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84-656: The Stanley Theatre, built at a cost of $ 3 million, opened as a deluxe movie palace February 27, 1928, with seating for 3,800 people (it now seats 2,885). It was designed by the architectural firm Hoffman−Henon who were best known for their design of 35 theaters in the Philadelphia area. The Stanley Theatre was the largest movie theater in Western Pennsylvania . Operated by the Stanley Warner Theatres circuit division of Warner Bros. , it

168-543: A Historic Landmark, followed in 1980 by addition to the National Register of Historic Places. There were legal issues regarding the adjoining premises, and the non-profit formed to own the Orpheum did not receive clear title till 1992, by which time there were significant structural repairs required before normal restoration activities could commence. Safety-critical works continued up to 2022, but as of May 2023,

252-414: A Mediterranean color scheme with pottery, furniture, wrought iron, statues, and paintings. Outside they utilized buff-colored tapestry, brick, and ornate terra-cotta accents. Initially it was home to vaudeville shows, dance recitals, and silent films. In 1964, the theatre was modernised. The original 45-foot vertical sign on the corner was deteriorating with age and was replaced with a horizontal marquee over

336-771: A bowling alley, before it reopened as the Astro Theater , and eventually closing as a movie theater in June 1980. After a number of years of disuse, it was restored and reopened as the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center, a live theater venue. The State Theatre opened in 1927, seating 1,300 people, with the interior reflecting a beautiful Spanish courtyard. The ceiling was painted dark blue with twinkling electric stars, and moving clouds which are projected across it to create an outdoor atmosphere. The auditorium, lobby, and mezzanine are decorated in

420-456: A box by the door to service as a ticket office (literally, the "box office".) Storefront theatres, supplied with motion pictures made in Chicago and New York, spread throughout America. These theatres exhibited a motion picture at a specific time during the day. Air domes also became popular in warm climates and in the summertime in northern climates. With no roof and only side walls or fences,

504-484: A concert venue. The Majestic Theatre , constructed in 1920 with Renaissance Revival ambience and, originally, with 2,800 seats, was the first Eberson theatre to use a simulated outdoor sky ceiling. It originally hosted a variety of live acts, adding movies from 1922, before changing to movies only from 1932 until closure in 1973. Passed to the City of Dallas, it was restored inside and out to its original glory, also adding

588-523: A cost of $ 1.5 million. The auditorium is designed as a courtyard with Spanish and Italianate facades, painted clouds, and electric 'stars', with Japanese dragons and lanterns decorating the screens of the Barton organ . It was built to present both films and live entertainment, with a fully equipped stage and orchestra pit. Donated to the City of Rockford, it was restored 1998–2001, and primarily features live stage shows and music concerts. The Egyptian Theatre

672-446: A fantasy environment to attract moviegoers and involved a type of social engineering, distraction, and traffic management, meant to work on human bodies and minds in a specific way. Today, most of the surviving movie palaces operate as regular theaters, showcasing concerts, plays and operas. This is a list of selected movie palaces, with location and year of construction. See also Atmospheric theatre An atmospheric theatre

756-498: A full calendar of movies and performing arts. The Polk Theatre was built in 1928 and designed by architect, James E. Casale and was built to simulate a Mediterranean village. The Redford Theatre was built in 1927 as a silent film theatre and showed its first film in January 1928. At present, it has 1610 seats and has a Japanese tea garden design. The stars in the sky have been upgraded to use fiber optics. The Redford theatre

840-399: A mix of Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival style. Its use of dramatic atmospheric features included castle facades and ventilators that sent "clouds" floating across the star-bespeckled ceiling. The Music Box opened on August 22, 1929. It is still an operational single screen cinema with atmospheric effects. The Orpheum opened in 1929, and was used for vaudeville, movies, and as

924-647: A mix of art house movies and live performances. It seems only the orchestra seating area is currently being used. The Columbia Theatre is the oldest surviving atmospheric cinema in British Columbia , built in 1927 and featuring Moorish design lattice work, with Spanish garden murals and wrought ironwork . Originally built with over 900 seats, the theatre was divided into two levels and was most recently renovated as cabaret-style theatre. Lafflines Comedy Club and Amicus Performing Arts Club operate this heritage theatre. The Forum , originally named The State ,

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1008-465: A movie theater. In 1977, DiCesare Engler Productions bought the theater. September 23, 1978, Frank Zappa played two sets at the Stanley Theatre. Live rock and roll concerts presented through 1984. The Grateful Dead performed four shows at the venue, and reggae musician Bob Marley performed his last live concert there in 1980, before his death in 1981. The only known photographs from

1092-512: A night sky of 96 embedded crystal "stars" (a third of which flicker) and a projection of clouds that slowly drift across the "sky". The Fox Theatre was built 1929–30. It was designed to evoke the garden of a South Asian temple. The Gateway Theatre was built in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood, the Gateway Theatre is an atmospheric theater designed by architect Mason Rapp of the prestigious firm of Rapp & Rapp in 1930. It

1176-671: A period of closure, it reopened in 1989, continuing with a mix of live performances, including concerts, and movies, often musicals, but now with only 2,264 larger seats. The Olympia Theater , previously the Olympia Theater & Office Building and then the Gusman Cultural Center , then Gusman Center for the Performing Arts , then Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts ,

1260-471: A small part of vaudeville theatres. The competitive vaudeville theatre market caused owners to constantly look for new entertainment, and the motion picture helped create demand, although the new form of entertainment was not the main draw for patrons. It was often used as a "chaser"—shown as the end of the performance to chase the audience from the theatre. These theatres were designed much like legitimate theatres. The Beaux-Arts architecture of these theatres

1344-491: A sprung floor on the stage for dancing, and advanced sound and lighting systems. It then re-opened in 1983, with 1,570 seats, as a Performing Arts Center, hosting musical productions, dramatic plays, national pageants, dance, and concerts. The Majestic Theatre opened in 1929, with the ambience of a Spanish courtyard, having 4,000 seats in the first fully air-conditioned venue in Texas, for both live and movie performances. After

1428-505: A touring Broadway theater. After falling into disrepair for some years, the Orpheum Theatre was purchased in 1984 by the city of Phoenix, which then began a 12-year, $ 14 million restoration. The Conrad Schmitt Studios created the transformation and the Orpheum reopened on January 28, 1997, with a performance of Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing . After the performance, Channing, still in costume but out of character, thanked

1512-409: A variety of referenced visual styles collided wildly with one another. French Baroque, High Gothic, Moroccan, Mediterranean, Spanish Gothic, Hindu, Babylonian, Aztec, Mayan, Orientalist, Italian Renaissance, and (after the discovery of King Tut 's tomb in 1922) Egyptian Revival were all variously mixed and matched. This wealth of ornament was not merely for aesthetic effect. It was meant to create

1596-498: Is a centerpiece of the Pittsburgh Cultural District and is one of the most utilized theaters in the nation today. The center has hosted several PBS doo-wop television concert specials including Doo Wop 50 . The TV game show Wheel of Fortune taped two weeks of shows at the theater for the first two weeks of their 16th season in 1998. Movie palace A movie palace (or picture palace in

1680-410: Is a type of movie palace design which was popular in the late 1920s. Atmospheric theatres were designed and decorated to evoke the feeling of a particular time and place for patrons, through the use of projectors, architectural elements and ornamentation that evoked a sense of being outdoors. This was intended to make the patron a more active participant in the setting. The most successful promoter of

1764-677: Is designed to resemble a night in a Moorish garden. Twinkling stars and drifting clouds travel across the domed ceiling. Located on Akron's South Main Street, the theater's entrance lobby extends over the Ohio and Erie Canal. The theater has a small multicolored terra cotta façade dominated by a large marquee. The interior of the entrance and lobby is designed to resemble a Moorish castle with Mediterranean decor, complete with medieval-style carvings, authentic European antiques and Italian alabaster sculptures. A grand full-sized Wurlitzer organ hidden beneath

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1848-627: Is located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, and is one of the last three atmospheric movie theatres still in operation in Canada. Constructed in 1930, the interior of the auditorium was designed to resemble a walled medieval courtyard surrounded by a forest. It was also one of the first cinemas in Canada built expressly for talking pictures. It opened on Friday, August 15, 1930, with the film "Queen High" starring Charles Ruggles and Ginger Rogers. Designed by Henry Eli White with assistance from John Eberson,

1932-460: Is said to be fully renovated and restored, but now with state-of-the-art lighting and world-class acoustics. It has "newly installed fiber optic stars twinkling overhead in the repainted midnight sky ceiling, one of the many preserved and enhanced elements of John Eberson's original theater design" The Indiana Theatre has a Spanish courtyard design and was one of the first Eberson theatres to exhibit atmospheric elements. While not fully atmospheric,

2016-777: The Capitol Theatre is located in Haymarket, Sydney , New South Wales , Australia and is the only atmospheric auditorium to survive completely intact in Australia. Located in the city center, the Cineteca Alameda was opened on 27 February 1941 with Marlene Dietrich in "Seven Sinners". Seating was originally provided for over 1,000 in orchestra and balcony levels. In recent years it was used for concerts, film festivals and for screening classic movies, it seems to have closed in 2012, but had reopened by 2014 offering

2100-656: The Carpenter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts , is the cornerstone of the Dominion Energy Center (previously Richmond CentreStage), which also includes three adjacent modern performance spaces, offices, and elsewhere the Altria Theater (none of which are atmospheric and all of which are by different architects). The Carpenter Theatre was built in 1927/28, giving a Spanish-Moorish ambience. It currently has about 1,800 seats and

2184-562: The Chicago firm of Rapp and Rapp , which designed the Chicago , Uptown , and Oriental Theatres . S.L. "Roxy" Rothafel , originated the deluxe presentation of films with themed stage shows. Sid Grauman , built the first movie palace on the West Coast , Los Angeles' Million Dollar Theater , in 1918. Following World War II movie ticket sales began to rapidly decline due to the widespread adoption of television and mass migration of

2268-577: The Kinetoscope . Dropping a nickel in a machine allowed a viewer to see a short motion picture, devoid of plot. The machines were installed in Kinetoscope parlors, hotels, department stores , bars and drugstores in large American cities. The machines were popular from 1894 to 1896, but by the turn of the century had almost disappeared as Americans rejected the solitary viewing experience and boring entertainment. Around 1900, motion pictures became

2352-587: The Loew's Theatre (1929). Remaining international examples include The Civic Theatre (1929, Auckland, New Zealand ), The Forum (1929, Melbourne, Australia ), as well as two theatres completed in Sydney, Australia , the Capitol Theatre (1928) and State Theatre (1929) (both designed by Henry Eli White with assistance from Eberson), and Le Grand Rex , (1932, Paris, France ) which was designed by architect Auguste Bluysen with assistance from Eberson. John Eberson

2436-466: The Paramount Theatre , opened in 1929 with 1700 seats, the interior evoking a Spanish village courtyard. Intended for vaudeville (recognised as likely to decrease as no longer fashionable), legitimate theatre and the new talking pictures (expected to increase in popularity) it was only able to show silent movies for the first year, due to long delivery of the sound equipment. Unfortunately,

2520-617: The United Kingdom ) is a large, elaborately decorated movie theater built from the 1910s to the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 1925 and 1930. With the advent of television, movie attendance dropped, while the rising popularity of large multiplex chains in the 1980s and 1990s signaled the obsolescence of single-screen theaters. Many movie palaces were razed or converted into multiple-screen venues or performing arts centers, though some have undergone restoration and reopened to

2604-425: The 1900s and 1910s. As motion pictures developed as an art form, theatre infrastructure needed to change. Storefront theatres and nickelodeons catered to the busy work lives and limited budgets of the lower and middle classes. Motion pictures were generally only thought to be for the lower classes at that time as they were simple, short, and cost only five cents to attend. While the middle class regularly began to attend

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2688-582: The 1920s until it caught fire in September 1971. In 2003, the New Regal Theatre closed due to insufficient attendance to cover running costs, but funds were obtained for renovation and it reopened in late 2008. Unfortunately, some of the funds were misapplied to the new owner's personal expenses, and it closed for the fourth time in 2011, due to foreclosure. Kanye West has pledged $ 1 million, and funding continues, to raise capital to reopen and run

2772-519: The 1964 modernisations. Unusually, it now has more seats (1,590) than it was built with. It is currently the premier live performance venue in Kalamazoo. The Tampa Theatre was built in 1926. Designed by John Eberson , the Tampa is a superior example of the atmospheric style featuring an auditorium that resembles a Mediterranean courtyard under a nighttime sky. Featured on the theater's opening night

2856-613: The DiCesare-Engler years. On September 25, 1987, after a $ 43 million restoration was completed, the Stanley reopened as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. In converting the former movie palace into a full performing arts center, a new building including an extension to the stage and support facilities was built at the rear of the theater. The interior was largely preserved and restored to its original design, with

2940-516: The Indiana Theatre's original lighting system gave a blue hue to the auditorium ceiling and scattered light to simulate stars. The tile and terrazzo flooring, shapes of windows, prominence of Spanish coats of arms, Churrigueresque exterior, as well as numerous plaster designs that were seen first in the Indiana Theatre became a framework for later designs. Eberson stated, "Into this Indiana Theatre I have put my very best efforts and endeavors in

3024-1067: The Rocky Mountains. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, IL was named as one of the top 20 architectural treasures in the State of Illinois by the Illinois Office of Tourism in 2018. The Fox Theatre was built in 1929, was designed by Ollivier J. Vinour of Marye Alger & Vinour, and is the city's only surviving movie palace. The original architecture and décor can be roughly divided into two architectural styles: Islamic architecture (building exterior, auditorium, Grand Salon, mezzanine Gentlemen's Lounge and lower Ladies Lounge) and Egyptian architecture (Egyptian Ballroom, mezzanine Ladies Lounge and lower Gentlemen's Lounge). The 4,665-seat auditorium replicates an Arabian courtyard complete with

3108-611: The United States: The Auckland Civic Theatre has the largest intact atmospheric auditorium in Australasia , built in 1929 and featuring an India-inspired motif. Seating 2,750 viewers, in 2000 it was restored to near-original condition. Peter Jackson used the Civic interiors in his remake of the film King Kong . See Rainbow Theatre (London, England, UK) , below. The Capitol Theatre

3192-587: The addition of a new acoustical baffle covering the original proscenium. The centerpiece of the auditorium is the large chandelier in the dome above the balcony. It weighs 4,700 lb (2,100 kg), is 20 feet (6.1 m) high by 12 feet (3.7 m) wide. Its restoration was dedicated to the late H.J. Heinz II. Today the center is the home of the Pittsburgh Opera , Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre , and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera , all of which used to be based at Heinz Hall . The 2,800-seat Benedum Center

3276-524: The air domes allowed patrons to view motion pictures in a venue that was cooler than the stifling atmosphere of the storefront theatre. In 1905, the nickelodeon was born. Rather than exhibiting one program a night, the nickelodeon offered continuous motion picture entertainment for five cents. They were widely popular. By 1910, nickelodeons grossed $ 91 million in the United States. The nickelodeons were like simple storefront theatres, but differed in

3360-656: The area around the theater, transforming local culture and taking advantage of this historic gem for their musical and artistic ends. It reopened in 1970 as Miracle Temple Church and a meeting place for 15 years. It then closed for renovation, reopening in 1987 as a performing arts venue named the New Regal Theater, in homage to the Regal Theater in Bronzeville, which had been a celebrated cultural center for Chicago's African American community beginning in

3444-431: The art of designing a modern theatre such as I have often pictured as what I would do were I given a free hand." The Louisville Palace , with Spanish Baroque architecture, seats 2,700 and opened as Loew's Theatre in 1928, and was later called Loew's United Artist Theatre , and then United Artists Theatre . It closed from 1985 to 1994, and since reopening, refurbished and upgraded to a high standard, has been primarily

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3528-522: The audience for "not turning this beautiful theatre into a parking lot!" The Paradise Center for the Arts was Built in 1929 on the site of the former Faribault Opera House, the Paradise was recently renovated. The motif is one of a Moorish courtyard with Turkish caps over the doors, turrets and 'stonework' walls. Originally built to seat 915, the Paradise has been altered to seat 300. Paramount Theatre

3612-432: The box-office. The interior was stripped of some of its original decor, for example many statues, but many of the items removed were stored rather than disposed of, and elements such as the "starry sky" ceiling in the auditorium remained. It closed in 1982 due to inadequate profits, but in 1985 was bought by a local property company, which has invested heavily in it, with further renovations and restorations partially undoing

3696-578: The cinema features a starred "sky" overhead, as well as interior fountains, and resembles a Mediterranean courtyard at night. The cinema features one of the largest screens in Europe. Atmospheric theatre pioneer John Eberson assisted architect Auguste Bluysen with the project. The Lido Theatre was built in 1929 and designed by Max Blankstein. The Lido is the world's longest continuously operating atmospheric theatre (87 years straight as of 2016). The interior features an outdoor Mediterranean courtyard motif. It

3780-474: The continuous showings and the marketing to women and families. The movie house, in a building designed specifically for motion picture exhibition, was the last step before the movie palace. Comfort was paramount, with upholstered seating and climate controls. One of the first movie houses was Tally's Broadway Theater in Los Angeles. The movie palace was developed as the step beyond the small theaters of

3864-413: The economic boom brought on by 1940s defense spending, the Orpheum was kept open 24 hours a day to accommodate the many shifts of workers building airplanes for WWII. In 1976, the building was stripped of saleable items and abandoned. With most less notable cinemas and theatres also closing and being demolished, enough people rallied behind the Orpheum to prevent that fate, and in 1978, the City declared it

3948-609: The following: The 7th Street Theatre was built in 1928, seats over 950 people, and features an outdoor Spanish garden motif. The Arlington Theater was built in 1931 on the former site of the Arlington Hotel, which was destroyed following the 1925 earthquake. The current structure was erected in 1930 as a showcase movie house for Fox West Coast Theaters . It was restored and expanded in the mid-1970s by Metropolitan Theaters Corporation. It opened in its current incarnation in 1976. The Avalon Theatre near Milwaukee, Wisconsin

4032-681: The frequent presence of audiences. It now has 1458 wider seats, and runs a mix of live theatre, concerts and movies. The Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center opened in 1926 as the Riviera Theater , designed in Hispano-Italian style to evoke the Mediterranean Riviera . In 1929, it was sold and renamed Paramount Theater , but closed in 1957, changing hands several times, and enduring a year as

4116-419: The highest-grossing first-run films for which they were no longer viable exhibition venues. They became second-run theaters or specialized in showing art house films . By 2004, only about a quarter of U.S. movie theaters still had only one screen, and the average number of screens per theater was 6.1. Eberson specialized in the subgenre of "atmospheric" theatres. His first, of the 500 in his career,

4200-693: The home of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra . In 1975, he gifted the venue to the City of Miami as a rock concert venue. Renovations continued until 1977. In the late 80s, usage declined again, and the Gusman Estate stepped in again to save the building. After renovations from 1989, the building reopened as a performing arts center in 1994, including concerts by international stars, renovations continuing till 1996. There were more renovations 2000-02 and 2009–12, and by then, there were only 1,567 (more comfortable) seats. In 2014,

4284-571: The interior had fallen into disrepair, and all of the original details were whitewashed. Then, a $ 15 million renovation of the theater was completed. The original splendor was restored in the details and colors of Eberson's original design. In addition, 33,000 sq ft (3,100 m2) of new lobby, bar, office and banquet space was added. Because of the redevelopment, the Uptown remains one of the few remaining atmospheric theatres still in operation. Other architects also designed atmospheric theatres. These include

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4368-446: The lobbies. The renovation allowed for the Civic to better serve customers with special needs by adding more handicapped seating and a new elevator. To bring the theatre up to new standards the dressing rooms were all redone and the stage was expanded from twenty-six feet to forty feet. Also added to the Civic was a freight elevator, a new loading dock and a cross-over space behind the stage's back wall. Other improvements included updating

4452-420: The major studios and were forced to close. Many were able to stay in business by converting to operate as race or pornography theaters . The death knell for single-screen movie theaters (including movie palaces) arrived with the development of the multiplex in the 1980s and the megaplex in the 1990s. Some movie palaces were able to stay in business only by getting out of the way, at least with respect to

4536-407: The nickelodeons by the early 1910s the upperclass continued to attend stage theater performances such as opera and big-time vaudeville. However, as more sophisticated, complex, and longer films featuring prominent stage actors were developed, the upperclass desires to attend the movies began to increase and a demand for higher class theaters began to develop. Nickelodeons could not meet this demand as

4620-515: The original "Olympic Theater" name returned. Closures due to COVID-19 were devastating to the small non-profit running the theater, and in 2020 they had to return management and operation to the City of Miami. The Orpheum Theatre opened in 1922 with 1,700 seats and the auditorium emulating a Spanish garden , and having an unusually tall proscenium arch. Built as a vaudeville theatre, it was adapted in 1929 to also show movies, and mixed them with live entertainment until closure in 1976. Notably, with

4704-408: The population from the cities, where all the movie palaces had been built, into the suburbs. The closing of most movie palaces occurred after United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. in 1948, which ordered all of the major film studios to sell their theaters. Most of the newly independent theaters could not continue to operate on the low admissions sales of the time without the financial support of

4788-610: The public as historic buildings. There are three architectural design types of movie palaces: the classical-style movie palace, with opulent, luxurious architecture; the atmospheric theatre , which has an auditorium ceiling that resembles an open sky as a defining feature; and the Art Deco theaters that became popular in the 1930s. Paid exhibition of motion pictures began on April 14, 1894, at Andrew M. Holland's phonograph store, located at 1155 Broadway in New York City , with

4872-484: The show were featured in Kevin Macdonald 's documentary film Marley . Prince kicked off his Controversy Tour in 1981 at the Stanley. The rock band Kansas chose the Benedum Center to host its 40th Anniversary Fan Appreciation Concert on August 17, 2013, which all the original members were to attend. The Stanley Theater was named "Number One Auditorium in the U.S." by Billboard several times during

4956-645: The sound system, HVAC, roof exterior, electrical service and modernizing the plumbing. The newly renovated Civic Theatre re-opened in November 2002. The Avalon Regal Theater opened in 1927 as the Avalon Theater , known later as the New Regal Theater , built in a Moorish Revival style. From 1927 to 1937 it was a live performing arts venue, and then a movie venue until first closure in 1967. By this time, more African Americans began to move into

5040-510: The stage rises to the stage level on a special elevator. In June 2001, the Akron Civic Theatre closed its doors for the most expensive and extensive renovation in its history in order to bring the theater up to modern performance and patron standards, and to restoring its failing 72-year-old infrastructure. The renovation cost just over $ 19 million, which included additional restroom facilities, new concession stands and expansion of

5124-610: The style was John Eberson . He credited the Hoblitzelle Majestic Theatre (Houston, 1923, since demolished) as the first. Before the end of the 1920s he designed around 100 atmospheric theatres in the U.S. and a few other countries, personally selecting the furnishings and art objects. His most notable surviving theatres in the United States include the Tampa Theatre (1926), Palace Theatre (1928), Majestic Theatre (1929), Paramount Theatre (1929), and

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5208-417: The theatre organ, intended to accompany silent movies, was also not installed till 1930! It continued with a mix of live theatre, concerts and movies until it closed in 1985. A group of local people formed in 1989 to save it from demolition, reopened as soon as possible, and entered a program of renovation which is still ongoing. In particular, it closed for most of 1995 for repairs which were incompatible with

5292-583: The theatre's 1928 Barton Theatre Organ which also has been restored and it is played prior to every film that is shown. The Saenger Theatre was built in 1927 for the Saenger Theatres chain by architect Emile Weil , Its interior evokes a baroque Florentine courtyard. Originally seating approximately 4,000, in 1980 its seating was reduced to approximately 2,736 and it began to function as a performing arts center with occasional film screenings. The following are atmospheric theatres located outside of

5376-410: The upperclass feared the moral repercussions of intermingling between women and children with immigrants. There were also real concerns over the physical safety of the nickelodeon theaters themselves as they were often cramped with little ventilation and the nitrate film stock used at the time was extremely flammable. The demand for an upscale film theater, suitable to exhibit films to the upperclass,

5460-631: The venue is operating and appears to have a fairly full calendar months in advance. The Palace Theatre opened in 1926, a million dollar gift from Harry Ink, a local industrialist, with decoration evoking a Spanish courtyard in the evening or morning. It was intended for vaudeville, other performing arts and (initially silent) movies, and the mix of live performances and movies continues to this day. The theatre did close, due to declining footfall, in 1976, but local people rallied to save it from demolition and make it viable, and it reopened in 1980, with restoration being ongoing since then. The Palace Theatre

5544-443: The venue, with possibilities including plans "to recreate pivotal moments in entertainment history using holographic stage technology". The Capitol Theatre is a cinema and concert venue. It opened in 1928, designed to look like a Roman garden, was remodelled in 1957, but has had a major restoration to the original ambience but with up-to-date services, completed in 2011. The Carpenter Theatre , originally Loew's Theatre and later

5628-604: Was Pittsburgh's main first run house for all Warner Bros. film releases. Frank Sinatra played here December 10, 1943. In 1974 War and King Crimson played at the Stanley. On April 29, 1974, the King Biscuit Flower Hour recorded a show at the Stanley by Robin Trower for a later broadcast. In 1976, the Stanley was purchased and renovated by the Cinemette Corporation to be operated as

5712-495: Was built in 1925–6 in Moorish Revival style, with 2,170 seats, to replicate a Spanish garden . It originally showed silent movies, and by 1929 also talking pictures and vaudeville then, by the 1950s, many concerts. By the late 1960s, with declining use, the venue was to be demolished, but was bought by a philanthropist, Maurice Gusman who, during a closure from 1970 to 1972, restored the auditorium and reopened it as

5796-482: Was built in 1928 and renovated in 1976 and 2015. With a Spanish Revival courtyard design, the theatre features low voltage lighting in the ceiling to mimic stars and the original reconditioned cloud machine to simulate moving clouds. Alcoves in the theatre contain stuffed birds, including a macaw that Eberson sometimes included in his interior design work, and most of the original Pietro Caproni statues. The Paramount Theatre Centre & Ballroom , originally known as

5880-535: Was built in 1929 by Wagner Construction; designed by the firm of Ellerbe & Company, and opened under the Publix banner on September 14, 1929, with a parade. Interior atmospheric design elements depict a quaint Spanish villa under the stars with Spanish Baroque exterior architecture. Now owned and operated by the Austin Area Commission for the Arts , an independent non profit, the theatre presents

5964-514: Was built in 1929 with an Egyptian Revival design. Designed by architect Elmer F. Behrns, who had an interest in Egyptology . The theatre was saved in 1978 by a non-profit organization who has owned and operated the Theatre ever since. There were once over 100 Egyptian Theatres built around the country, today there are only seven remaining in the United States and this is the only one east of

6048-492: Was built to seat 2,300, but the current configuration allows for 1,700. In 1939, the Uptown copyrighted a Fragratone system, which funneled fragrances into the auditorium via the ventilation ducts at appropriate moments during films. The Uptown hosted movies as well as live vaudeville and stage productions through the 1970s. By the late 1970s, the theater began to function primarily as a concert venue, and it remained that way until it closed its doors in 1989. During its later years,

6132-770: Was built to seat 600 people but the current configuration allows for 350. The Lido has avoided major renovations, remaining close to its original design. A rare survivor in its class, one of the few cinemas to stay in the same family for four generations, it remains owned by the Rivalin family. The Mayfair Theatre is a surviving atmospheric cinema of the Spanish Revival form, the second theatre house of this kind to be constructed in Ottawa. Interior features include four faux-balconies, two of which feature clay-tile canopies. Other significant features include stained-glass windows,

6216-407: Was designed by architect Russell Barr Williamson , who worked as draftsman and site supervisor for Frank Lloyd Wright before opening his own Wisconsin practice in 1918. The Aztec Theatre was completed in 1926 and originally seated 2,500, with an auditorium reminiscent of a courtyard in a Mesoamerican temple complex. The Coronado Theatre was built in 1927 to a design by Frederic J. Klein, at

6300-679: Was first met when the Regent Theater, designed by Thomas Lamb , was opened in February 1913, becoming the first ever movie palace. However the theater's location in Harlem prompted many to suggest that the theater be moved to Broadway alongside the stage theaters. These desires were satisfied when Lamb built the Strand Theatre on Broadway, which was opened in 1914 by Mitchel H. Mark at the cost of one million dollars. This opening

6384-403: Was formal and ornate. They were not designed for motion pictures, but rather live stage performances. In 1902, the storefront theatre was born at Thomas Lincoln Tally 's Electric Theatre in Los Angeles. These soon spread throughout the country as empty storefronts were equipped with chairs, a Vitascope projector, a muslin sheet on which the motion picture was exhibited, darkened windows, and

6468-401: Was initially based on the more traditional, "hardtop" form patterned on opera houses , but was no less ornate. His theaters evolved from relatively restrained neo-classic designs in the 1910s to those with elaborate baroque and Asian motifs in the late 1920s. The movie palace's signature look was one of extravagant ornamentation. The theaters were often designed with an eclectic exoticism where

6552-461: Was purchased by the current owner, The Motor City Theatre Organ Society in the mid-1970s and now shows classic films, and hosts occasional stage events including rentals. The theatre has a fully equipped stage with dressing rooms, and when it first opened was also intended to have vaudeville performances. The theatre's mission is to preserve the history of the film arts. Silent films are still occasionally shown and when they are, they are accompanied by

6636-516: Was the 1923 Majestic in Houston, Texas . The atmospherics usually conveyed the impression of sitting in an outdoor courtyard, surrounded by highly ornamented asymmetrical facades and exotic flora and fauna, underneath a dark blue canopy; when the lights went out, a specially designed projector, the Brenograph, was used to project clouds, and special celestial effects on the ceiling. Lamb's style

6720-530: Was the city's first movie theater built exclusively for the talkies . The Keith-Albee Theatre was opened to the public in 1928 as part of the Keith-Albee-Orpheum circuit, the premier vaudeville tour on the East Coast of the United States. Later on in its life, it showed movies and is now a performing arts center with occasional film screenings. The Merced Theatre was built in 1931, in

6804-484: Was the first example of a success in drawing the upper middle class to the movies and it spurred others to follow suit. As their name implies movie palaces were advertised to, "make the average citizen feel like royalty." To accomplish this these theaters were outfitted with a plethora of amenities such as larger sitting areas, air conditioning, and even childcare services. Between 1914 and 1922 over 4,000 movie palaces were opened. Notable pioneers of movies palaces include

6888-597: Was the most successful promoter and designer of the atmospheric style. His last atmospheric design in the US was the "Midwest Theatre" at 17 N. Harvey Ave., Oklahoma City , Oklahoma, which opened August 1, 1930, but was demolished in 1976. The following seventeen of his atmospheric theatres in the United States are still in operation. The Akron Civic Theatre was built in 1929 by Marcus Loew and designed by theater architect John Eberson . It opened as Loew's Theatre , and later Cinema Theatre and seats 3,000 people. The auditorium

6972-440: Was the silent film The Ace of Cads starring Adolph Menjou. Closed in 1973, it was rescued and reopened in 1978. It now presents and hosts over 600 events a year including a full schedule of the first run and classic films, concerts, special events, corporate events, tours, and educational programs The Uptown Theater Italian Renaissance atmospheric theater opened in 1928 and features an outdoor Mediterranean courtyard motif. It

7056-612: Was twinned between 1962–63 and survives as a live concert venue and cinema. When it opened in February 1929, the cinema had the largest seating capacity in Australia, holding 3,371 people. It was listed on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1978 and classified by the National Trust of Australia in 1994. Le Grand Rex is the largest cinema, theater and music venue in Paris, with 2,800 seats. Opened in 1932,

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