Civic Theatre
533 Baronne Street,
New Orleans,
LA
70113
533 Baronne Street,
New Orleans,
LA
70113
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Formerly Known as: Poché Theatre, Star Art Theatre, New Lafayette Theater
Formerly Owned by: Josiah Pearce & Sons Syndicate
Firms: Stone Brothers Architects; Feret & Wolf Architects
Architects: Douglass Vincent Freret; Albert Jacob Wolf, Jr.
Sam S. & Lee Shubert’s Shubert Bros. Circuit surged in 1906 to 35 theatres in America’s most prominent cities. The NOLA location was the Lyric Theatre but Stone Brothers architects had drawn up the Shubert’s new building going up here on Baronne. The Shubert Theatre launched on a ten-year leasing agreement on December 29, 1906 with Clay Clement in “In Sam Houston.” And after a disastrous first season, the Shubert moniker was the only thing left as they bolted here consolidating at their Lyric Theatre.
O.T. Crawford took on the venue repositioning it as “The largest movie theater in the world” with motion pictures beginning on March 9, 1908. A December 23, 1910 fire in the Shubert Arcade almost destroyed the theater with its screenings moved to the Crescent until the severely damaged building was reopened. The venue reopened on July 2, 1911 temporarily as the Shubert Theatre still playing movies. On September 10, 1911, the venue was renamed as the Lafayette Theatre. Josiah Pearce & Sons Syndicate was among the operators of the venue. They signed a 30 year leasing agreement in 1917 - not making it very far into that contract.
The Lafayette scuffled as better theaters converted to sound. The cavernous venue was not equipped for the new medium and went into receivership and auctioned on May 16, 1929 with the auction listing suggesting a conversion to an auto parking garage - the fate of its neighboring building. In 1931, it would be wired for sound and resume motion picture operations with third-tier, discount double features. Under new operators it was given a streamline moderne refresh rebranding as the New Lafayette Theatre in late 1939.
The once mighty Schubert Theatre then hit rock bottom as a burley house at its rebranding as the Star Theatre playing a combination of third-run and exploitation films on April 9, 1944. The policy was a one hour and fifteen minute stage show repeated up to four times a day with the feature film and shorts thrown in after the live show.
In May of 1947, the post-War immigration led to a revival of foreign film and the Star became the Star Art Theatre showing films from around the globe. By late Fall, that had failed with the lease expiring. Irwin Poché Enterprises changed the fortunes of the venue hiring architects Freret & Wolf who did the unlikely job of transferring it from dirty burley house back to its original intent of live stage plays and high profile events. Certainly, this would be its last chance as a live house.
The Poché Theatre opened on November 2, 1947. Films would be inserted where no live events were scheduled. On October 13, 1950, the venue was renamed the Civic Theatre shifting back to film programming beginning with Robert Montgomery in “Eye-Witness.” In 1965, the Civic shifted back to live programming the way the Shuberts had drawn up some 60 years prior. This would undoubtedly be the very last chance to prove itself as a live house. And that period lasted until February 13, 1977’s Godspell. The space was then converted to the Civic Center Discotheque opening November of 1977 yet retaining the integrity of the original theater - its balconies and other features intact. But disco died and the venue fell into disrepair.
After closing, the building was going to become lofts but Brian Gibbs decided to give the Shubert turned Civic one more shot as a theatre - its fourth such reinvention - restoring it in 2010-2012 and reopening it for live events in September 19, 2013 with the concert, “Empire of the Sun.” The venue was still chugging along in the 2020s. An unlikely story but true.
Consider adding and/or altering (along with the others already there):
Formerly Known as: Poché Theatre, Star Art Theatre, New Lafayette Theater
Formerly Owned by: Josiah Pearce & Sons Syndicate
Firms: Stone Brothers Architects; Feret & Wolf Architects
Architects: Douglass Vincent Freret; Albert Jacob Wolf, Jr.
The above article (Forbes) has some nice interior photos both pre and post renovation. Nicely restored. It’s all white inside, but from some of the photos it appears that has been the color scheme for many years.
This is from Forbes
Happy News about the Civic….. although a 2004 Times Picayune article talked about the condo conversion or apartment conversion of the theater —– it NEVER HAPPENED!!! The theater is alive and well and I attended a play there last night! Many of the original architectural details are in place, in a bright white auditorium with a beautiful chandelier. The original entrance is taken over by the apartment building next door so you enter from the back, but the theater is ALIVE AND WELL!!!! Hurray! www.civicnola.com
This was actually a disco in 1979. We went on a senior trip to New Orleans and went here to eat and dance. I have a picture.
Civic theatre is alive and well. It has not been turned into condos and you may be very well surprised to know it is more alive than you ever believed…..
Announcing a book about New Orleans Movie Theaters
THEREâ€\S ONE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
The History of the Neighborhood Theaters in New Orleans
is being written by 89-year-old Rene Brunet, the dean of the motion picture industry in Louisiana, and New Orleans historian and preservationist Jack Stewart. The 160-page,coffee table book will be released in November and is being published by Arthur Hardy Enterprises, Inc. Attention will be focused on 50 major neighborhood and downtown theaters, culled from a list of nearly 250 that have dotted the cityâ€\s landscape since the first “nickelodeon†opened in 1896 at 626 Canal Street. The book will be divided by neighborhoods and will open with a map and a narrative about each area. Each major theater will feature “then and now†photographs, historic information, and a short series of quotes from famous New Orleanians and from regular citizens who will share their recollections.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED
We are trying to acquire memorabilia and additional photos of this theater for this publication. (deadline July 1.) You will be credited in the book and receive a free autographed copy if we publish the picture that you supply. Please contact Arthur Hardy at or call 504-913-1563 if you can help.
The theatre was originally named The Shubert, planned by the New York Shubert Brothers as the New Orleans branch of their nationwide chain of legitimate theatre outlets. Built by Equitable Real Estate Corporation, headed by Emilien Perrin, Sr. When the Shuberts decided to close it, Perrin took it over, renamed it The Lafayette, updated it with new moving picture equipment, projectors and screen. It was built in the then popular arcade style, with a covered walkway in between two retail stores facing Baronne Street, into the auditorium. The name was changed a number of times, from Lafayette to Star, to Poche, then finally to Civic.
From the google street view, the auditorium building has no windows punched into the sides – perhaps some of the original interior still exists?
Here is a December 2008 article about landmark designation:
http://tinyurl.com/a2dc2p
Here’s a picture of the Civic showing West Side Story:
View link
This website:
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shows the facade of the former theater as it looks today.
Some pictures of the Poche/Civic Theater:
Entrance:
View link
From the stage:
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Stage entrance:
View link
The Civic was originally buit as the Schubert. The auditorium contained a balcony and a gallery as well as the ochestra floor. The stage was flanked by rectangular boxes on either side. The plaster decoration was Beaux-Art; Sam Stone was the architect. The sign mentioned above originally said “Poche”. A contest was held to rename the theatre using the same number of letters; “Civic” won.
In the late fifties and early sixties the theatre hosted some large road show presentations – BEN HUR and WEST SIDE STORY in particular.
In the late seventies it was turned into the CIVIC DISCO. When that came to an end, the building sat vacant. The current conversion is completly inappropriate to the original structure and a sad abuse of the historic tax credit system.