Savoy Theatre
3030 14th Street NW,
Washington,
DC
20010
3030 14th Street NW,
Washington,
DC
20010
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Crandall Amusement Company, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: B. Stanley Simmons
Styles: Colonial Revival, Neo-Classical
Previous Names: Crandall's Savoy Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Savoy Theatre was built in 1913 on 14th Street, in the Columbia Heights area of Washington. The architect, B. Stanley Simmons designed the facade in a stylized Colonial Revival design, with the three false windows on the second floor surrounded by simple terra-cotta decor, including garland swags and lion’s heads. Over the large cornice was a large inscribed rectangle for the theater’s name (although the name was never inscribed).
The Savoy Theatre’s 1,400-seat auditorium was elaborately decorated and the lobby walls were lined with gilded mirrors and green marble. The lobby floor resembled an ancient Roman mosaic, with a huge “S” in the center, inside a lyre. Originally, an open air second theater space was adjacent to the Savoy’s main entrance, though this later disappeared. Before air-conditioning, during the muggy summer season, audiences could watch silent films in shaded comfort.
Less than three years after it opened, the Savoy Theatre was remodeled and enlarged, by Simmons again and was taken over by Harry Crandell. During the mid-to-late 1910’s, the Savoy Theatre was Washington’s largest movie house. By 1941, the Savoy Theatre was operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Unfortunately, the theater fell into decline during the 1950’s and 1960’s, and was set ablaze during the 1968 riots. What remained of the Savoy Theatre was torn down three years later, and today a subway station is on the site.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
Here is the open-air theater:
http://tinyurl.com/mz9uqh
Another picture..
View link
did the roof the Savoy Theater, Washington, DC collapse after a snow storm – in the earlier years of the theater?
I think you are thinking of the Ambassador, which was called the Knickerbocker when the roof collapsed in 1922. Killed 98 people. Rebuilt and call the Ambassador after that.
I have loaded two pictures. I must thank Ken Roe in solving the mystery of where they are of…. :o)
May 1961 photo added credit Old Time D.C. Facebook page. The Savoy looks vastly different than it’s earlier days.
Link with an April 15, 1968 photo of the Savoy.
https://www.dc1968project.com/blog/2018/4/15/15-april-1968-
April 1968 photo added via Steve Larrick.
Whats the name of the subway station there now on the site of the Savoy Theatre?
Appears to be Columbia Heights Station.