Interesting story about the Oakley brothers, Clarence and Lucian who once owned the Oakley which had a Wurlitzer organ AND live orchestra! It’s too bad that neither the former Oakley and/or the former Lake Theatre which is now PBICA (Palm Beach Insitute of Contemporary Art)don’t exist today!
Foxy: Wonderful story about the carpet! “A workman during the restoration had to move a very heavy cement vase and there was a pristine piece of carpet underneath about 2 feet in diameter. It was reproduced and installed.”
Thanks Don for your updated information! I was not aware that The Winter Garden is now the Opera House in Fredonia though I have been inside the opera house to see a production 3 years ago. There was a Winter Garden in Jamestown that is gone, but the Reg Lenna is restored which was formerly the Palace then the Dipson Theatre before it was renamed the Reg Lenna Civic Center. I feel the words ‘civic center’ should be dropped, but that’s just my opinion! Mr. Reginald Lenna gave a large donation to. I believe, the local arts council that helped restore the Reg!
Thanks also for the website that shows the auditorium, etc. I truly appreciate seeing these photos and hopefully others in the future of the Garden since I didn’t realize it had been a theatre until after returning to NC and checking the cinema site photos! A Charleston lady did mention the Garden to me, but didn’t go into any detail otherwise I would have walked to the former theatre site and ‘paid my respects’! :–(
John: Sure wish I had known this when we were in Charleston, but will return later this winter, I hope! And YES, I saw the original Simplex projector! What a nice surprise when we walked inside the lobby as I had only seen them, in photo prior to visiting the art deco Riviera. Also read the 2 plaques on the wall by the stairway with art deco railings that were from the Mayor of Charleston. A man by the name of Albert Knight bought the theatre to make sure it wouldn’t be closed or worse and eventually the theatre was restored though not as it once was, but still around for future generations to enjoy!
Glad to read that Ben is now at rest and that the theatre lives on today! When Brian broadcast the Nightly News from the Fitzgerald I just had to find out what theatre and where so wrote NBC and got my answer within a few days! :–)
Charles: So glad to hear that this theatre has been added to the TX State Register of Historical Landmarks and that it has been restored including the ceiling murals! Congratulations to the City of Wichita Falls! I would also say that that State Register is as important or maybe even more important to the folks of Texas than the National Register! I say this because many years ago while touring an historic home in Galveston I couldn’t even find the National Register, but was shown the State Register immediately!!
While in Charleston I spoke to a lady who owned a gift shop and next door was a former theatre. It seems that Charleston had 4 theatres on King at one time! The auditorium still exists, but is being used by the University of Charleston especially during their Spoleto Festival. The marquee is still there, too and is used when the university has a production planned in the former theatre. I told the gift shop owner about the Fabulous Fox since she was originally from Atlanta. She then asked about the Loews and I had to tell her that it doesn’t exist anymore which surprised her very much!
Thanks John for the update on these SC theatres. I sure wish I had known about the Garden’s history when I was there as I would have spent time at that location as I did with the others on King Street!
I was recently in Charleston and was not aware that this address on King Street had been a theatre until looking at the photo on this cinema site. The Riviera has been saved on King Street across from the Charleston Place Hotel though.
I just today visited this art deco theatre after visiting the Hilton Head Island area and it is a wonderful example of art deco that shouldn’t be missed!
Also interesting to read about the Southwestern Bell connection. If you read about the Fox in Atlanta you will read about the BellSouth connection and consequently a happy ending as the Fox was saved and BellSouth decided to build their tall office skyscraper BEHIND the Fox!! Amen!! So sad though that the Texas was razed about the time interest in saving historical buildings was growing, but at least the special terra-cotta facade was salvaged!! Amen!!
Melissa in San Antonio: Interesting to read that where the Texas Theater once stood stands the restored ticket booth! Too bad San Antonio didn’t decide to restore the theater along with the booth!! :–(
If you are ever in Buffalo NY the Guaranty Building is a Sullivan structure that is well worth seeing with its intricate ornate facade It has large oval windows on the top floor so the offices have quite an ‘oval’ view of the city and Lake Erie.
Bryan: Tried bringing up “another view of the Garrick when clicking n "Here’s”, but not having any luck. So sad about the photographer who was killed trying to salvage architectural fragments. I’ll keep trying to bring up the Garrick site.
Shoeshoe: Hope we get our Walgreens answer so perhaps it’s a mistake, but thought perhaps the Walgreens used to be a theatre!?!
Why is the related website for this cinema page..Walgreens?
Interesting story about the Oakley brothers, Clarence and Lucian who once owned the Oakley which had a Wurlitzer organ AND live orchestra! It’s too bad that neither the former Oakley and/or the former Lake Theatre which is now PBICA (Palm Beach Insitute of Contemporary Art)don’t exist today!
Can’t seem to bring up the Lake Worth Playhouse official site.
Too bad it couldn’t have stayed a theatre in it’s original location!
From the front facade description I’d love to see a photo(s)!
Great to read about this Scottsdale drive-in being open!
Thanks go to Mr. Afeldt for purchasing the Winslow and reopening it! Sure would love to see photos of this art deco theatre!
Foxy: Wonderful story about the carpet! “A workman during the restoration had to move a very heavy cement vase and there was a pristine piece of carpet underneath about 2 feet in diameter. It was reproduced and installed.”
Thanks Don for your updated information! I was not aware that The Winter Garden is now the Opera House in Fredonia though I have been inside the opera house to see a production 3 years ago. There was a Winter Garden in Jamestown that is gone, but the Reg Lenna is restored which was formerly the Palace then the Dipson Theatre before it was renamed the Reg Lenna Civic Center. I feel the words ‘civic center’ should be dropped, but that’s just my opinion! Mr. Reginald Lenna gave a large donation to. I believe, the local arts council that helped restore the Reg!
Thanks also for the website that shows the auditorium, etc. I truly appreciate seeing these photos and hopefully others in the future of the Garden since I didn’t realize it had been a theatre until after returning to NC and checking the cinema site photos! A Charleston lady did mention the Garden to me, but didn’t go into any detail otherwise I would have walked to the former theatre site and ‘paid my respects’! :–(
John: Sure wish I had known this when we were in Charleston, but will return later this winter, I hope! And YES, I saw the original Simplex projector! What a nice surprise when we walked inside the lobby as I had only seen them, in photo prior to visiting the art deco Riviera. Also read the 2 plaques on the wall by the stairway with art deco railings that were from the Mayor of Charleston. A man by the name of Albert Knight bought the theatre to make sure it wouldn’t be closed or worse and eventually the theatre was restored though not as it once was, but still around for future generations to enjoy!
Glad to read that Ben is now at rest and that the theatre lives on today! When Brian broadcast the Nightly News from the Fitzgerald I just had to find out what theatre and where so wrote NBC and got my answer within a few days! :–)
Charles: So glad to hear that this theatre has been added to the TX State Register of Historical Landmarks and that it has been restored including the ceiling murals! Congratulations to the City of Wichita Falls! I would also say that that State Register is as important or maybe even more important to the folks of Texas than the National Register! I say this because many years ago while touring an historic home in Galveston I couldn’t even find the National Register, but was shown the State Register immediately!!
While in Charleston I spoke to a lady who owned a gift shop and next door was a former theatre. It seems that Charleston had 4 theatres on King at one time! The auditorium still exists, but is being used by the University of Charleston especially during their Spoleto Festival. The marquee is still there, too and is used when the university has a production planned in the former theatre. I told the gift shop owner about the Fabulous Fox since she was originally from Atlanta. She then asked about the Loews and I had to tell her that it doesn’t exist anymore which surprised her very much!
Thanks John for the update on these SC theatres. I sure wish I had known about the Garden’s history when I was there as I would have spent time at that location as I did with the others on King Street!
I was recently in Charleston and was not aware that this address on King Street had been a theatre until looking at the photo on this cinema site. The Riviera has been saved on King Street across from the Charleston Place Hotel though.
I just today visited this art deco theatre after visiting the Hilton Head Island area and it is a wonderful example of art deco that shouldn’t be missed!
This is the theatre that Brian Williams broadcast the NBC Nightly News from a few weeks ago! I wonder if Brian saw Ben, the ghost!?!
Congratulations to the City of Knoxville for restoring their special historic theatre.
Also interesting to read about the Southwestern Bell connection. If you read about the Fox in Atlanta you will read about the BellSouth connection and consequently a happy ending as the Fox was saved and BellSouth decided to build their tall office skyscraper BEHIND the Fox!! Amen!! So sad though that the Texas was razed about the time interest in saving historical buildings was growing, but at least the special terra-cotta facade was salvaged!! Amen!!
Melissa in San Antonio: Interesting to read that where the Texas Theater once stood stands the restored ticket booth! Too bad San Antonio didn’t decide to restore the theater along with the booth!! :–(
That’s okay as I still enjoyed reading your Garrick comments.
If you are ever in Buffalo NY the Guaranty Building is a Sullivan structure that is well worth seeing with its intricate ornate facade It has large oval windows on the top floor so the offices have quite an ‘oval’ view of the city and Lake Erie.
Bryan: Tried bringing up “another view of the Garrick when clicking n "Here’s”, but not having any luck. So sad about the photographer who was killed trying to salvage architectural fragments. I’ll keep trying to bring up the Garrick site.