Photo of the Capri Cinema can be found here: View link The doors to the far right of the picture is the enterance to the Capri-70 which was the Cinerama house that was build in 1967. The window to the right of the photo was the boxoffice for both theatres.
The Regal Riviera had a great first year. It was the second highest grossing theatre in Knoxville. Here is the article in the Knoxville News-Sentinel. View link
Actually I remember the old Horne Drive-In’s screen was the back of a retail building on Chapman Highway. The block rear wall extended well over the roof line of the building. I used to play golf in 1974-76 at an old par-3 course located across the street. This is when I noticed the strange looking building and realized that there was a drive in located there at one time. All of it was torn down in the early 80’s to build a K-Mart, which has since closed.
The Capri Terrace was opened in 1973 and originally seated 409. Charlie Simpson build this theatre as his “pride and joy†of the Simpson Theatres chain. The interior was laid out very similar to the Capri-70 and the projection was in Ultra Vision. Mr. Simpson also had a small sitting area on the left side of the lobby with a fireplace and antique furniture. It was designed with retail shops around the exterior of the theatre to insulate the auditorium from any outside noise, especially from the nearby railroad tracks. This was also Simpson’s first step into the commercial real estate market, and the beginning of the Homberg Place development which has become a quaint shopping area in Bearden.
The Capri Terrace is where “Earthquake†and “Midway†both played with Sensurround. This was an effect where large sub-woofers are placed in the front and back of the auditorium and low frequency sound rattle the movie patron’s teeth.
The Capri Terrace closed in 1980 and was converted into the Terrace Dinner Theatre. This is when the floor was turned into multi levels to accommodate tables and chairs. This lasted until1983. Mr. Simpson’s son, Jim Simpson, then converted the theatre into the Terrace Tap House. The theatre was twined in 1990 and even though the movies were good, the presentation was far less then adequate.
There was also the Lake Theatre located at 1100 Sevier Ave. It opened in 1947 and closed in 1950 and had 400 seats. It is now a small vacant lot that backs up on a railroad track. Maybe that is the reason it did not last very long.
There was a Horne Theatre on Chapman Highway located near the northwest corner of Chapman and Young High Pike. Mr. Baumann lists it as being opened in1947 and closing in 1956 with a seating capacity of 600. I do remember the building after it had been closed for some time. It was a typical post WWII suburban move theatre built with cinder block and painted white. I do remember the faded name HORNE painted on the north side of the building. My father told me that a Mr. Horne (do not remember his first name) built both the theatre and the drive-in.
This theatre seems to have had identity crises over the years. It first opened as the Picto in 1916. Then it became the Central in 1920, the Liberty in 1922, the Picto in 1923, the Central in 1925, the Cameo in 1931, and then the Joy in 1935. That only lasted until 1948 when the name changed to the Center. It remained the Center until it closed in 1955. This theatre was reported to have 400 seats.
This drive-in was the Sunset Drive-in. I believe that it closed sometime in the early to mid 60’s. You are correct about the location; it was located where the Clinton Shopping Center and the former K-mart is now. I remember being told that it was a large drive in accommodating over 1000 cars.
There was a Horne Drive-In that was located on Chapman Highway just north of where the Chapman Highway Drive-In used to be.
I have consulted with Wallace Baumann who is Knoxville’s foremost theatre historian. He told me that the Lee was on the north side of Tennessee Ave not far from I-275. He said that it opened in 1941 and closed in 1956 and seated 500. This was Walter Morris’s first theatre.
This theatre on Gay street opened in 1907 as the Edison Theatorium and renamed the Marvel in 1908,and the Ole Bull in 1909. It became the Grand in 1910 and lasted until 1917. The building was razed in 1965 for a parking lot.
The Capitol opened in 1946 and closed in 1950. It was a small theatre with only 350 seats. For a long time it was Turner Furniture Store. I think there is some sort of a furniture store in this building currently.
My father was the projectionist at the Lee when he first came to Knoxville in 1949. I remember him driving me past where the theatre was when I was a kid. It was definitely on the west side of I-275, so I wonder if the street number was 1141 instead of 141.
The theatre was built by Walter Lee Morris who also built the Pike Theatre later to become the Capri Cinema and the Tower Theatre. He also built the Capri-70 in 1967 which he leased to Charles Simpson who operated both Capri Theatres as part of the Simpson theatre chain.
Walter Morris was an independent theatre owner who successfully sued the studios in 1948 for violation of anti-trust laws.
The Powell Cinema was built as part of a strip shopping center around 1980. It was a twin that each seated 175. It was closed in the late nineties and the space was converted to retail.
Mr. C.B. Atkins sold the Bijou to a Mr. Sherman in 1926 with the stipulation that the property would not be used for theatrical presentations for a period of five years. Mr. Atkins had an interest in Tennessee Enterprise which included all of the Publix’s theatres in Knoxville. They had plans to build a large movie palace at this time, and wanted to make sure to limit competition. Of course that movie palace was the Tennessee that opened in 1928.
Mr. Sherman leased the theatre to a local car sales company who removed the seats on the main floor and parked cars on both the stage and orchestra floor. The lobby was turned into a fruit stand. In 1932 after the restriction period, the theatre was leased to The Peruchi Players for their theatrical productions. During the mid 30’s Wilbey-Kincey who had taken control of all of the Publix theatres in Knoxville, took a lease on the Bijou and operated it as a second run theatre to the Tennessee.
Mr. C.B. Atkins sold the Bijou to a Mr. Sherman in 1926 with the stipulation that the property would not be used for theatrical presentations for a period of five years. Mr. Atkins had an interest in Tennessee Enterprise which included all of the Publix’s theatres in Knoxville. They had plans to build a large movie palace at this time, and wanted to make sure to limit competition. Of course that movie palace was the Tennessee that opened in 1928.
They did not completely shut down competition since Mr. Booth opened his Booth Theatre in mid September of 1928, just two weeks before the Tennessee opened.
Unless you want to be close enough to feel the spray off the entertainer, you do not want these seats. Theatres are not designed for audiences to sit in the pit. The sound and sightlines from this location is the pits (ha ha). Will is correct; the best sound in the Tennessee is in the balcony.
Go to this link: http://local.live.com and type the address of the Pitkin which is: 1501 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
It will give a bird’s eye view of what the condition of the roof was at one time. I do not know when these pictures were taken, but I hope Warren is correct and these large holes have been repaired.
The cable network GAC with broadcast “Christmas at the Tennessee†on December 16th at 9PM EST. There will be some awesome shots of the theatre both in the auditorium and interviews in the grand lobby. This show will be worth watching for all historic theatre lovers weather you like country music or not. For more information go to gac.com
The Gem theatre that I am aware of was on the southeast corner of Vine and Central which would be 102-106 E. Vine. The building was actually built over First Creek. The theatre as well as all of the buildings in the block was torn down in the mid sixties for the construction of the Business Loop which later became James White Parkway.
I do remember reading somewhere about an earlier Gem Theatre on West Vine, but I can’t remember where I read it.
Will: Charlie Champ later became a member of the projectionist’s union which the local in Knoxville was formed in 1920. At that time a theatre owner or manager could not be a union member. So I would guess that he closed or sold off his theatre interests before 1920.
The Carolina will not show up on the CT architect list until the editors change this page from “unknown†to R.E. Hall.
Vestal Press did a reprint of both volumes of “American Theatres of Today†several years ago. This is when I bought my copy. The Carolina Theatre is on pages 110 and 111 of volume 1.
I also noticed that Ken Roe also posted this information on this thread on Dec. 4, 2004. I also dug though my “Marquee†file and found Vol 18 #3, and yes there was the information on the Carolina Theatre just as Ken had posted. So the evidence is pretty conclusive that R.E. Hall did design the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte.
The Carolina Theatre was actually designed by R.E. Hall, not Graven and Mayger. The drawings and picture can be found in the book “American Theatres of Todayâ€.
Photo of the Capri Cinema can be found here: View link The doors to the far right of the picture is the enterance to the Capri-70 which was the Cinerama house that was build in 1967. The window to the right of the photo was the boxoffice for both theatres.
The Regal Riviera had a great first year. It was the second highest grossing theatre in Knoxville. Here is the article in the Knoxville News-Sentinel. View link
The vertical sign for the new Regal Riviera can also be seen on the right hand side of the above photo.
Actually I remember the old Horne Drive-In’s screen was the back of a retail building on Chapman Highway. The block rear wall extended well over the roof line of the building. I used to play golf in 1974-76 at an old par-3 course located across the street. This is when I noticed the strange looking building and realized that there was a drive in located there at one time. All of it was torn down in the early 80’s to build a K-Mart, which has since closed.
The Capri Terrace was opened in 1973 and originally seated 409. Charlie Simpson build this theatre as his “pride and joy†of the Simpson Theatres chain. The interior was laid out very similar to the Capri-70 and the projection was in Ultra Vision. Mr. Simpson also had a small sitting area on the left side of the lobby with a fireplace and antique furniture. It was designed with retail shops around the exterior of the theatre to insulate the auditorium from any outside noise, especially from the nearby railroad tracks. This was also Simpson’s first step into the commercial real estate market, and the beginning of the Homberg Place development which has become a quaint shopping area in Bearden.
The Capri Terrace is where “Earthquake†and “Midway†both played with Sensurround. This was an effect where large sub-woofers are placed in the front and back of the auditorium and low frequency sound rattle the movie patron’s teeth.
The Capri Terrace closed in 1980 and was converted into the Terrace Dinner Theatre. This is when the floor was turned into multi levels to accommodate tables and chairs. This lasted until1983. Mr. Simpson’s son, Jim Simpson, then converted the theatre into the Terrace Tap House. The theatre was twined in 1990 and even though the movies were good, the presentation was far less then adequate.
There was also the Lake Theatre located at 1100 Sevier Ave. It opened in 1947 and closed in 1950 and had 400 seats. It is now a small vacant lot that backs up on a railroad track. Maybe that is the reason it did not last very long.
There was a Horne Theatre on Chapman Highway located near the northwest corner of Chapman and Young High Pike. Mr. Baumann lists it as being opened in1947 and closing in 1956 with a seating capacity of 600. I do remember the building after it had been closed for some time. It was a typical post WWII suburban move theatre built with cinder block and painted white. I do remember the faded name HORNE painted on the north side of the building. My father told me that a Mr. Horne (do not remember his first name) built both the theatre and the drive-in.
This theatre seems to have had identity crises over the years. It first opened as the Picto in 1916. Then it became the Central in 1920, the Liberty in 1922, the Picto in 1923, the Central in 1925, the Cameo in 1931, and then the Joy in 1935. That only lasted until 1948 when the name changed to the Center. It remained the Center until it closed in 1955. This theatre was reported to have 400 seats.
This drive-in was the Sunset Drive-in. I believe that it closed sometime in the early to mid 60’s. You are correct about the location; it was located where the Clinton Shopping Center and the former K-mart is now. I remember being told that it was a large drive in accommodating over 1000 cars.
There was a Horne Drive-In that was located on Chapman Highway just north of where the Chapman Highway Drive-In used to be.
I have consulted with Wallace Baumann who is Knoxville’s foremost theatre historian. He told me that the Lee was on the north side of Tennessee Ave not far from I-275. He said that it opened in 1941 and closed in 1956 and seated 500. This was Walter Morris’s first theatre.
This theatre on Gay street opened in 1907 as the Edison Theatorium and renamed the Marvel in 1908,and the Ole Bull in 1909. It became the Grand in 1910 and lasted until 1917. The building was razed in 1965 for a parking lot.
The Capitol opened in 1946 and closed in 1950. It was a small theatre with only 350 seats. For a long time it was Turner Furniture Store. I think there is some sort of a furniture store in this building currently.
My father was the projectionist at the Lee when he first came to Knoxville in 1949. I remember him driving me past where the theatre was when I was a kid. It was definitely on the west side of I-275, so I wonder if the street number was 1141 instead of 141.
The theatre was built by Walter Lee Morris who also built the Pike Theatre later to become the Capri Cinema and the Tower Theatre. He also built the Capri-70 in 1967 which he leased to Charles Simpson who operated both Capri Theatres as part of the Simpson theatre chain.
Walter Morris was an independent theatre owner who successfully sued the studios in 1948 for violation of anti-trust laws.
The Powell Cinema was built as part of a strip shopping center around 1980. It was a twin that each seated 175. It was closed in the late nineties and the space was converted to retail.
Mr. C.B. Atkins sold the Bijou to a Mr. Sherman in 1926 with the stipulation that the property would not be used for theatrical presentations for a period of five years. Mr. Atkins had an interest in Tennessee Enterprise which included all of the Publix’s theatres in Knoxville. They had plans to build a large movie palace at this time, and wanted to make sure to limit competition. Of course that movie palace was the Tennessee that opened in 1928.
Mr. Sherman leased the theatre to a local car sales company who removed the seats on the main floor and parked cars on both the stage and orchestra floor. The lobby was turned into a fruit stand. In 1932 after the restriction period, the theatre was leased to The Peruchi Players for their theatrical productions. During the mid 30’s Wilbey-Kincey who had taken control of all of the Publix theatres in Knoxville, took a lease on the Bijou and operated it as a second run theatre to the Tennessee.
Mr. C.B. Atkins sold the Bijou to a Mr. Sherman in 1926 with the stipulation that the property would not be used for theatrical presentations for a period of five years. Mr. Atkins had an interest in Tennessee Enterprise which included all of the Publix’s theatres in Knoxville. They had plans to build a large movie palace at this time, and wanted to make sure to limit competition. Of course that movie palace was the Tennessee that opened in 1928.
They did not completely shut down competition since Mr. Booth opened his Booth Theatre in mid September of 1928, just two weeks before the Tennessee opened.
Unless you want to be close enough to feel the spray off the entertainer, you do not want these seats. Theatres are not designed for audiences to sit in the pit. The sound and sightlines from this location is the pits (ha ha). Will is correct; the best sound in the Tennessee is in the balcony.
Go to this link: http://local.live.com and type the address of the Pitkin which is: 1501 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
It will give a bird’s eye view of what the condition of the roof was at one time. I do not know when these pictures were taken, but I hope Warren is correct and these large holes have been repaired.
The cable network GAC with broadcast “Christmas at the Tennessee†on December 16th at 9PM EST. There will be some awesome shots of the theatre both in the auditorium and interviews in the grand lobby. This show will be worth watching for all historic theatre lovers weather you like country music or not. For more information go to gac.com
Go to View link then type in 2023-348 under search, and you will see a film clip of the last marquee in action.
Thanks Scott for the link.
There was also a Crystal Theatre on the west side of Market Square in the 30’s and 40’s
The Gem theatre that I am aware of was on the southeast corner of Vine and Central which would be 102-106 E. Vine. The building was actually built over First Creek. The theatre as well as all of the buildings in the block was torn down in the mid sixties for the construction of the Business Loop which later became James White Parkway.
I do remember reading somewhere about an earlier Gem Theatre on West Vine, but I can’t remember where I read it.
Will: Charlie Champ later became a member of the projectionist’s union which the local in Knoxville was formed in 1920. At that time a theatre owner or manager could not be a union member. So I would guess that he closed or sold off his theatre interests before 1920.
Patsy,
The Carolina will not show up on the CT architect list until the editors change this page from “unknown†to R.E. Hall.
Vestal Press did a reprint of both volumes of “American Theatres of Today†several years ago. This is when I bought my copy. The Carolina Theatre is on pages 110 and 111 of volume 1.
I also noticed that Ken Roe also posted this information on this thread on Dec. 4, 2004. I also dug though my “Marquee†file and found Vol 18 #3, and yes there was the information on the Carolina Theatre just as Ken had posted. So the evidence is pretty conclusive that R.E. Hall did design the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte.
The Carolina Theatre was actually designed by R.E. Hall, not Graven and Mayger. The drawings and picture can be found in the book “American Theatres of Todayâ€.