Paramount Theatre
204 E. Baltimore Street,
Jackson,
TN
38301
204 E. Baltimore Street,
Jackson,
TN
38301
2 people
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Some Jackson TN cinema history
Jackson theatre history 11 Sep 1998, Fri The Jackson Sun (Jackson, Tennessee) Newspapers.com
The Marlowe Theatre opened May 1902. It was named for famed Shakespearean actress Julia Marlowe. One of many small town opera houses developed by George H. Johnston.
Updated NYPL link: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-52da-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
January 10th, 1951 grand reopening ad in the photo section.
My heart aches to see the word demolished on this listing but it is, sadly, true. My great grandparents owned the theater but ended up renting it to a competitor under a 100 year lease. I went online tonight to look for photos in hopes that Google Images might have some I could use in my office. The only reference to the theater I found is this page.
I will do some digging and see if I can find anything of value to share here.
Aerial views show that this entire block is now a parking lot. The Paramount has been demolished, as comments above note.
The listed seating capacity of 2,600 for this house must be wrong. From the photos of the theater it’s clear that this building couldn’t have held that many seats— probably not even half that number.
The various photos showing the side wall of the Paramount reveal that the building was quite old. It dated from no later than the early 20th century. This genealogy page refers to “The Old Marlowe Theater, that is now the State Theater….” The Marlowe Theatre was listed in the the 1904-1905 edition of Julius Cahn’s guide as a 1,050-seat, ground-floor house. This photo of the Marlowe’s auditorium (dated 1934 by the New York Public Library) makes an interesting comparison with the Paramount’s remodeled auditorium (that’s the same photo Chuck linked to above.) The interior was obviously gutted, either when it was remodeled as the Paramount or earlier, when it was renamed the State.
The marquee should have been used better.something that nice needs more than a title.
Nice shot of both theatres Kevin Dennis.
This Paramount Theatre was a 1950-51 rebuild of the former State Theatre. The former Paramount Theatre a few doors up the street was renamed the Malco Theatre shortly before the new Paramount opened.
Wow, that night shot of the Paramount makes it look alive! Which is not how it looked in 1996:
View link
And here’s the Paramount and its neighbor, the Malco:
View link
Does anyone know what’s become of these two venues?
Is there an old theatre operating today in downtown Jackson?
Will: Glad to report that my husband and I will be making a trip to Knoxville in 2007 as we have friends who are relocating there from Atlanta and will be working for HGTV.
Will: Thanks for your theatre observations out of Jackson TN. We still hope to make a winter trip to Knoxville and meet you along with Bill Snyder, organist.
I have a single memory of the Paramount Theatre. In 1983 I drove through Jackson and stopped to admire the two movie theatres on the town square. The MALCO was obviously an older vaudeville hall or small town opera house from the late 19th or early 20th century: very ornate terra-cotta facade. The marquee had been fairly ornate too. When I saw it, middle of the day, it was unlit and in serious need of repair and cleaning. The movie advertised on the letter boards was something current: certainly first run. The Paramount was almost directly next door. A small storefront or two stood between the two theatres. The Paramount’s facade was much simpler, cleaner and all in good repair. The pink neon lights edging the marquee were flashing. The sign boards were lit. Strangely though, the single word on the Paramount’s marquee was “CLOSED.”
The only record that I have come across on the theatre to date is one regarding renovations and changes to the structure in 1950. I think that these were probably upgrades to the theatre rather than reconfiguring the building for another purpose. The Paramount was listed as late as 1968 in the IMPA.
My cousin graduated from Union University in Jackson TN, but I don’t recall him mentioning the Paramount so will have to ask him. If the location is office space, it may not have been a theatre during the 60’s when he was in Jackson?