ERD: I totally agree! I didn’t get to the Proctors Theatre, but hope to one day. The Palace is a very beautiful theatre and should have its Wurlitzer to provide that type of concert rather than just concentrating on concerts for today’s generation. The night before my tour there was a huge crowd waiting to enter the Palace to see and hear this Rob Thomas! In today’s world I guess many of these historical theatres have to rely on today’s youth to fill the seats which is understandable, but lets appeal to everyone’s musical interest!
ERD: This past summer I toured the Palace in Albany and mentioned this request to the young man who provided the tour. At the time of my visit the staff had just had a concert there the night before (Rob Thomas) and the tour guide was more concerned with the fact that I might notice a beer smell from the night before! So that’s the mindset of that theatre and not having their organ back! But that could change and I hope that will be the case!
Chad: Did find great b/w vintage photos on the archives site! And then decided to enlarge and print out the one marquee/store front photo! It looks like a F.W. Woolworths store to the right with their familiar red and white striped awnings. There was one near me while growing up and it is now the Lucy Desi Playhouse in Jamestown NY. (www.lucy-desi.com) Thanks.
“The former lobby space is still standing, and houses a restaurant today.” At least something of Mr. Lamb’s theatre in Hamilton still stands today though it is a restaurant today.
This is great to read the many Lamb related theatre posts and will be of such help to Mr. Lamb’s namesake, Tom Lamb. And yes, Mr. Lamb’s work does reflect his greatness!
There are 150 Lamb theatres listed on CT so lots to read and research. Unfortunately, many of them have been demolished yet many are listed as simply closed and therefore should be saved and restored, if at all possible!
“At some point, the Liberty lost its Moderne facade, including the vertical sign, and compared to the original, the current one is rather plain.” You can say that again!
While surfing the CT site I came upon your theatre in Libertyville Illinois. I was looking at the b/w photo then found another photo in a 9/17 post. I think I see a big difference in that the original photo showed smooth decorative tile with a rather neat art deco vertical marquee. What happened? And thanks for providing your email address.
So glad to see this important notice included on CT and I hope that those who read it will choose to help preserve the Raymond in Pasadena CA by sending in their donation, as I did.
Mr. Tom Lamb: Yes, do write a book about your great-grandfather, Thomas Lamb. If you haven’t ever see the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse which was a Lamb Theatre, please make a trip there and by all means tell them who you are! And I agree with Norcelco that its a shame that many Lamb theatre are now gone for parking lots! It makes no sense! Glad you found CT and that you will contribute often! If you go to the listing of architects on the CT site and type in the Lamb name, it will give you a list of Lamb theatres. And by all means try to gather all of the information your father would have about Thomas Lamb, your great-grandfather! It’s an honor to have you as a CT member. Welcome!
To demolish this theatre to make room for perhaps office space, condos, parking garage, etc. would be a crime as this theatre has so much architectural ‘presence’ and so much historical value!
Are there any photos that have been posted that show the theatre with no boarding on the front facade? I would like to see what the marquee looked like. The second kclibrary photo provided in the 3/17/05 post of the dome is awesome and may be the only theatre with such a design in the country as I don’t recall seeing any others with that very unique piece of architecture on CT. When a city has to fight the owner of a theatre to save it that makes the battle even harder for it seems to me the owner should be the one wanting to save it!
About a year ago I posted my thoughts on this theatre and now I find myself back here a year and 2 days later! Glad to see that the Mayor of Kansas City, Kay Barnes realizes the importance of saving this historical theatre….the exterior design, alone, is reason enough to save it from that wrecking ball that appears too many times in this country! The only good reason I see for the wrecking ball is to tear down crack houses and other undesirable sites that attract many of our youth today.
JohnBell: Thanks so much for the Eberson family crest/“fist” info as the only “fist” that I have personally seen is the one at the Palace Theatre in Canton Ohio.
ERD: I totally agree! I didn’t get to the Proctors Theatre, but hope to one day. The Palace is a very beautiful theatre and should have its Wurlitzer to provide that type of concert rather than just concentrating on concerts for today’s generation. The night before my tour there was a huge crowd waiting to enter the Palace to see and hear this Rob Thomas! In today’s world I guess many of these historical theatres have to rely on today’s youth to fill the seats which is understandable, but lets appeal to everyone’s musical interest!
ERD: This past summer I toured the Palace in Albany and mentioned this request to the young man who provided the tour. At the time of my visit the staff had just had a concert there the night before (Rob Thomas) and the tour guide was more concerned with the fact that I might notice a beer smell from the night before! So that’s the mindset of that theatre and not having their organ back! But that could change and I hope that will be the case!
Chad: Did find great b/w vintage photos on the archives site! And then decided to enlarge and print out the one marquee/store front photo! It looks like a F.W. Woolworths store to the right with their familiar red and white striped awnings. There was one near me while growing up and it is now the Lucy Desi Playhouse in Jamestown NY. (www.lucy-desi.com) Thanks.
Chad: Where does one go to find more inforamtion on the Capitol when clicking on the Hamilton site?
“The former lobby space is still standing, and houses a restaurant today.” At least something of Mr. Lamb’s theatre in Hamilton still stands today though it is a restaurant today.
This is great to read the many Lamb related theatre posts and will be of such help to Mr. Lamb’s namesake, Tom Lamb. And yes, Mr. Lamb’s work does reflect his greatness!
I just visited Cinema Tour and looked at the photos there of this theatre that should never have been changed and thus lost its unique charm!
There are 150 Lamb theatres listed on CT so lots to read and research. Unfortunately, many of them have been demolished yet many are listed as simply closed and therefore should be saved and restored, if at all possible!
A Lamb theatre turned into a parking lot! There are no words to describe my reaction to reading this and then seeing the parking lot photo!
“At some point, the Liberty lost its Moderne facade, including the vertical sign, and compared to the original, the current one is rather plain.” You can say that again!
While surfing the CT site I came upon your theatre in Libertyville Illinois. I was looking at the b/w photo then found another photo in a 9/17 post. I think I see a big difference in that the original photo showed smooth decorative tile with a rather neat art deco vertical marquee. What happened? And thanks for providing your email address.
So glad to see this important notice included on CT and I hope that those who read it will choose to help preserve the Raymond in Pasadena CA by sending in their donation, as I did.
Mr. Tom Lamb: Yes, do write a book about your great-grandfather, Thomas Lamb. If you haven’t ever see the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse which was a Lamb Theatre, please make a trip there and by all means tell them who you are! And I agree with Norcelco that its a shame that many Lamb theatre are now gone for parking lots! It makes no sense! Glad you found CT and that you will contribute often! If you go to the listing of architects on the CT site and type in the Lamb name, it will give you a list of Lamb theatres. And by all means try to gather all of the information your father would have about Thomas Lamb, your great-grandfather! It’s an honor to have you as a CT member. Welcome!
ken: What a very unique marquee and a must-see!
ken: Thanks so much for this link, but I have always thought that the Penn was and is not the Butler Theatre which was an Eberson theatre.
tntim: Thanks so very much for this N.O. theatre update!
I have friends who live in Enid so will ask them about this theater.
JWalch: Congrats as I just read about this theatre on the Castle Theatre link.
Could not read the entire Kansas City Star Empire Theater article when clicking on the above link.
To demolish this theatre to make room for perhaps office space, condos, parking garage, etc. would be a crime as this theatre has so much architectural ‘presence’ and so much historical value!
Are there any photos that have been posted that show the theatre with no boarding on the front facade? I would like to see what the marquee looked like. The second kclibrary photo provided in the 3/17/05 post of the dome is awesome and may be the only theatre with such a design in the country as I don’t recall seeing any others with that very unique piece of architecture on CT. When a city has to fight the owner of a theatre to save it that makes the battle even harder for it seems to me the owner should be the one wanting to save it!
About a year ago I posted my thoughts on this theatre and now I find myself back here a year and 2 days later! Glad to see that the Mayor of Kansas City, Kay Barnes realizes the importance of saving this historical theatre….the exterior design, alone, is reason enough to save it from that wrecking ball that appears too many times in this country! The only good reason I see for the wrecking ball is to tear down crack houses and other undesirable sites that attract many of our youth today.
Joe: I looked at the site you posted and thought it listed them under Greenville NORTH Carolina.
I’m viewing Tampa Theatre photos on the Cinema Tour site and the one in particular that shows a close up of the proscenium arch is 72KB.
JohnBell: Thanks so much for the Eberson family crest/“fist” info as the only “fist” that I have personally seen is the one at the Palace Theatre in Canton Ohio.