Majestic Grille
145-147 S. Main Street,
Memphis,
TN
38103
145-147 S. Main Street,
Memphis,
TN
38103
2 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Majestic Grille (Official)
Additional Info
Functions: Bar, Movies (Classic), Movies (Silent), Restaurant
Styles: Beaux-Arts
Previous Names: Majestic Theatre No. 1, Majestic Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
901.522.8555
Nearby Theaters
The Majestic Theatre #1 opened in 1913 and held a series of Moller organs during the silent era. It features a stunning terra cotta facade outlined with stud lights. It is three stories tall with taller buildings on both sides. On the north side is a mid-block alley, the theatre had large windows on the alley side to allow ventilation. It was elaborately decorated with a mezzanine down both sides and a high balcony. The projection booth was directly on top of its tiny lobby, beneath the balcony. It closed with the advent of sound and was converted into at first one, then two retail store fronts (which absorbed the tiny original stores). The stairs and the front of the balcony were removed, a flat mezzanine installed and a suspended ceiling hung at balcony height. Above this, the old decor survived including the decorative proscenium.
The interior has been lovingly restored for a restaurant and the stud-lighted facade is illuminated nightly. By 2008, it had become the Majestic Grille, and as well as serving food, silent and classic films are screened. A virtually complete set of drawings for the theatre, first known as the Majestic #5, survives in the Memphis Public Library collections.
Contributed by
Will Dunklin, vastor
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Old newspaper ads refer to the Majestic #1 and #2 and also the OLD Majestic #1 and #2. I infer there were actually 4 theatres operating simultaneously with the same name! In the book “Nickelodeon Theatres and Their Music” there is a photo of a Majestic Theatre in Memphis, but the theatre in the photo is most definately not the building that survives on South Main Street.
Across the street was the Strand Theatre (razed) and the Loew’s State (razed). In the next block north was the Pantages (a.k.a. Warner, razed). In the next block south was the Princess (razed) and the Orpheum (still operating).
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.
Finally got the address: 145-147 South Main Street. Many thanks to the Memphis Public Library history room for providing the information.
Please note that the Majestic Grille indeed has one screen! In operation!
A new photo of the Majestic has been added. It shows the Majestic Theater’s complete “Majestic” sign. From the 1926 version “The Art of Memphis” in the collection of Hugh McVeigh. Used with permission.