First, the Ritz was equipped with a small Kilgen pipe organ in a single chamber at one side of the stage. It was removed long ago, current location unknown.
The Circuit Playhouse (a.k.a. the Ritz and the Guild) is a magnificent example of the adaptive reuse of an historic building: it was extensively remodeled to accomodate live theatre. The original stage and pipe organ chamber still exist and are part of the rehearsal hall. Costume shop, dressing rooms and storage were also accomodated into the space that was once the area closest to the screen. The significantly reduced auditorium is not without a certain bohemian charm. The tiny lobby had a shabby-chic facelift which is entirely appropriate for the venue.
It should be noted that under Jackie Nichols direction, Playhouse-On-The-Square and its sister facility, Circuit Playhouse, provide live theatre of the absolute highest quality. Mr. Nichols has proven himself not only a theatrical director of exceptional talent but also a businessman with financial acumen seemingly equal to Donald Trump’s. His playhouse facilities have been financially successful for nearly 40 years. His approach to recreating old buildings for new uses approaches the level of visionary.
(Think the praise is too effusive? You haven’t seen what he’s done.)
indicates that new facilities are in the works that will replace both of 1920’s-era movie theatres. We can only hope that the Memphian and the Ritz (to use their former names)
will find new uses and continue to entertain future generations.
Correction to the above: the Gem and the Dixie also still stand. Knoxville has four buildings remaining from the earliest days of cinema, though of course, only one is still a theatre.
Coinsidentally, a friend lives at this address, the upper floor having been coverted to condomeniums. I experienced a classic double take upon putting the two addresses together.
His research also noted the quick passing of the Dixie Theatre. The street level retail space was a cafe for decades in the 2nd half of the 20th century. The upper floors apparently vacant for 50 years before the recent renovation for residential use.
“Joy’s” must have been retail/commercial: maybe a department store? Where’re all the old Maison Blanche employees when you need them to talk about the competition down the street, around the corner and off to the left?
jazzland, thanks for your excellent answer to my question of 9-9-06. Interesting that New Orleans' two largest theatres were built with such similar lobby plans. But then, I personally haven’t seen any other theatres the actually spanned an entire block – allowing fully developed (though secondary) entrances on three sides.
ken mc, I too was confused for a moment looking at the 1963 photo listed above and seeing the name “Joy’s” in the background. If I’m not mistaken, in that view we’re on Canal looking down Rampart Street. Obviously the Joy Theatre was on Canal, not one of the cross streets. It’s worth a chuckle that in 1963 you could stand on the corner of Canal and Rampart and look one way and see a big, flashy vertical sign reading JOY and look the other way and see a big, flashy vertical sign reading JOY’S.
Ken, excellent photo. The Saenger’s lobby (and the Loew’s State across the street) was a “T” shape with the main entrance on Canal and canopies and marquees on the sides. I’ve never known how those side doors were used: was there a ticket taker at all three locations? Were the sides only used as exit ways? These are not “orchestra foyer” doors so they’re not just emergeny exits. I’d love to hear from some former ushers or theatre employees who remember how the crowds were handled in the old days.
The 1915 Knoxville City Directory lists 10 theaters operating and showing moving pictures. They are listed below with the year they opened. Only two from that list still stand: the Gay/Strand is now an office building, and the Bijou – a 1st rate showplace.
two movie theaters had opened and closed by 1915. Those were:
Bonita 1911 to 1912 (Gay St)
Lyric 1911 to 1913 (Vine Ave)
Knoxville’s vast Market House (on Market Square) had been used to show motion pictures on at least one occassion
and Knoxville’s two grandest theaters opened later
Riviera 1920 to 1988 (Gay St)
Tennessee 1928 to present (Gay St)
Gay Street, Knoxille’s own great white way (and no kidding, it was once called “The Gay Way”) would have been a joy to see in those days. But nostalgia aside, we are quite fortunate that two theaters survive in such good condition.
According to the Knoxville City Directories, the Gay Theatre (later called the Strand) opened in 1911 with Charles Champe as manager. Mr. Champe was also manager or owner of the short-lived Bonita Theatre a block away. The city directories show this hall at 403-405 S. Gay.
The address 102 W Vine is listed as “vacant” before 1913 when it begins listing the Gem Theatre. The actual opening date of the Gem is yet to be determined.
The address 106 W Vine is listed as Burton-Looney Manufacturing Co and Hardware throughout the 1910’s.
The Knoxville City Directory for 1913 lists the Gem theatre at 102 W. Vine showing motion pictures for the city’s African American citizens. This is, of course, in the sad days of segregation, when blacks and whites were not allowed to sit in the same auditorium. The building currently standing at 102 W Summit Hill (the new name for Vine Avenue) could possibly be the 1913 theatre. It is an anonymous, two-story commercial building which could have been built anytime between 1900 and 1930.
The Rex Theatre stood at 423 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee. It opened in 1912 next door to the slightly older Crystal Theatre at 425 S. Gay. The Rex was a storefront nickelodeon theatre. 423 S Gay had previously been Cureton, Kennedy & Calloway, Clothiers, and before that had been Miller Brothers Millinery Shop.
The Majestic Theatre was located at 315 South Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee. It opened in 1908 under the name Lyceum with Robert Robinson as manager. The manager in 1909 was W.H.Sneed. In 1910 the theatre’s name changed to Majestic and Frank Rogers was the manager. The city directory for 1910 indicates that this theatre provided motion pictures and vaudeville.
Additional to the above, regarding “earliest” movie theatresin Knoxville: at least four other theatres were showing films in 1911, Majestic, Crystal, Grand and Gay.
The theatre at 109 W Vine Avenue was not the “Lyne” as originally listed on this page. It was called the “Lyric” and only operated between 1911 and 1913. This was a store-front nickelodeon which served Knoxville’s African-American population. Mr. J.E. Shippley was the proprietor. In 1910 the address is listed as Harry Berry, shoe maker. In 1914 it was vacant. In 1915 it is listed as Chesney Brothers Clothing.
Please note, the grand Staub’s Opera House at 800-804 Gay Street, Knoxville, ended its life also known as the Lyric Theatre, though that theatre didn’t take the name “Lyric” until many years after the one on Vine Avenue closed. I leave it up to the CT staff to figure out how to list two separate theatres with the same name.
To follow up on the above, what makes a Cinema Treasure? If it’s only architecture, then this certainly isn’t it. The MT10 is clean enough, and has a bit of decor to it, but it certainly is no Rapp & Rapp jewel.
If I have one REAL complaint about the MT10 it is related to the retro-fit installation of the concrete risers to provide stadium seats. The original floors followed the practice of sloped floors. When the forms for the new risers were built, the contractor DID NOT verify that the new floors and steps would be level. The result is that the risers and steps pitch forward noticably. As the seats are built with a backward tilt, it isn’t noticable when seated, and it isn’t really a problem when entering / moving up the steps. But heaven help you walking down the steps to leave. It might be appropriate after seeing Titanic, but the list toward the bow always makes me uncomfortable when leaving the show.
Friends, a friend of mine who is a long time member of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra read the link to Kirkegaard Associates and wrote back to me with this comment. Thought you might like to see it. (And he is right, no one would ever purposefully design a concert hall in the shape of a wide oval with the stage on the long side, but that’s what we’ve got. It is, however, a stunningly beautiful hall inwhich to hear the very talented members of the KSO perform.) Will
“As might be expected, this piece is self promotion for Kirkegaard and probably exaggerates somewhat. However, I think I speak for most orchestra members when I say that there has been noticible improvement. When the KSO moved from the Civic Auditorium to the Tennessee Theatre in about 1985 I told anyone who asked, and probably some that didn’t, that I thought the acoustics had improved from a D at the Auditorium to a C at the Theatre. I would now rate the Theatre at a B. The new shell is a huge improvement in that the orchestra hears itself so much better so our ensemble playing is much better and that is a major plus in making the orchestra better. I’m not sure that since the shape of the room is all wrong for a concert hall that much more could have been done.
“So, Kirkegaard pats itself on the back perhaps a bit too strenuously but they are the firm that was chosen for the restoration of Orchestra Hall in Chicago and Severence Hall in Cleveland as well as the brand new hall in Tel Aviv so they do have a proven, positive record.”
Jack, a quick look at the modern street map shows that the address 109 W Vine is now an empty lot. Urban renewal hit that area hard, the address would now be 109 W Summit Hill: I do know from previous research that the numbers stayed the same when the name changed. 106 W Summit Hill (across the street) is still there. The neighborhood is absolutely what you’d expect to find an early storefront nickelodeon in. If you don’t mind, could you contact me directly or through this page on CT – I haven’t found any reference to this theatre in early newspapers. What is your source? I do have access to Sanborne maps, but would like to know what year/years we’re looking for.
This is a very interesting link to the Kirkegaard website describing their work on the Tennessee Theatre. Their work in acoustics (both natural and electronically enhanced) over the last couple of decades has been widely regarded as among the best work in the field.
Additional to the above: in the mid ‘80’s Universal re-released five Alfred Hitchcock pictures: North by Northwest, Vertigo, The Trouble with Harry, Rope and Rear Window. These all played at the Ridgeway and I was there with my best pals for each one on the first day of the run. The restored prints were beautiful. Sure, it would have been fun to see them in a movie palace, but the Lightmans never let us down as far as the quality of the image on the screen.
“Johnny Betts is a rude ‘abnoxious’ jerk who needs to be ‘punced’ in the face.”– A grammatically-challenged non-fan"
That’s the teaser on the website that Lost Memory links us to. I’m laughing out loud! And yep, crackdog, you’re right, it isn’t as bad as the ‘abnoxious’ Johnny Betts makes it out to be. The Ridgeway is OLD these days: built about 1975, it’s had a long hard life. It is amazing that it’s still operating.
But first things first. The Ridgeway 4 was the 2nd 4-plex that MALCO built in Memphis. (The first was the Quartet, q.v.) Also, the R-4 building replaced THE MALCO (a.k.a. the 1928 Rapp & Rapp designed Orpheum) as MALCO’s corporate headquarters.
It really was a new concept, an experiment in suburban theatre design. The R-4 is completely hidden – invisible from any road, in a low lying parcel with no major retail “anchors” to draw casual customers. If you were going to the Ridgeway, you knew what film you were going to see and WHERE you were going.
The auditoriums (uh, auditoria?) are absolutely standard MALCO design for the 1970’s and ‘80’s. Maroon curtains on the walls, waterfall curtain across the screen, standard seats upholstered in the same maroon as the walls, 4 channel stereo, big candy counter in the lobby.
The real kicker at the Ridgeway is the reverse slope floors. Entering at the back of the halls, the floor slopes downward toward the screen in the traditional auditorium rake- it’s a progressive curve based on sight-lines. However, somewhere around 5 or 6 rows from the screen, the curve bottoms out and begins to slope upward, tilting the seats back at a much steeper angle than usual. It’s the same idea which first gained popularity with the design of planetariums (uh, planetaria?): up close to the screen you don’t have your neck bent for the duration of the show. I’ve sat in those seats, it’s a neat idea, nobody does it anymore for a reason.
I did see many, many movies at the Ridgeway. My memories of the hall are uninspired design, worn out seats and worn out carpet and worn out curtains. But hall was always clean, the pictures were always bright, the sound good and the popcorn fresh. In the 1980’s that’s all we could hope for in a theatre.
crackdog: that photo thing hasn’t worked in a LONG time. I’d like to see your photos as I was there during that same period – broken hearted that the building was coming down. And of course, just 2 years later, the Memphis Symphony started talking about building their own concert hall – about 2000 seats – downtown – and it just hurt all that much more.
This is’t Organ Treasures, but since we’re on the subject: the Robert Morton organ was removed by Bill Oberg before the building came down. At his death (c. 1980) it was broken up for parts.
First, the Ritz was equipped with a small Kilgen pipe organ in a single chamber at one side of the stage. It was removed long ago, current location unknown.
The Circuit Playhouse (a.k.a. the Ritz and the Guild) is a magnificent example of the adaptive reuse of an historic building: it was extensively remodeled to accomodate live theatre. The original stage and pipe organ chamber still exist and are part of the rehearsal hall. Costume shop, dressing rooms and storage were also accomodated into the space that was once the area closest to the screen. The significantly reduced auditorium is not without a certain bohemian charm. The tiny lobby had a shabby-chic facelift which is entirely appropriate for the venue.
It should be noted that under Jackie Nichols direction, Playhouse-On-The-Square and its sister facility, Circuit Playhouse, provide live theatre of the absolute highest quality. Mr. Nichols has proven himself not only a theatrical director of exceptional talent but also a businessman with financial acumen seemingly equal to Donald Trump’s. His playhouse facilities have been financially successful for nearly 40 years. His approach to recreating old buildings for new uses approaches the level of visionary.
(Think the praise is too effusive? You haven’t seen what he’s done.)
The Playhouse webside’s “history” page
View link
indicates that new facilities are in the works that will replace both of 1920’s-era movie theatres. We can only hope that the Memphian and the Ritz (to use their former names)
will find new uses and continue to entertain future generations.
Correction to the above: the Gem and the Dixie also still stand. Knoxville has four buildings remaining from the earliest days of cinema, though of course, only one is still a theatre.
Coinsidentally, a friend lives at this address, the upper floor having been coverted to condomeniums. I experienced a classic double take upon putting the two addresses together.
His research also noted the quick passing of the Dixie Theatre. The street level retail space was a cafe for decades in the 2nd half of the 20th century. The upper floors apparently vacant for 50 years before the recent renovation for residential use.
“Joy’s” must have been retail/commercial: maybe a department store? Where’re all the old Maison Blanche employees when you need them to talk about the competition down the street, around the corner and off to the left?
jazzland, thanks for your excellent answer to my question of 9-9-06. Interesting that New Orleans' two largest theatres were built with such similar lobby plans. But then, I personally haven’t seen any other theatres the actually spanned an entire block – allowing fully developed (though secondary) entrances on three sides.
ken mc, I too was confused for a moment looking at the 1963 photo listed above and seeing the name “Joy’s” in the background. If I’m not mistaken, in that view we’re on Canal looking down Rampart Street. Obviously the Joy Theatre was on Canal, not one of the cross streets. It’s worth a chuckle that in 1963 you could stand on the corner of Canal and Rampart and look one way and see a big, flashy vertical sign reading JOY and look the other way and see a big, flashy vertical sign reading JOY’S.
But joy is what New Orleans is all about, right?
Ken, excellent photo. The Saenger’s lobby (and the Loew’s State across the street) was a “T” shape with the main entrance on Canal and canopies and marquees on the sides. I’ve never known how those side doors were used: was there a ticket taker at all three locations? Were the sides only used as exit ways? These are not “orchestra foyer” doors so they’re not just emergeny exits. I’d love to hear from some former ushers or theatre employees who remember how the crowds were handled in the old days.
The Cheri still stands and is in use as a church.
The 1915 Knoxville City Directory lists 10 theaters operating and showing moving pictures. They are listed below with the year they opened. Only two from that list still stand: the Gay/Strand is now an office building, and the Bijou – a 1st rate showplace.
Staub’s / a.k.a. Lyric 1872 (Gay St)
Lyceum / a.k.a. Majestic 1908 (Gay St)
Crystal 1908 (Gay St)
Bijou 1909 (Gay St)
Grand 1911 (Gay St)
Gay / a.k.a. Strand 1911 (Gay St)
Rex 1912 (Gay St)
Gem 1913 (Vine Ave)
Queen 1914 (Gay St)
Dixie 1915 (Central Ave)
two movie theaters had opened and closed by 1915. Those were:
Bonita 1911 to 1912 (Gay St)
Lyric 1911 to 1913 (Vine Ave)
Knoxville’s vast Market House (on Market Square) had been used to show motion pictures on at least one occassion
and Knoxville’s two grandest theaters opened later
Riviera 1920 to 1988 (Gay St)
Tennessee 1928 to present (Gay St)
Gay Street, Knoxille’s own great white way (and no kidding, it was once called “The Gay Way”) would have been a joy to see in those days. But nostalgia aside, we are quite fortunate that two theaters survive in such good condition.
Dixie 1915
According to the Knoxville City Directories, the Gay Theatre (later called the Strand) opened in 1911 with Charles Champe as manager. Mr. Champe was also manager or owner of the short-lived Bonita Theatre a block away. The city directories show this hall at 403-405 S. Gay.
The address 102 W Vine is listed as “vacant” before 1913 when it begins listing the Gem Theatre. The actual opening date of the Gem is yet to be determined.
The address 106 W Vine is listed as Burton-Looney Manufacturing Co and Hardware throughout the 1910’s.
The building was torn down before World War II.
The Knoxville City Directory for 1913 lists the Gem theatre at 102 W. Vine showing motion pictures for the city’s African American citizens. This is, of course, in the sad days of segregation, when blacks and whites were not allowed to sit in the same auditorium. The building currently standing at 102 W Summit Hill (the new name for Vine Avenue) could possibly be the 1913 theatre. It is an anonymous, two-story commercial building which could have been built anytime between 1900 and 1930.
The Rex Theatre stood at 423 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee. It opened in 1912 next door to the slightly older Crystal Theatre at 425 S. Gay. The Rex was a storefront nickelodeon theatre. 423 S Gay had previously been Cureton, Kennedy & Calloway, Clothiers, and before that had been Miller Brothers Millinery Shop.
The Majestic Theatre was located at 315 South Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee. It opened in 1908 under the name Lyceum with Robert Robinson as manager. The manager in 1909 was W.H.Sneed. In 1910 the theatre’s name changed to Majestic and Frank Rogers was the manager. The city directory for 1910 indicates that this theatre provided motion pictures and vaudeville.
A modern building occupies the site.
Additional to the above, regarding “earliest” movie theatresin Knoxville: at least four other theatres were showing films in 1911, Majestic, Crystal, Grand and Gay.
Jack et al:
The theatre at 109 W Vine Avenue was not the “Lyne” as originally listed on this page. It was called the “Lyric” and only operated between 1911 and 1913. This was a store-front nickelodeon which served Knoxville’s African-American population. Mr. J.E. Shippley was the proprietor. In 1910 the address is listed as Harry Berry, shoe maker. In 1914 it was vacant. In 1915 it is listed as Chesney Brothers Clothing.
Please note, the grand Staub’s Opera House at 800-804 Gay Street, Knoxville, ended its life also known as the Lyric Theatre, though that theatre didn’t take the name “Lyric” until many years after the one on Vine Avenue closed. I leave it up to the CT staff to figure out how to list two separate theatres with the same name.
To follow up on the above, what makes a Cinema Treasure? If it’s only architecture, then this certainly isn’t it. The MT10 is clean enough, and has a bit of decor to it, but it certainly is no Rapp & Rapp jewel.
If I have one REAL complaint about the MT10 it is related to the retro-fit installation of the concrete risers to provide stadium seats. The original floors followed the practice of sloped floors. When the forms for the new risers were built, the contractor DID NOT verify that the new floors and steps would be level. The result is that the risers and steps pitch forward noticably. As the seats are built with a backward tilt, it isn’t noticable when seated, and it isn’t really a problem when entering / moving up the steps. But heaven help you walking down the steps to leave. It might be appropriate after seeing Titanic, but the list toward the bow always makes me uncomfortable when leaving the show.
Friends, a friend of mine who is a long time member of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra read the link to Kirkegaard Associates and wrote back to me with this comment. Thought you might like to see it. (And he is right, no one would ever purposefully design a concert hall in the shape of a wide oval with the stage on the long side, but that’s what we’ve got. It is, however, a stunningly beautiful hall inwhich to hear the very talented members of the KSO perform.) Will
“As might be expected, this piece is self promotion for Kirkegaard and probably exaggerates somewhat. However, I think I speak for most orchestra members when I say that there has been noticible improvement. When the KSO moved from the Civic Auditorium to the Tennessee Theatre in about 1985 I told anyone who asked, and probably some that didn’t, that I thought the acoustics had improved from a D at the Auditorium to a C at the Theatre. I would now rate the Theatre at a B. The new shell is a huge improvement in that the orchestra hears itself so much better so our ensemble playing is much better and that is a major plus in making the orchestra better. I’m not sure that since the shape of the room is all wrong for a concert hall that much more could have been done.
“So, Kirkegaard pats itself on the back perhaps a bit too strenuously but they are the firm that was chosen for the restoration of Orchestra Hall in Chicago and Severence Hall in Cleveland as well as the brand new hall in Tel Aviv so they do have a proven, positive record.”
Jack, a quick look at the modern street map shows that the address 109 W Vine is now an empty lot. Urban renewal hit that area hard, the address would now be 109 W Summit Hill: I do know from previous research that the numbers stayed the same when the name changed. 106 W Summit Hill (across the street) is still there. The neighborhood is absolutely what you’d expect to find an early storefront nickelodeon in. If you don’t mind, could you contact me directly or through this page on CT – I haven’t found any reference to this theatre in early newspapers. What is your source? I do have access to Sanborne maps, but would like to know what year/years we’re looking for.
This is a very interesting link to the Kirkegaard website describing their work on the Tennessee Theatre. Their work in acoustics (both natural and electronically enhanced) over the last couple of decades has been widely regarded as among the best work in the field.
http://www.kirkegaard.com/press/2072/2072.htm
Additional to the above: in the mid ‘80’s Universal re-released five Alfred Hitchcock pictures: North by Northwest, Vertigo, The Trouble with Harry, Rope and Rear Window. These all played at the Ridgeway and I was there with my best pals for each one on the first day of the run. The restored prints were beautiful. Sure, it would have been fun to see them in a movie palace, but the Lightmans never let us down as far as the quality of the image on the screen.
“Johnny Betts is a rude ‘abnoxious’ jerk who needs to be ‘punced’ in the face.”– A grammatically-challenged non-fan"
That’s the teaser on the website that Lost Memory links us to. I’m laughing out loud! And yep, crackdog, you’re right, it isn’t as bad as the ‘abnoxious’ Johnny Betts makes it out to be. The Ridgeway is OLD these days: built about 1975, it’s had a long hard life. It is amazing that it’s still operating.
But first things first. The Ridgeway 4 was the 2nd 4-plex that MALCO built in Memphis. (The first was the Quartet, q.v.) Also, the R-4 building replaced THE MALCO (a.k.a. the 1928 Rapp & Rapp designed Orpheum) as MALCO’s corporate headquarters.
It really was a new concept, an experiment in suburban theatre design. The R-4 is completely hidden – invisible from any road, in a low lying parcel with no major retail “anchors” to draw casual customers. If you were going to the Ridgeway, you knew what film you were going to see and WHERE you were going.
The auditoriums (uh, auditoria?) are absolutely standard MALCO design for the 1970’s and ‘80’s. Maroon curtains on the walls, waterfall curtain across the screen, standard seats upholstered in the same maroon as the walls, 4 channel stereo, big candy counter in the lobby.
The real kicker at the Ridgeway is the reverse slope floors. Entering at the back of the halls, the floor slopes downward toward the screen in the traditional auditorium rake- it’s a progressive curve based on sight-lines. However, somewhere around 5 or 6 rows from the screen, the curve bottoms out and begins to slope upward, tilting the seats back at a much steeper angle than usual. It’s the same idea which first gained popularity with the design of planetariums (uh, planetaria?): up close to the screen you don’t have your neck bent for the duration of the show. I’ve sat in those seats, it’s a neat idea, nobody does it anymore for a reason.
I did see many, many movies at the Ridgeway. My memories of the hall are uninspired design, worn out seats and worn out carpet and worn out curtains. But hall was always clean, the pictures were always bright, the sound good and the popcorn fresh. In the 1980’s that’s all we could hope for in a theatre.
crackdog: that photo thing hasn’t worked in a LONG time. I’d like to see your photos as I was there during that same period – broken hearted that the building was coming down. And of course, just 2 years later, the Memphis Symphony started talking about building their own concert hall – about 2000 seats – downtown – and it just hurt all that much more.
This is’t Organ Treasures, but since we’re on the subject: the Robert Morton organ was removed by Bill Oberg before the building came down. At his death (c. 1980) it was broken up for parts.
Charrio, if you’ll click on my name below, you’ll find my e-mail link under “contact info”. I may have some info for you.