass.
The theater is available for rental, revenue that makes up about half the theater’s intake. Groups can host sit-down dinners, scavenger hunts and theme parties, among other options. Lobbies and foyers can host up to 500 people for receptions and the theater can seat 1,650.
Rockford’s Coronado Theater
Originally built in 1927 as a movie house, the Coronado Theatre, in Rockford, Ill., underwent an 18-month, $18.5 million restoration project in 2000, opening again a year later as a performing arts and entertainment center. It hosts concerts, national touring productions, Broadway shows, and performances by the Rockford Symphony Orchestra.
The Coronado’s long list of past performers includes Al Jolson, Louis Armstrong, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., and Liberace, to name a few. In 1960, John F. Kennedy even made a campaign stop at the Coronado.
“This is one hell of a theater, absolutely over the top,” says Michael Goldberg, executive director of the Coronado Performing Arts Center. “People walk into the lobby and their jaws drop. It’s unbelievably ornate, with cupids in corners, Venus on the half-shell, pagodas, dragons on either side the proscenium, Italian Renaissance and Spanish Moorish design.”
The theater’s Grande Barton pipe organ is still in operation and the lobby can hold up to 150 for meetings and gatherings. The rehearsal hall can host sit-down affairs for up to 175. The theater itself seats 2,300 and is available for meetings, receptions and on-stage dinners.
Erie’s Warner Theater
In Erie, Penn., the Warner Theatre was also an opulent movie palace commissioned by Warner Bros. in 1929. Opening in 1931, the theater wowed patrons with a marble archway, gold gilding, tapestries, and a staircase worthy of a queen.
In its early days, the theater hosted traveling shows and vaudeville as well as major film releases. The city’s mayor helped save the Warner from demolition in 1976, purchasing the building from owners who threatened to sell.
Today, the theater seats 2,250 patrons and its grand front lobby can be used for receptions of up to 250 for a sit-down event or up to 500 standing.
