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81-505: The Tennessee Theatre is a movie palace in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee . The theater was built in 1928 in the 1908 Burwell Building, considered Knoxville's first skyscraper. The theater and Burwell Building were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and the theater was extensively restored in the early 2000s. The Tennessee Theatre currently focuses on hosting performing arts events and classic films, and

162-499: A World's Fair. This controversy contributed to the development of the term "Scruffy City", as a nickname synonymous with Knoxville. Major politicians representing Tennessee across the aisle and financial boosters supported the idea and prompted interest from the Ford Administration . Then-Secretary of Commerce Elliot Richardson , while inquired, discouraged the idea for Knoxville to host an exposition in 1980, citing

243-456: 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,

324-401: A central bureau, Knoxvisit. Its financial and administrative troubles resulted in reservations being taken over by Property Leasing & Management, Inc. (PLM). It also struggled with the operation and filed for bankruptcy. Jake Butcher's financial services corporation, United American Bank (UAB), failed shortly after the exposition in 1983. UAB had been raided by federal banking regulators

405-660: A conflict from Los Angeles who planned to host a fair the same year. Richardson would approve for an exposition in Knoxville for the year 1982. Jake Butcher, facing criticism for his efforts for the KIEE, offered a rebuke in a 1981 interview with United Press International , "They called the fair the Jimmy Carter-Jake Butcher pork barrel , but they never revealed that [U.S. Senator] Howard Baker also supports it. I don't expect to get anything personally out of

486-480: A crowd of 87,000 with the theme "Energy Turns the World". Television commercials broadcast prior to the fair used the marketing tagline "You've Got To Be There!" The opening ceremony was broadcast on local and regional television stations, with President Ronald Reagan arriving to open the fair. Television personality and Winchester native Dinah Shore was the master of ceremonies for the fair. A six-month pass to

567-470: 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 1982 World%27s Fair The 1982 World's Fair , officially known as

648-532: A lack of profit, quality 'Broadway-style' entertainment was transferred to the Tennessee Theatre for a 2008-2009 season. The series, now presented by the Tennessee Theatre, was renamed Broadway at the Tennessee and kicked off with Fred Ebb's Chicago . Productions at The Tennessee Theatre included Movin' Out , Hairspray , Jesus Christ Superstar , Sweeney Todd , and Stomp . In the 1790s,

729-581: A major hub city in the Southeastern United States such as Atlanta or Charlotte . However, growth in Knoxville was relatively low compared to that of Chattanooga , which received national attention for its riverfront redevelopment projects. The U.S. Pavilion would operate as a soccer arena, but in 1991, the city of Knoxville demolished the U.S. Pavilion in a controlled demolition. It had developed structural problems that could not be safely resolved after years of neglect. The site of

810-410: A measure of several flavored mixtures of its traditional Coke soda during the exposition. Visitors would test lime, lemon, vanilla, and cherry flavors. By the end of the KIEE, Coca-Cola found that the cherry-flavored soda was the most popular. As a result, Coca-Cola Cherry would be distributed in 1985 as a result of its successful introduction at the 1982 World's Fair. Oil corporation Texaco showcased

891-554: A near sold-out season. In 2013 the Tennessee Theatre announced the sale of its one millionth ticket since the restoration. The Wurlitzer was installed in the Tennessee Theatre at the time of its opening in 1928. It was built by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company in North Tonawanda, New York , and cost about $ 50,000 at the time. The organist at the Tennessee is always advertised as the star of the show, and

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972-623: A profit of $ 57, far short of the $ 5 million surplus projected by organizers and boosters. The city of Knoxville was left with a $ 46 million debt. This debt would be paid in full in May 2007. In total, 22 nations, 7 states, and more than 50 corporations presented exhibitions at the fair revolving around energy, innovation, technology, and sustainability. Participating nations included Australia , Belgium , Canada , The People's Republic of China , Denmark , Egypt , France , Greece , People's Republic of Hungary , Italy , Japan , Luxembourg , Mexico ,

1053-541: A renovation effort to prepare it for the 1982 World's Fair . On April 1, 1982, the theater was placed in the National Register of Historic Places . The Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation was formed in 1996 and Dick Broadcasting donated the theater to the non-profit. It was designated "The Official State Theatre of Tennessee." In 2001, the Foundation announced a campaign to completely restore and renovate

1134-471: 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

1215-409: 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

1296-496: Is Love (1953), and the adaptation of James Agee 's All the Way Home (1963). After a refurbishment in 1966, the theater's seating capacity was reduced to 1,545. The theater changed owners several times over its life, and eventually closed for the first time in 1977. Thereafter it was open and closed intermittently for the remainder of the late 1970s. It was purchased by local radio company Dick Broadcasting in 1981, who started

1377-663: Is held on the park lawns every year, with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra playing a free concert with a massive fireworks display. In May 2007, the East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) opened a temporary exhibit in its museum located in Downtown Knoxville, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the World's Fair. On July 4, 2007, one of the annual celebrations was held in conjunction with festivities commemorating

1458-680: Is home to the Knoxville Opera and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra . The theater is managed by AC Entertainment . The Tennessee Theatre offers a wide range of performing arts events and classic films to the public. The theater is managed by AC Entertainment and is home to the Knoxville Opera , and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra . After the failed "Broadway in Knoxville" series at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum finally came to an end due to

1539-687: Is on display at the Knoxville Convention Center. Every night of the fair, at 10 pm, a 10-minute fireworks display was presented that could be seen over much of Knoxville. Performances by famous artists, actors, and musicians occurred at the Tennessee Amphitheater and across other areas of the fairgrounds and Knoxville, including Bob Hope , Tennessee Ernie Ford , Johnny Cash , Chet Atkins , Hal Holbrook , Glen Campbell , Jerry Lee Lewis , R. L. Burnside and Ricky Skaggs . The 1982 World's Fair brought

1620-562: 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

1701-652: The Downtown Knoxville Association, proposed the idea of the fair to the city government and a group of Knoxville business owners after visiting the exposition in 1974. Evans cited Knoxville's association with energy research and development, spurred by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the University of Tennessee . This made Knoxville a potential energy center and suggested

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1782-577: 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

1863-628: The Knoxville Convention Center in the space formerly occupied by Rich's/Millers Garage, the site of the KUB Substation exhibit, and the site of America's Electric Energy Exhibit. The Tennessee Amphitheater , the only structure other than the Sunsphere that currently remains from the World's Fair, was condemned to demolition in 2002. Popular sentiment from Knoxville residents and officials supported restoring it, and

1944-879: The Knoxville International Energy Exposition (KIEE) and simply as Energy Expo '82 and Expo '82 , was an international exposition held in Knoxville , Tennessee , United States. Focused on energy and electricity generation , with the theme Energy Turns the World , it was officially registered as a "World's Fair" by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). The KIEE opened on May 1, 1982, and closed on October 31, 1982, after receiving over 11 million visitors. Participating nations included Australia, Belgium, Canada, The People's Republic of China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico,

2025-651: The Netherlands , Panama , Peru , the Philippines , Saudi Arabia , South Korea , the United Kingdom , the United States , and West Germany . Panama, a late-comer to the fair, never occupied its pavilion space, which was eventually unofficially occupied by a group of Caribbean island nations. Communication problems between Panama and fair officials delayed occupancy, then it was announced that

2106-611: The Soviet Union for participation and a swimming competition against the United States, but the invitation for participation was rescinded following the Soviet Union's military invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. In total, 25 nations were signed to participate at the 1982 World's Fair by its opening. However, only 22 of those signed took part by opening day of the KIEE. On May 1, 1982, the 1982 World's Fair opened to

2187-400: The University of Tennessee campus. The core of the site primarily consisted of a deteriorating Louisville and Nashville Railroad yard and depot . The railroad yard was demolished, with the exception of a single rail line, and the depot was renovated for use as a restaurant during the fair. The Sunsphere , a 266-foot (81 m) steel tower topped with a five-story gold globe, was built as

2268-425: 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

2349-540: The 1982 World's Fair were featured prominently in an episode of The Simpsons , " Bart on the Road ". In the episode, Bart, having obtained a fake ID, travels to Knoxville with his friends to visit the fair after seeing an advertisement in a tourism brochure, only to learn that it closed a decade before. Nelson frustratedly throws a stone at the Sunsphere, causing it to collapse on the group's rental car, stranding them in Knoxville. Knoxville municipal personnel would criticize

2430-418: The 1999 film October Sky were filmed in and around Knoxville, and the facade of the theater can be seen during a scene in which the main characters go to the movies. The 2017 film The Last Movie Star starring Burt Reynolds, Clark Duke, Ariel Winter and Chevy Chase was mostly filmed in Knoxville. Several scenes were filmed inside the Tennessee Theatre grand lobby, portrayed as a fictional grand hotel lobby in

2511-546: The 25th anniversary of the 1982 World's Fair. The following day, July 5, 2007, the Sunsphere's observation deck reopened to the public after renovations. In 2020, rock band The Dirty Guv'nahs curated the Southern Skies Music Festival at the performance lawn of World's Fair Park. Postponed from its original start in May 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic , the festival debuted on May 14, 2022. In 2022,

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2592-612: The Burwell was Knoxville's tallest building until the completion of the Holston in 1913. The theater first opened on October 1, 1928, and with about 2,000 seats in the auditorium, it was billed as "Knoxville's Grand Entertainment Palace". It was designed by Chicago architects Graven & Mayger in the Spanish- Moorish style, although the design incorporates elements from all parts of the world: Czechoslovakian crystals in

2673-577: The ETHS and the University of Tennessee's Hodges Library would open temporary exhibits regarding the KIEE commemorating its 40th anniversary. A celebration of the 40th anniversary of the KIEE was held during the weekend of May 20–22, 2022, including a full-day festival organized by Knoxville's convention and visitors bureau . Local media covered the event and provided prior coverage of the original event. Many collectible items were made specifically for

2754-802: The French-style chandeliers , Italian terrazzo flooring in the Grand Lobby, and Oriental influences in the carpet and drapery patterns. It was built by George A. Fuller , another Chicago native, who also built the Flatiron Building in New York City . Tennessee Enterprises hired the George A. Fuller Company because of his prominent works in New York City, and his work on the Tennessee proved Fuller's expertise. By this point,

2835-558: The KIEE received confirmation for participation from western European countries including the United Kingdom, France, West Germany, Italy, and the 10-nation European Economic Community , along with Australia, Mexico, Japan, and the People's Republic of China . China's participation proved historic given the country's shift to a more capitalist economy; the KIEE would be the first exposition involving China since 1904. The KIEE invited

2916-611: The Netherlands, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, and West Germany. It was the second World's Fair to be held in the state of Tennessee, with the first being the Tennessee Centennial Exposition of 1897 , held in the state's capital, Nashville . The fair was constructed on a 70-acre (280,000 m ) site between Downtown Knoxville and

2997-468: The Sunsphere. The L&N station, however, would be redeveloped into a restaurant and office space. Acreage located south of the railyard site near the University of Tennessee campus would be home to the exposition's midway , which included the Great Wheel, the tallest Ferris wheel in the world at the time. A gondola system was developed to provide rapid connections to the exhibit and midway areas of

3078-453: The TVA, would ask for a significant portion of the fair proceeds go to Knoxville's African-American community . The fair's iconic red flame-logo apparel was contracted to be produced by Upfront America, a black-owned business. Upfront America would go on to sell more than 500,000 expo shirts. Leading up to the fair, the KIEE committee faced competition in recruiting larger corporate sponsors due to

3159-518: The World's Fair." Intent on running for governor in Tennessee in 1982 , Butcher pointed out that his opponent, then-Governor Lamar Alexander , was also an outspoken supporter of the fair. Public opinion of Knoxvillians leading up to the fair changed drastically, with a 1979 poll showing a majority of residents disapproved of the fair but later polls showing massive approval. The fair would prompt investment into minority-owned businesses. Civil rights activist Avon Rollins, who served as an executive for

3240-416: The acoustics of the new larger stage, an enlarged orchestra pit, upgraded dressing room facilities, modernization of the lighting, rigging, and other theatrical equipment, the installations of elevators, and a new marquee. The restorations included new carpets, draperies, and lighting fixtures that duplicated the original designs, and historically accurate restoration of all plaster and paint surfaces throughout

3321-461: 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

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3402-464: The concept of pay at the pump , as part of the advances in energy. An early rendition of the cordless telephone was introduced to the public at the KIEE. The Ford Motor Company showcased a Lincoln Town Car with a built-in car phone and a concept car known as the AFV, which relied on alternative fuel consumption. One-hour photographic processing was introduced by Kodak and used by visitors of

3483-474: 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

3564-418: The corner of Gay Street and Clinch Avenue. The building was completed in 1908, and at the time it was Knoxville's tallest building and first considered a skyscraper. The Knoxville Banking & Trust Building became a prestigious address for Knoxville professionals, and in 1917, Atkin bought the building and honorarily named it after his wife, Mary Burwell (1871-1949). Measuring 166 feet (51 m) in height,

3645-478: The country would not show due to "economic problems". The Peruvian exhibit featured a mummy that was unwrapped and studied at the fair. The Egyptian exhibit featured ancient artifacts valued at over US$ 30 million. Hungary, the home country of the Rubik's Cube , sent the world's largest Rubik's Cube with rotating squares for the entrance display to its pavilion. The Rubik's Cube remains in World's Fair Park, where it

3726-508: The day after the fair's closure. On February 14, 1983, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation seized control of the bank due to irregularities in its financial records. This action caused public speculation that the bank's failure was due in part to Butcher's financing of the World's Fair. Given the success of the fair, Knoxville residents speculated that the fair would put the city on track to become

3807-501: The debut of several inventions and concepts, primarily focused on energy, technology, and sustainability. Oak Ridge National Laboratory physicist George Samuel Hurst had showcased his patented resistive touchscreen technology that was developed in 1975 as result of a partnership with his company Elographics and German conglomerate Siemens . Visitors were able to use computers with the touch-screen technology. Tetra Pak showcased its boxed shelf-stable milk. Coca-Cola organized

3888-576: The development of EPCOT Center at the Walt Disney World resort, a permanent scientific-focused amusement park . Most of the KIEE's financial support came from the United States federal government which provided an estimated $ 44 million in funding. The Tennessee state government provided $ 3 million, and the Knoxville municipal government approved a nearly $ 12 million bond. Jake Butcher, through his companies, gave approximately $ 25 million. An additional $ 224 million in federal and state funding

3969-498: The exposition's six-month tenure. An NBA exhibition game took place between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at Stokely Athletic Center on October 23, 1982. Hotels and other accommodations in Knoxville were not permitted to take reservations directly. Room reservations for everything from hotels to houseboats were sold in a package with fair admission tickets through the first eleven days and were handled by

4050-544: The exposition. The Boston-based New England Technology company created a $ 500,000 learning system that used Sony and 3M interactive video-disc systems, Apple computers, a 200-kilobyte memory made by a company called Corbus, and a screen by Illugraphics, all put together for the United States Department of Commerce . The system featured three video-disc systems on line simultaneously, each offering random access to some 54,000 frames of text. The system

4131-447: The fair sold for $ 100 ($ 316.00 in 2023 dollars ). From its commencement on May 1, to its closing on October 31, the fair attracted 11,127,780 visitors from all over the United States and the world, making among the best attended World's Fair in U.S. history among those sanctioned by the BIE . It had the highest attendance among the four Specialized Expos held in the United States. It made

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4212-627: The fair. As of 2023, the chain consists of several locations in the state with most primarily located in East Tennessee. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots played a preseason football game at Neyland Stadium on August 14, 1982. The Steelers won the game 24–20 to a crowd of 93,251, making it the fourth-best-attended NFL game in history. The University of Tennessee would utilize its residence halls and dormitories for housing nearly 60,000 visitors during

4293-629: The fairgrounds. For the design of the Sunsphere, the KIEE recruited Knoxville-based architectural firm Community Techtonics, which was known in the region for its design of the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the "SkyMart" elevated-sidewalk system in downtown Morristown , nearly 50 miles east of Knoxville. Construction would break ground in 1980. Regarding recruitment for country sponsors,

4374-548: The film. Movie palace 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

4455-477: The first organist was Miss Jean Wilson, whose name appeared on the marquee alongside early films. Later House Organists include William T. Snyder and current performer Freddie Brabson. In October 2000, virtually the entire organ was shipped to Reno, Nevada , to master organ rebuilder Ken Crome, who restored the instrument piece by piece. Artisans and craftsmen returned the organ's appearance to its original 1928 color scheme and design. The chambers on either side of

4536-419: 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,

4617-625: The lawn. Ashley Capps , a Knoxville entertainment coordinator, cited the suspension of Hot Summer Nights at World's Fair Park as the start of the iconic Bonnaroo Music Festival . The site of the Japanese Pavilion became the new location for the Knoxville Museum of Art in 1990. The Elm Tree Theater located adjacent to the former pavilion was added as part of the Knoxville Museum of Art's courtyard. The elm tree

4698-510: The lobby, lounges, foyers, and the auditorium. Integration of acoustic treatments into the restored auditorium and lobby, and a substantially improved exterior sound isolation system were included in the restoration design. Seating capacity is now at 1,645 patrons. The design team for this renovation effort was led by McCarty Holsaple Architects of Knoxville, Tennessee and included Westlake Reed Leskosky Architects of Cleveland, Ohio (now DLR Group ). The theater reopened on January 14, 2005 and had

4779-500: The lot now occupied by the Burwell building was home to a two-story log structure where the classes of Blount College — the forerunner of the University of Tennessee — were first held. Clay Brown Atkin funded many buildings' construction and was claimed to be the biggest mantel manufacturer in the world. Atkin set his attention on the Knoxville Banking & Trust Building, a 10-story steel frame building on

4860-497: The main driving forces behind the fair. Within the city, Knoxvillians referred to the fair as "Jake's Fair". An administrative body known as the Knoxville Foundation Inc. was established to organize and operate the event. There was skepticism, both locally and nationally, about the ability of Knoxville, described as a "scruffy little city" by The Wall Street Journal in a 1980 news article, to successfully host

4941-436: The main structure and symbol for the exposition. Today, the Sunsphere stands as a symbol for the city of Knoxville. The first World's Fair to be held in Tennessee occurred in the state's capital, Nashville , in 1897. Knoxville developers cultivated the idea for a World's Fair in their city after several visited Spokane , Washington , which hosted a World's Fair in 1974. In November 1974, W. Stewart Evans, president of

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5022-420: 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

5103-470: The master plan for Fair. Located along the Second Creek watershed between downtown Knoxville and the University of Tennessee campus, the roughly 70-acre disused Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) railyard was selected as the site for development of the exposition. The railyard would be demolished to make way for the nation-representing pavilions and exhibits, the Tennessee Amphitheater, and

5184-407: 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

5265-694: The pavilion was cleared and developed for a parking lot along Cumberland Avenue, adjacent to the site of the Knoxville Convention Center in World's Fair Park . The site of the Korean and Saudi Arabian pavilions and the Tennessee Gas Industries exhibit was redeveloped into a performance lawn and hosted the Hot Summer Nights rock music festival from 1991 to 1999, when the Knoxville municipal government indefinitely suspended concerts on

5346-408: 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

5427-502: The promotion of an energy-themed World's Fair as early as 1980. Officials cited the city's location along Interstate 40 and position in the most populated one-third of the United States as crucial advantages. Knoxville had also previously held an Appalachian -oriented regional exposition promoting the environmental movement in the United States in 1913. Knoxville mayor Kyle Testerman appointed local banker Jake Butcher to lead an exploratory KIEE committee. Butcher served as one of

5508-511: The show's portrayal of the city and World's Fair Park, as at the time, the Sunsphere and the main facilities at the park were in good condition and received regular maintenance. The last known attempt of redeveloping the fair site came in late 1996, as a mixed-use development named after the Tivoli gardens in Copenhagen . In 2000, the park was closed for two years for the construction of

5589-481: The stage, which houses the pipes, were replastered to fully ensure the protection and preservation of the restored instrument. The Wurlitzer returned to Knoxville in August 2001 and was re-installed over the course of the next month. Theater organist Lyn Larsen was involved in the configuration and tonal regulation of the organ, and was the first to publicly perform it at a gala concert on October 1, 2001. Portions of

5670-468: The theater was renovated between 2005 and 2007, reopening in 2007. In 2007, the amphitheater was voted one of the top fifteen architectural works of East Tennessee by the East Tennessee chapter of the American Institute of Architects . In the summer of 2002, the World's Fair Park was reopened to general events and concerts, such as Earth Fest and Greek Fest. An Independence Day celebration

5751-485: The theater was turning out to be an almost all-Chicago project, and Fuller broke ground on November 1, 1927. On Christmas Day the News-Sentinel reported that the theater was pouring concrete. The theater was one of the first public buildings in Knoxville to have air conditioning, and it also featured a Wurlitzer organ. During its heyday, the theater played host to a few world movie premieres, including So This

5832-475: The theater. The $ 29.3 million project was funded through public and private donations with the help of $ 6.3 million in tax credits. The theater closed for renovations in June 2003 to completely restore it to its original state. Renovations included expansions of the stage depth via a cantilever two stories above State street, which accommodated larger and more elaborate productions, a custom orchestra shell to enhance

5913-410: 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,

5994-679: 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

6075-403: 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

6156-401: 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

6237-420: Was later struck by lightning and was cut down. The courtyard of the theater has since remained empty. Many of the pavilion sites and the fair's midway located south of the main park were given to the University of Tennessee for future campus extensions and student parking. By 1996, World's Fair Park was subject to 14 plans to redevelop the site, all of which were unsuccessful. In the same year, Knoxville and

6318-675: Was scheduled to go on tour after the fair, under the auspices of the Commerce Department. Geodesic dome housing exhibits were showcased to promote sustainable development to confront the then-ongoing energy crisis . Housing powered entirely by solar power was constructed by the United American Solar Group to promote solar energy. The TVA would support an exhibit promoting energy conservation and private greenhouse usage . Knoxville-based fast-food chain, Petro's Chili & Chips made their debut at

6399-516: 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

6480-484: 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

6561-647: Was utilized by the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to improve the transportation infrastructure system surrounding Knoxville in preparation for the fair. These improvements included completion of the Interstate 640 semi-beltway and improvements to the infamous "Malfunction Junction" of then I-75 (now I-275 ) and I-40 north of the fair site. The firm of Bruce McCarty designed

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