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59-835: The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (opened as the Portland Publix Theatre before becoming the Paramount Theatre after 1930) is a historic theater building and performing arts center in Portland, Oregon , United States . Part of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts , it is home to the Oregon Symphony , Portland Youth Philharmonic , Metropolitan Youth Symphony , White Bird Dance Company, and Portland Arts & Lectures. It

118-497: A sandbar or a reef in the dark at high speed. The Coast Guard relied on hard work, reconnaissance, and big guns to get their job done. It was not uncommon for rum-runners' ships to be sold at auction shortly after a trial – ships were often sold back to the original owners. Some ships were captured three or four times before they were finally sunk or retired . In addition, the Coast Guard had other duties and often had to let

177-528: A 65-foot (20 m) high "Portland" sign above the Broadway Marquee, which contained approximately 6,000 theatrical lights. The sign was changed to read "Paramount" in 1930, remaining until 1984, when it was restored to "Portland". The theatre was designed with many foyers and lobbies. The main entrance to the auditorium boasted huge French-paned windows facing east and south, covered with velvet drapes. The walls were covered with mirrors and marble, and

236-680: A rum-runner go in order to assist a sinking vessel or handle another emergency. Prohibitive alcohol laws in Finland (total ban of alcohol from 1919 to 1931), Norway (liquor above 20 per cent abv 1917–1927) and the Swedish Bratt System which heavily restricted the sale of alcohol made these three countries attractive for alcohol smuggling from abroad. The main product used for smuggling were rectified spirits produced in Central Europe (Germany, Poland, Netherlands etc.). Alcohol

295-487: A rum-running captain could make several hundred thousand dollars a year. In comparison, the Commandant of the Coast Guard made just $ 6,000 annually, and seamen made $ 30/week. Because of this disparity, the rum-runners were generally willing to take bigger risks. They ran without lights at night and in fog, risking life and limb. Shores could sometimes be found littered with bottles from a rum-runner who sank after hitting

354-454: A screen of smoke was needed to escape the revenue ships. On the government's side, the rum chasers were an assortment of patrol boats , inshore patrol, and harbor cutters. Most of the patrol boats were of the "six-bit" variety: 75-foot craft with a top speed of about 12 knots. There was also an assortment of launches, harbor tugs, and miscellaneous small craft. The rum-runners were often faster and more maneuverable than government ships, and

413-409: A small cove next to the wall. A series of electric light bulbs were set in the hollow, not visible to the audience. Their glow fell on the patrons indirectly, giving the effect of space and freedom. The orchestra pit could hold a 30-piece orchestra. There was also a "flying" stage which could be raised or lowered or moved about above the main stage. On July 30, 1928, a photo of the theatre appeared on

472-563: A variety of presentations including classical, jazz, pop, rock, folk and gospel music, dance, theatre, travel films, conferences, and weddings. The concert hall features: Design highlights: wool carpeting designed in Portland and loomed in New Zealand; original chandeliers renovated and fitted with new crystal in rococo-style lobby; original ornate interior re-paneled, recast and replaced; classic colors of warm neutrals and teal replaced

531-415: Is a single space intended for use by various types of performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. The intended multiple use of performing arts centers in this sense differentiates them from single-purpose concert halls , opera houses , or theatres , although the actual use of single-purpose spaces for other than their intended use is widespread. This sort of space has a long history, extending to

590-560: Is also a concert and film venue . Originally (and sometimes still referred to as) the Paramount Theatre, it is also locally nicknamed "The Schnitz". It is Portland's last surviving theater building on Broadway , which was once lined with several large theater houses. The architectural firm Rapp and Rapp , famous for its theater buildings, designed the Italian Renaissance-style building. The building

649-461: Is credited with the idea of bringing large boats just to the edge of the 3-mile (4.8 km) limit of U.S. jurisdiction and selling his wares there to "contact boats", local fishermen, and small boat captains. The small, quick boats could more easily outrun Coast Guard ships and could dock in any small river or eddy and transfer their cargo to a waiting truck. They were also known to load float planes and flying boats. Soon others were following suit, and

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708-564: Is forbidden by law. The term rum-running is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; bootlegging is applied to smuggling over land. Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. In the United States, the smuggling of alcohol did not end with the repeal of prohibition. In the Appalachian United States , for example, the demand for moonshine

767-885: Is the Celebrity Series of Boston renting venues in Boston's Boch Center . Examples of performance arts complexes include the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Sydney Opera House , and the Lincoln Center in New York City . For a selection of venues with these terms in their titles, see: Rum-running Rum-running , or bootlegging , is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation

826-403: Is usually a complex housing performance spaces for various performing arts, including dance, music, and theatre. In some cases it refers to a single multi-use space, or alternatively, to a performing arts college. The origin of the world's oldest performing art, Noh , dates back to the 6th and 7th centuries when performing arts came to Japan from mainland China. Starting in the 6th century BC,

885-706: The Bahamas to Galveston, Texas , the Louisiana swamps, and Alabama coast. By far the biggest Rum Row was in the New York/Philadelphia area off the New Jersey coast, where as many as 60 ships were seen at one time. One of the most notable New Jersey rum runners was Habana Joe , who could be seen at night running into remote areas in Raritan Bay with his flat-bottom skiff for running up on

944-516: The Old West and Canada West or local prohibitions like the one on Prince Edward Island between 1901 and 1948. Industrial-scale smuggling flowed both ways across the Canada–United States border at different points in the early twentieth century, largely between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan . Although Canada never had true nationwide prohibition, the federal government gave

1003-502: The Reo II . Specialized high-speed craft were built for the ship-to-shore runs. These high-speed boats were often luxury yachts and speedboats fitted with powerful aircraft engines, machine guns, and armor plating. Often, builders of rum-runners' ships also supplied Coast Guard vessels, such as Fred and Mirto Scopinich's Freeport Point Shipyard . Rum-runners often kept cans of used engine oil handy to pour on hot exhaust manifolds in case

1062-706: The Saint Lawrence Seaway and down the west coast to San Francisco and Los Angeles . Rum-running from Canada was also an issue, especially throughout prohibition in the early 1900s. There was a high number of distilleries in Canada, one of the most famous being Hiram Walker who developed Canadian Club Whisky . The French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon , located south of Newfoundland, were an important base used by well-known smugglers, including Al Capone , Savannah Unknown, and Bill McCoy. The Gulf of Mexico also teemed with ships running from Mexico and

1121-683: The Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933. At first, there was much action on the seas, but after several months, the Coast Guard began reporting decreased smuggling activity. This was the start of the Bimini–;Bahamas rum trade and the introduction of Bill McCoy . With the start of prohibition, Captain McCoy began bringing rum from Bimini and the rest of the Bahamas into south Florida through Government Cut . The Coast Guard soon caught up with him, so he began to bring

1180-592: The Classical period of performing art began in Greece, ushered in by the tragic poets such as Sophocles . These poets wrote plays which, in some cases, incorporated dance (see Euripides ). The Hellenistic period began the widespread use of comedy. Much of which was performed live in a center-point of the community. In 1576, Britain's first playhouse, "The Theatre", was built in Finsbury Fields , London. It

1239-659: The Roman Colosseum and Greek amphitheatres. A cluster of performance spaces, either separate buildings or under one roof, each space designed for a specific purpose such as symphonic music or chamber music or theatre, but multipurpose as a whole, are also described as performing arts centers. The modern version of this came into being only in the 1960s. In Australia, the Centre for the Performing in Adelaide

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1298-619: The United States. Again, this illegal international trade undermined the support for prohibition in the receiving country, and the American version ended (at the national level) in 1933. One of the most famous periods of rum-running began in the United States when Prohibition began on January 16, 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect. This period lasted until the amendment was repealed with ratification of

1357-627: The age of the building. The owners did not seem to be putting any money into maintenance of the theatre. In December 1970, the building was put up for sale and was purchased in 1971 by John Haviland, who owned the Park-Haviland Hotel . The theatre was then leased to Tom Moyer , owner of the Moyer Theater chain. Haviland felt that it was uneconomical to operate a 3000-seat movie theater in the days of television. On August 15, 1972, Dr. Phibes Rises Again starring Vincent Price ,

1416-418: The beach, making his delivery, and speeding away. With that much competition, the suppliers often flew large banners advertising their wares and threw parties with prostitutes on board their ships to draw customers. Rum Row was completely lawless, and many crews armed themselves not against government ships but against the other rum-runners, who would sometimes sink a ship and hijack its cargo rather than make

1475-650: The fish pens below to accommodate as much contraband as she could hold. She became one of the most famous of the rum-runners, along with his two other ships hauling mostly Irish and Canadian whiskey as well as other fine liquors and wines to ports from Maine to Florida . In the days of rum running, it was common for captains to add water to the bottles to stretch their profits or to re-label it as better goods. Often, cheap sparkling wine would become French champagne or Italian Spumante ; unbranded liquor became top-of-the-line name brands. McCoy became famous for never adding water to his booze and selling only top brands. Although

1534-543: The floors were covered with expensive carpets. The furnishings had been purchased from a French museum and private collections. The concessions stand was made of marble and stretched nearly half the length of the main lobby. It was described as the "longest candy counter in the West." Nearly $ 35,000 had been spent on the lobby's huge crystal chandeliers. The largest had a span of nearly 8 feet (2.4 m), weighing over 1,700 pounds (770 kg) and containing 181 lights. Currently,

1593-554: The front page of The Oregonian newspaper. The theatre had figured in an unusual robbery by a young man named Robert Nolan. Nolan, who had lived in Southern California for a time, had appeared as an extra in a movie titled Wheel of Chance (1928). Nolan had moved back to Oregon and when he saw that the movie was showing at the Portland Theatre, he decided to go see himself on the "silver screen." While in

1652-404: The illegal goods to just outside U.S. territorial waters and let smaller boats and other captains, such as Habana Joe, take the risk of bringing it to shore. The rum-running business was very good, and McCoy soon bought a Gloucester knockabout schooner named Arethusa at auction and renamed her Tomoka . He installed a larger auxiliary, mounted a concealed machine gun on her deck, and refitted

1711-529: The interior of the building was more valuable architecturally. The building (as the Paramount Theatre ) was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. A major renovation began in September 1983 to the designs of Boora Architects , restoring the building to much of its original opulence. The interior of the auditorium, however, was painted one neutral color, rather than restoring

1770-447: The largest chandelier has 137 candle bulbs, and the smaller ones each have 124 bulbs. The top row of the balcony seats was six stories above the stage. Small staircases from the main lobby led to the balcony area which contained men's and ladies' lounges. The men's lounge was equipped with fireplaces, telephones, radios, phonographs and attendants. The women's lounge was furnished with dressing tables, mirrors, maids and hairdressers. There

1829-504: The lobby, he noticed two people walking by carrying the day's receipts. On impulse, Nolan went to the box office and held up the attendants for $ 1,176. When he was apprehended several days later, Nolan had spent all but $ 1.50 of the money on bootleggers and drinking parties. During the Great Depression , the theatre hired roving musicians and a "psychic" to entertain in the lobby before movies, in an effort to attract patrons to

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-502: The murals that had decorated it. Portland residents Arlene and Harold Schnitzer contributed generously to the completion of the initial phase of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. The one-year, $ 10 million renovation involved repairing, recasting or replacing much of the theatre's ornate interior as well as making it comfortable and safe for today's audiences and performers. The landmark 65-foot-tall "Paramount" sign

1947-445: The original dark and heavy gold, green and rose. When the performing arts center was opened in 1984, it was decided to name the Portland Theatre building after Arlene Schnitzer . The original theater organ and statuary were sold off in an auction on March 26, 1975. During the auction, there was a general outcry from the audience to keep a particular marble statue, called "Surprise" (a nude girl with her hands thrown across her face) in

2006-488: The owner $ 4.1 million as compensation for the building. The theater cost $ 500,000 to build in 1928. As of October 2006, "The Schnitz" was assessed by Multnomah County at more than $ 32 million. In 1972, the Portland City Council voted to give the building Landmark Status, over the objections of John Haviland, the owner. The landmark status applied only to the exterior of the building. Many people felt that

2065-406: The pavement below. The break was along an old fracture line caused by a previous earthquake. The iron had rusted over time without proper maintenance. In August 1970, chunks of the masonry on the corner of Main and Broadway gave way. Two huge blocks, 350 lb (160 kg) each, fell from the facade, one of them crashing into the main marquee below. The masonry blocks were said to have fallen due to

2124-473: The phrase appears in print in 1882, this is one of several false etymologies for the origin of the term " The real McCoy ". On November 15, 1923, McCoy and Tomoka encountered the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca just outside U.S. territorial waters. A boarding party attempted to board , but McCoy chased them off with the machine gun. Tomoka tried to run, but Seneca placed a shell just off her hull, and William McCoy surrendered his ship and cargo. McCoy

2183-471: The property to the city for $ 4 million in 1980, but the city council debated whether to renovate the Paramount Theatre or demolish it and build a new performing arts center from the ground up. In 1982, the City of Portland negotiated with the owner to buy the theatre but talks broke down. The city council finally voted to condemn the building. A condemnation hearing jury determined that the city would have to pay

2242-542: The provinces an easy means to ban alcohol under the War Measures Act (1914), and most provinces and the Yukon Territory already had enacted prohibition locally by 1918 when a regulation issued by the federal cabinet banned the interprovincial trade and importation of liquor. National prohibition in the United States did not begin until 1920, though many states had statewide prohibition before that. For

2301-511: The rent was "1/10 of what it should be for such a theatre": $ 4000 per month. In December 1972, Haviland proposed a state-run gambling casino on the property, claiming he was losing more than he could afford on the Paramount. On December 1, 1972, Black Oak Arkansas recorded a concert here that provided three of the seven songs on the band's 1973 album, "Raunch 'N' Roll Live." In March 1975, Haviland conducted an auction during which he sold off all

2360-689: The run to Canada or the Caribbean for fresh supplies. At the start, the rum-runner fleet consisted of a ragtag flotilla of fishing boats, such as the schooner Nellie J. Banks , excursion boats, and small merchant craft. As prohibition wore on, the stakes got higher and the ships became larger and more specialized. Converted fishing ships like McCoy's Tomoka waited on Rum Row and were soon joined by small motor freighters custom-built in Nova Scotia for rum running, with low, grey hulls, hidden compartments, and powerful wireless equipment. Examples include

2419-584: The theater. A hat was passed among the 1200 member audience to take up a collection, and $ 5,233.97 was raised to purchase the statue and keep it in the theater lobby. The statue has a finger missing from a bullet from a box-office robbery in the 1950s. Partial list of notable personal appearances made on the stage of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall: Performing arts center Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences ), often abbreviated as PAC ,

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2478-529: The theatre. Admission was 50 cents at this point, down 10 cents from opening night. By 1936, the theater had been sold to the Evergreen chain, in conjunction with John Hamrick , and between them, they owned eight movie theatres in Portland. Both the exterior and interior of the building had deteriorated through the years and in September 1965, part of the cast iron balcony facing Park Avenue (a 150 lb (68 kg) piece of gingerbread), gave way and fell to

2537-407: The theatres' statuary, pipe organ, antique furniture, 16th century suit of armor, mirrors, china, oriental rugs, original oil paintings, lighted gold-leaf music stands and 3 grand pianos; basically everything that was not attached to the walls or floors. Haviland was trying to drive out the rock-concert promoting tenants and went into a legal dispute with Paramount Northwest over the lease. He felt that

2596-552: The three-mile limit became known as "Rum Line" with the ships waiting called " Rum row ". The Rum Line was extended to a 12-mile (19 km) limit by an act of the United States Congress on April 21, 1924, which made it harder for the smaller and less seaworthy craft to make the trip. Rum Row was not the only front for the Coast Guard. Rum-runners often made the trip through Canada via the Great Lakes and

2655-399: The touch of a button. The seating capacity of the theater was reported to have been 4000 seats by newspaper advertisements of the day. The ads promised "An acre of seats". In actuality, the seating capacity was approximately 3000. The ceilings were of a special design. The ceiling panels were suspended from the roof of the building and jutted out toward the sides of the auditorium, leaving

2714-463: The two-year interval, enough American liquor entered Canada illegally to undermine support for prohibition in Canada, so it was slowly lifted, beginning with Quebec and Yukon in 1919 and including all the provinces but Prince Edward Island by 1930. Additionally, Canada's version of prohibition had never included a ban on the manufacture of liquor for export. Soon the black-market trade was reversed with Canadian whisky and beer flowing in large quantities to

2773-412: The western Bahamas transported cheap Caribbean rum to Florida speakeasies . However, rum's cheapness made it a low-profit item for the rum-runners, and they soon moved on to smuggling Canadian whisky , French champagne , and English gin to major cities like New York City , Boston , and Chicago , where prices ran high. It was said that some ships carried $ 200,000 in contraband in a single run. It

2832-488: The word-form "bootlegger" as in use from 1889 onwards. According to the 2011 PBS documentary Prohibition , the term bootlegging was popularized when thousands of city dwellers sold liquor from flasks they kept in their boot legs all across major cities and rural areas. The term rum-running was current by 1916, and was used during the Prohibition era in the United States (1920–1933), when ships from Bimini in

2891-451: The young people targeted by the concerts were not spending enough money and were vandalizing and destroying the theatre. Haviland won a court case preventing Paramount Northwest from renewing their lease option. Haviland intended to renovate the theatre and offer a higher-class type of entertainment, including dinner theatre. In August 1976, the Paramount Theatre was sold to Seattle-based West Coast Theatres company. The owner offered to sell

2950-625: Was the predecessor college of the Adelaide College of the Arts . The Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts is a college for Indigenous Australians in Brisbane . Some performing arts center organizations act as sole presenters for events using the venues within the center, but most also frequently rent their performance spaces to other performing arts presenters or self-presenting performing arts groups. An example of this practice

3009-406: Was also a self-playing Louis XV Ampico-Knabe grand piano in ivory and gold on the bridge over the lobby. The walls of the auditorium were elaborately decorated with murals and near the front of the stage, small balconies were hung with drapes which hid the pipes from the $ 46,500 Wurlitzer organ. This four-manual organ console was mounted on an elevator and could be raised to the level of the stage at

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3068-554: Was at an all-time high in the 1920s, but an era of rampant bootlegging in dry areas continued into the 1970s. Although the well-known bootleggers of the day may no longer be in business, bootlegging still exists, even if on a smaller scale. The state of Virginia has reported that it loses up to $ 20 million a year from illegal whiskey smuggling. The Government of the United Kingdom fails to collect an estimated £900 million in taxes due to alcohol smuggling activities. Absinthe

3127-729: Was constructed by Leicester's Men – an acting company formed in 1559 from members of the Earl of Leicester's household. New performing arts centers emerged in the latter part of the 20th century as a means of generating new investment and increased economic activity and thus, a means for revitalizing neighborhoods as patrons are drawn to local restaurants and other businesses. PACs became a draw for touring shows and eventually included visual art in their facilities. Today, these centers are valuable civic resources that provide education, access, exchange of creative discourse, opportunities for cultural expression and awareness. A multi-use performance space

3186-551: Was legally exported on large ships as tax-free produce via ports like Hamburg, Tallinn, Kiel and particularly the Free City of Danzig . Similar to the Rum Row near the U.S. coast, these ships usually did not leave international waters and the alcohol was clandestinely loaded onto smaller boats that illegally brought it into the destination countries. Despite various efforts led by Finland to fight contraband (Helsinki Convention for

3245-416: Was not long after the first taxes were implemented on alcoholic beverages that someone began to smuggle alcohol . The British government had "revenue cutters " in place to stop smugglers as early as the 16th century. Pirates often made extra money running rum to heavily taxed colonies . There were times when the sale of alcohol was limited for other reasons, such as laws against sales to American Indians in

3304-448: Was removed on March 18, 1984, to be used by Ballard Sign Company of Salem as a model for a new replica which would restore the wording used originally (1928–1930): "Portland", appropriate for the building's change in use as well as being historically fitting. The new replica sign, with neon letters five feet tall, was attached to the building on September 4, 1984. The theatre re-opened later the same month. The concert hall now plays host to

3363-523: Was smuggled into the United States until it was legalized in 2007. Cuban rum is also sometimes smuggled into the United States, circumventing the embargo in existence since 1960. It is believed that the term bootlegging originated during the American Civil War of 1861–1865, when soldiers would sneak liquor into army camps by concealing pint bottles within their boots or beneath their trouser legs. The Oxford English Dictionary records

3422-480: Was the last first-run film shown at the theatre. In 1972, a Seattle-based partnership was formed, Paramount Northwest. They leased the theatre for three years, with an option for six more, and promoted live concerts. Heart played there as part of the "Catch a Rising Star" series (which included Tom Petty and Elvis Costello , among others), for the admission price of 92 cents (promoted by local radio station KGON, 92.3 FM ). John Haviland still owned it and claimed that

3481-802: Was variously described by the newspapers as being of the French Renaissance or Northern Italianate style. The Paramount was considered, at its opening, to be the largest and most lavish theater for a city the size of Portland. Originally opened as the Portland Publix Theatre, a vaudeville venue in March 1928, the name changed to the Paramount Theater in 1930, as the owners had a contract to run Paramount films locally. The building continued to show films until 1972, after which it hosted concerts. Visitors were greeted by

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