Forgive the general nature of this question, but does anyone know the current name and or status of the theatre which was once known as the Civic in New Orleans? It was closed and had had its floor leveled when I last saw it in 1989, but it was undisputably a movie or vaudeville palace.
Great exerpt from “A Confederacy of Dunces!” Thanks. I was in the Prytannia only once, many years ago and don’t remember the film I saw. The building was certainly – uh, how to say it, simple. I remember a smallish, low ceilinged, flat-floored room with a tiny lobby and no decor at all. It is an interesting location, the only commercial property on a residential street. Clever management and shear force of will must have kept this business going. Best wishes to the management for a job well done!
If I’m not mistaken, the Quartet was the first purpose built multi-plex in Memphis. It is an interesting design, occupying the middle of a large square 2-story shopping center. There is no marquee and hardly any indication that a theatre exists in the building. The box office doesn’t even face the street. Inside the Quartet is very plain (a Malco trademark) draped walls with a waterfall curtain over the screen.
The Quartet was built across the street from – and to compete with -the very handsome “Mamie-Eisenhower-Modern” Plaza theatre (q.v.).
The Booth is still standing, currently a university-neighborhood bar. The space has been divided vertically: a 2nd floor has been inserted into the auditorium space. Reports are that the ornate proscenium is intact and visible in an upper level store-room. The marquee is gone, the original facade is covered with E.I.F.S. The exterior side and back walls are visible and unremarkable. The architectural firm that designed the Booth was Bowman and Bowman. The architect’s son is an active local historian and philanthropist.
The Peabody building was still standing when I left Memphis in 1993 and a quick look at GoogleEarth shows what appears to be the building still standing (whenever that photo was taken anyway). When I saw it, the building had been converted into a stained glass studio. The floor had been leveled for the most part, except at the very back of the building. The stage and part of the original sloping floor were still exposed. The foot prints from the seats and the outlines of the carpet runners were plainly visible. The stage was just deep enough to hang the screen, a main curtain and put in a speaker: maybe 10 feet. There was no decoration surviving that I remember. There were no organ chambers or a pit, as some of the small neighborhood theaters in Memphis had. I infer from this that the Peabody was built after 1927.
I saw Natalie Wood’s last film “Brain Storm” at the Park. It was still clean and well kept. I remember the hall being very long and narrow – something like a bowling lane. The sight lines were good with a decent slope to the floor. The most notable exterior feature was it’s late ‘Deco name sign on the triangle marquee. When the recording studio took it over, they kept the name “Park” and did a nice job with their adaptive re-use. Sorry to hear that it’s gone now.
Since there is a certain interest here in “the first atmospheric theatre” it might be useful to have a look at the (still standing) Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy. It was built in the 1580’s to the designs of Andrea Palladio. It’s a fully enclosed stage theatre built to look like a classical Roman, outdoor, amphitheatre with statues, sky, clouds and decorative proscenium. There is a permanent stage set with amazingly realistic forced-perspectives seen through the portals.
This is one of the most famous historic theatres in Europe and John Eberson must have seen it, or at least photos and drawings of it. I’ve never heard anyone make the connection between the Teatro Olimpico and Eberson’s atmospherics, but it does seem logical.
The Airways is gone, torn down in a highway realignment. It had been closed for some time. The name, ironic in view of the fact that TV put neighborhood theatres out of business, is from its location on Airways Boulevard, the road to the Memphis airport.
Confidential to Nick Coston: could you contact me directly? A mutual friend is trying to contact you. My e-mail is listed under my name below. Best Wishes
Will
David, here it is December 2005 and I’m just seeing this thread. A good friend was one of the last general managers (1978 to 1982) of the Chicago Theatre for Plitt. He was also General Manager of Loop Operation which included the State Lake, United Artists and Oriental. He received a lot of the oral history of the place. Is the book finished, or is there still time for you to talk with him before the book goes to press?
While on a month long tour of New Jersey (and that’s a story in itself) I came upon the Asbury Park Paramount theatre and exhibition hall. I was stopped, slack jawed, in my tracks. That very night a performance of Aida was to take place and I bought a ticket then and there. The interior of the hall is pleasant but the real show is on the exterior. The riotous, sea-themed fantasy in terra-cotta, bronze, glass, and brick is worth sitting on a park bench and just staring at for a couple of hours.
The boardwalk/building complex shows up in some unexpected places. It’s in the background of an early scene in of the film “Dogma” (with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, 20th Century Fox).
Also, when the SS Morro Castle burned, the disabled ship came to rest right at the exhibition hall end of the complex. Photos of the ruined ship often include parts of the building. For example here:
Amen Stevebob. You know, all that combination of faux and real seems, kinda, like, uh, THEATRICAL! And yes, it is wonderful. And yes Jim’s contributions to this site are of exceptional quality. In fact, I’d say they were grand. Probably not grandiouse, because he is concise after all. But on a site devoted to grandiouse excess, (tell me another way to describe an Eberson atmospheric) quibbling over the shades of meaning are a lot less interesting than quibbling over the shades of faux marble.
Jack, yes, everything you say agrees with what I remember of the building also. I was in Donelson last week and noticed it still standing and occupied (as an office). The photo just didn’t look quite right: similar, but somehow, different. I’ll follow up – at some point. Best wishes, Will
Jack, are you sure about that photo? I know the Donelson was converted to office use and it certainly doesn’t look anything like a theatre now, but this doesn’t look quite right. Next time I go visit mom I’ll double check. Also, the address doesn’t match. The building in the photo says 2812/2816. As a little kid I went to the movies here, but can’t remember anything of the interior at all. (We moved away from Donelson when I was 5.) What I do remember was driving by one day and seeing it being remodeled into office space and thinking it was sad to see the theatre gone.
As an aside to anyone who doesn’t know: Donelson is the name of the town that is the eastern suburban community from Nashville. It is now part of Metro Nashville. The name Donelson comes from Andrew Jackson’s wife – Rachel Donelson Jackson.
A friend was in the Saenger this last weekend. His report is that the water got about three feet above the stage. Everything below that level is ruined. The theatre’s mechanicals (heating/air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, etc) are beyond repair. The locking rail and rigging are in poor shape. ALL electrical systems will have to be replaced. The building itself is mostly intact though and there is still a plaster sky over the -smelly, sticky, grungy but stunningly handsome- auditorium.
The organ console, was brought to the top of its lift, but will have have to be replaced, as will the lift mechanism and the blower. However, the irreplaceable pipes, traps and chests are all intact.
The good news: an opening date is a long way off, but repair and cleaning of the Saenger is already taking place. It is somewhat ironic that the theatre was closed for renovation when the storms hit, so much of the theatre’s furnishings were not in the building during the flood. The restoration plans that had already been made are still valid and will help speed the building’s recovery.
In closing let me say that my friend was shaken to his core by what he saw of New Orleans. According to him, the loss is beyond comprehension or description: this beloved theatre survived but so much of the vibrant city has gone forever.
This building is also gone. I checked with some old theatre-savy friends in Memphis who said this building had been torn down by the late 1960’s.
I suspect (but have no proof) that the Suzore #2 must have been an older theatre that was renamed. It would have been very odd for a small time operator like Mr. Suzore to have been able to afford to build a new theatre on North Main. Neither can I imagine it would be profitable as North Main had not been a fashonable address since the very early 1900’s.
WHW, you’ll pardon my smile and wink when I say I was in the old Luciann many times after it ceased to be a -ahem- first run theatre. I did actually get a complete look at the building. It had been totally gutted, the floors leveled and any vestige of the old cinema and the subsequent bowling alley were gone. The projection booth was a storage room and some old amplifier equipment still in place, but nothing else.
Having been away from Memphis for many years now, I don’t remember the name that it operated under as an adult entertainment center. It was nothing but a pit. But let me tell you, the place was always busy!
The photo posted by RobertR on Jul 19 does not show the marquee that I remember of the Loew’s Cresent. The last time I was in the theatre was about 1990 (and we won’t talk about how I got in, okay?) The entire interior was gone: auditorium, stage, lobby, restrooms, walls, everything. The space was a large empty shell with a back-hoe sitting in the middle of the dark, sad room. However, the marquee was still hanging over the sidewalk. It no longer said Lowe’s Cresent, but the sign boards were still there, as were the border lights.
I was in the Hollywood about 1990. It was completely intact and was being used for small-name live acts. The theatre had some roof damage and was very under-funded.
MH, You neglect to mention the Cresent, which though not really a movie palace per se, was a large theatre on Church. T-PAC was built AFTER the Paramount,the Cresent and the Vendome were razed. The Tennessee came down because a developer (whom I met, talked with and pleaded the case for saving the Tennessee and its 11 story office building) wanted to build a larger, newer building. T-PAC did not make these theatres redundant.
This theatre was also called the “Picto” at one point. It is a neighborhood storefront hall, about 35 feet wide and 100 feet long. The marquee is long gone but a practiced eye can tell it was a theatre.
Last time I was in the New Daisy was about 1990. There were no seats, the interior was painted completely black. There were plenty of “disco lights” and beer signs as the only interior decor. An opening had been cut between the auditorium the adjacent store front to the west. It was, in every sense of the words, a mosh-pit and I do mean pit. However, it was busy every weekend and plenty of emerging bands played there.
In discussion with others from this web-site, the Majestic does not seem to appear in trade journals after 1941, implying that it had ceased theatrical operation before World War II.
Forgive the general nature of this question, but does anyone know the current name and or status of the theatre which was once known as the Civic in New Orleans? It was closed and had had its floor leveled when I last saw it in 1989, but it was undisputably a movie or vaudeville palace.
Thanks
Somebody please take a camera!
Great exerpt from “A Confederacy of Dunces!” Thanks. I was in the Prytannia only once, many years ago and don’t remember the film I saw. The building was certainly – uh, how to say it, simple. I remember a smallish, low ceilinged, flat-floored room with a tiny lobby and no decor at all. It is an interesting location, the only commercial property on a residential street. Clever management and shear force of will must have kept this business going. Best wishes to the management for a job well done!
If I’m not mistaken, the Quartet was the first purpose built multi-plex in Memphis. It is an interesting design, occupying the middle of a large square 2-story shopping center. There is no marquee and hardly any indication that a theatre exists in the building. The box office doesn’t even face the street. Inside the Quartet is very plain (a Malco trademark) draped walls with a waterfall curtain over the screen.
The Quartet was built across the street from – and to compete with -the very handsome “Mamie-Eisenhower-Modern” Plaza theatre (q.v.).
The Booth is still standing, currently a university-neighborhood bar. The space has been divided vertically: a 2nd floor has been inserted into the auditorium space. Reports are that the ornate proscenium is intact and visible in an upper level store-room. The marquee is gone, the original facade is covered with E.I.F.S. The exterior side and back walls are visible and unremarkable. The architectural firm that designed the Booth was Bowman and Bowman. The architect’s son is an active local historian and philanthropist.
The Peabody building was still standing when I left Memphis in 1993 and a quick look at GoogleEarth shows what appears to be the building still standing (whenever that photo was taken anyway). When I saw it, the building had been converted into a stained glass studio. The floor had been leveled for the most part, except at the very back of the building. The stage and part of the original sloping floor were still exposed. The foot prints from the seats and the outlines of the carpet runners were plainly visible. The stage was just deep enough to hang the screen, a main curtain and put in a speaker: maybe 10 feet. There was no decoration surviving that I remember. There were no organ chambers or a pit, as some of the small neighborhood theaters in Memphis had. I infer from this that the Peabody was built after 1927.
I saw Natalie Wood’s last film “Brain Storm” at the Park. It was still clean and well kept. I remember the hall being very long and narrow – something like a bowling lane. The sight lines were good with a decent slope to the floor. The most notable exterior feature was it’s late ‘Deco name sign on the triangle marquee. When the recording studio took it over, they kept the name “Park” and did a nice job with their adaptive re-use. Sorry to hear that it’s gone now.
Since there is a certain interest here in “the first atmospheric theatre” it might be useful to have a look at the (still standing) Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy. It was built in the 1580’s to the designs of Andrea Palladio. It’s a fully enclosed stage theatre built to look like a classical Roman, outdoor, amphitheatre with statues, sky, clouds and decorative proscenium. There is a permanent stage set with amazingly realistic forced-perspectives seen through the portals.
Here’s a link:
View link
This is one of the most famous historic theatres in Europe and John Eberson must have seen it, or at least photos and drawings of it. I’ve never heard anyone make the connection between the Teatro Olimpico and Eberson’s atmospherics, but it does seem logical.
Cheers to all
your amateur architecture historian
The Airways is gone, torn down in a highway realignment. It had been closed for some time. The name, ironic in view of the fact that TV put neighborhood theatres out of business, is from its location on Airways Boulevard, the road to the Memphis airport.
Confidential to Nick Coston: could you contact me directly? A mutual friend is trying to contact you. My e-mail is listed under my name below. Best Wishes
Will
David, here it is December 2005 and I’m just seeing this thread. A good friend was one of the last general managers (1978 to 1982) of the Chicago Theatre for Plitt. He was also General Manager of Loop Operation which included the State Lake, United Artists and Oriental. He received a lot of the oral history of the place. Is the book finished, or is there still time for you to talk with him before the book goes to press?
While on a month long tour of New Jersey (and that’s a story in itself) I came upon the Asbury Park Paramount theatre and exhibition hall. I was stopped, slack jawed, in my tracks. That very night a performance of Aida was to take place and I bought a ticket then and there. The interior of the hall is pleasant but the real show is on the exterior. The riotous, sea-themed fantasy in terra-cotta, bronze, glass, and brick is worth sitting on a park bench and just staring at for a couple of hours.
The boardwalk/building complex shows up in some unexpected places. It’s in the background of an early scene in of the film “Dogma” (with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, 20th Century Fox).
Also, when the SS Morro Castle burned, the disabled ship came to rest right at the exhibition hall end of the complex. Photos of the ruined ship often include parts of the building. For example here:
http://www.jerseyboardwalk.com/morro.htm
Amen Stevebob. You know, all that combination of faux and real seems, kinda, like, uh, THEATRICAL! And yes, it is wonderful. And yes Jim’s contributions to this site are of exceptional quality. In fact, I’d say they were grand. Probably not grandiouse, because he is concise after all. But on a site devoted to grandiouse excess, (tell me another way to describe an Eberson atmospheric) quibbling over the shades of meaning are a lot less interesting than quibbling over the shades of faux marble.
Best wishes
WD
Jack, yes, everything you say agrees with what I remember of the building also. I was in Donelson last week and noticed it still standing and occupied (as an office). The photo just didn’t look quite right: similar, but somehow, different. I’ll follow up – at some point. Best wishes, Will
Jack, are you sure about that photo? I know the Donelson was converted to office use and it certainly doesn’t look anything like a theatre now, but this doesn’t look quite right. Next time I go visit mom I’ll double check. Also, the address doesn’t match. The building in the photo says 2812/2816. As a little kid I went to the movies here, but can’t remember anything of the interior at all. (We moved away from Donelson when I was 5.) What I do remember was driving by one day and seeing it being remodeled into office space and thinking it was sad to see the theatre gone.
As an aside to anyone who doesn’t know: Donelson is the name of the town that is the eastern suburban community from Nashville. It is now part of Metro Nashville. The name Donelson comes from Andrew Jackson’s wife – Rachel Donelson Jackson.
A friend was in the Saenger this last weekend. His report is that the water got about three feet above the stage. Everything below that level is ruined. The theatre’s mechanicals (heating/air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, etc) are beyond repair. The locking rail and rigging are in poor shape. ALL electrical systems will have to be replaced. The building itself is mostly intact though and there is still a plaster sky over the -smelly, sticky, grungy but stunningly handsome- auditorium.
The organ console, was brought to the top of its lift, but will have have to be replaced, as will the lift mechanism and the blower. However, the irreplaceable pipes, traps and chests are all intact.
The good news: an opening date is a long way off, but repair and cleaning of the Saenger is already taking place. It is somewhat ironic that the theatre was closed for renovation when the storms hit, so much of the theatre’s furnishings were not in the building during the flood. The restoration plans that had already been made are still valid and will help speed the building’s recovery.
In closing let me say that my friend was shaken to his core by what he saw of New Orleans. According to him, the loss is beyond comprehension or description: this beloved theatre survived but so much of the vibrant city has gone forever.
This building is also gone. I checked with some old theatre-savy friends in Memphis who said this building had been torn down by the late 1960’s.
I suspect (but have no proof) that the Suzore #2 must have been an older theatre that was renamed. It would have been very odd for a small time operator like Mr. Suzore to have been able to afford to build a new theatre on North Main. Neither can I imagine it would be profitable as North Main had not been a fashonable address since the very early 1900’s.
We’ll have to research this one further.
WHW, you’ll pardon my smile and wink when I say I was in the old Luciann many times after it ceased to be a -ahem- first run theatre. I did actually get a complete look at the building. It had been totally gutted, the floors leveled and any vestige of the old cinema and the subsequent bowling alley were gone. The projection booth was a storage room and some old amplifier equipment still in place, but nothing else.
Having been away from Memphis for many years now, I don’t remember the name that it operated under as an adult entertainment center. It was nothing but a pit. But let me tell you, the place was always busy!
The photo posted by RobertR on Jul 19 does not show the marquee that I remember of the Loew’s Cresent. The last time I was in the theatre was about 1990 (and we won’t talk about how I got in, okay?) The entire interior was gone: auditorium, stage, lobby, restrooms, walls, everything. The space was a large empty shell with a back-hoe sitting in the middle of the dark, sad room. However, the marquee was still hanging over the sidewalk. It no longer said Lowe’s Cresent, but the sign boards were still there, as were the border lights.
I was in the Hollywood about 1990. It was completely intact and was being used for small-name live acts. The theatre had some roof damage and was very under-funded.
Finally got the address: 145-147 South Main Street. Many thanks to the Memphis Public Library history room for providing the information.
MH, You neglect to mention the Cresent, which though not really a movie palace per se, was a large theatre on Church. T-PAC was built AFTER the Paramount,the Cresent and the Vendome were razed. The Tennessee came down because a developer (whom I met, talked with and pleaded the case for saving the Tennessee and its 11 story office building) wanted to build a larger, newer building. T-PAC did not make these theatres redundant.
This theatre was also called the “Picto” at one point. It is a neighborhood storefront hall, about 35 feet wide and 100 feet long. The marquee is long gone but a practiced eye can tell it was a theatre.
Last time I was in the New Daisy was about 1990. There were no seats, the interior was painted completely black. There were plenty of “disco lights” and beer signs as the only interior decor. An opening had been cut between the auditorium the adjacent store front to the west. It was, in every sense of the words, a mosh-pit and I do mean pit. However, it was busy every weekend and plenty of emerging bands played there.
In discussion with others from this web-site, the Majestic does not seem to appear in trade journals after 1941, implying that it had ceased theatrical operation before World War II.