A movie palace (or picture palace in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

) is any of the large, elaborately decorated

movie theater A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

s built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 1925 and 1930. With the advent of television, movie attendance dropped, while the rising popularity of large

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...

chains signaled the obsolescence of single-screen theaters. Many movie palaces were razed or converted into multiple-screen venues or performing arts centers, though some have undergone restoration and reopened to the public as historic buildings. There are three architectural design types of movie palaces: the classical-style movie palace, with opulent, luxurious architecture; the atmospheric theatre, which has an auditorium ceiling that resembles an open sky as a defining feature; and the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

theaters that became popular in the 1930s.

Background

Paid exhibition of motion pictures began on April 14, 1894, at Andrew M. Holland's phonograph store, located at 1155 Broadway in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, with the

Kinetoscope The Kinetoscope is an precursors of film, early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window. The Kinetoscope was not a movie projector, but it introduced the basic ...

. Dropping a nickel in a machine allowed a viewer to see a short motion picture, devoid of plot. The machines were installed in Kinetoscope parlors, hotels,

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

s, bars and drugstores in large American cities. The machines were popular from 1894 to 1896, but by the turn of the century had almost disappeared as Americans rejected the solitary viewing experience and boring entertainment. Around 1900, motion pictures became a small part of

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

theatres. The competitive vaudeville theatre market caused owners to constantly look for new entertainment, and the motion picture helped create demand, although the new form of entertainment was not the main draw for patrons. It was often used as a "chaser"—shown as the end of the performance to chase the audience from the theatre. These theatres were designed much like legitimate theatres. The

Beaux-Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpora ...

of these theatres was formal and ornate. They were not designed for motion pictures, but rather live stage performances. In 1902, the storefront theatre was born at

Thomas Lincoln Tally Thomas Lincoln Tally (1861 – November 24, 1945) on or near April 16, 1902, opened the Electric Theatre in Los Angeles, the first movie theatre in that city and the first movie theater in California known to have been built from the ground up i ...

's Electric Theatre in Los Angeles. These soon spread throughout the country as empty storefronts were equipped with chairs, a

Vitascope Vitascope was an early film projector first demonstrated in 1895 by Charles Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat. They had made modifications to Jenkins' patented Phantoscope, which cast images via film and electric light onto a wall or screen. The ...

projector, a muslin sheet on which the motion picture was exhibited, darkened windows, and a box by the door to service as a ticket office (literally, the "box office".) Storefront theatres, supplied with motion pictures made in Chicago and New York, spread throughout America. These theatres exhibited a motion picture at a specific time during the day. Air domes also became popular in warm climates and in the summertime in northern climates. With no roof and only side walls or fences, the air domes allowed patrons to view motion pictures in a venue that was cooler than the stifling atmosphere of the storefront theatre. In 1905, the

nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

was born. Rather than exhibiting one program a night, the nickelodeon offered continuous motion picture entertainment for five cents. They were widely popular. By 1910, nickelodeons grossed $91 million in the United States. The nickelodeons were like simple storefront theatres, but differed in the continuous showings and the marketing to women and families. The movie house, in a building designed specifically for motion picture exhibition, was the last step before the movie palace. Comfort was paramount, with upholstered seating and climate controls. One of the first movie houses was Tally's Broadway Theater in Los Angeles.

History

The movie palace was developed as the step beyond the small theaters of the 1900s and 1910s. As motion pictures developed as an art form, theatre infrastructure needed to change. Storefront theatres and nickelodeons catered to the busy work lives and limited budgets of the lower and middle classes. Motion pictures were generally only thought to be for the lower classes at that time as they were simple, short, and cost only five cents to attend. While the middle class regularly began to attend the nickelodeons by the early 1910s the upperclass continued to attend stage theater performances such as opera and big-time vaudeville. However, as more sophisticated, complex, and longer films featuring prominent stage actors were developed, the upperclass desires to attend the movies began to increase and a demand for higher class theaters began to develop. Nickelodeons could not meet this demand as the upperclass feared the moral repercussions of intermingling between women and children with immigrants. There were also real concerns over the physical safety of the nickelodeon theaters themselves as they were often cramped with little ventilation and the

nitrate film Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...

stock used at the time was extremely flammable. The demand for an upscale film theater, suitable to exhibit films to the upperclass, was first met when the Regent Theater, designed by Thomas Lamb, was opened in February 1913, becoming the first ever movie palace. However the theater's location in Harlem prompted many to suggest that the theater be moved to Broadway alongside the stage theaters. These desires were satisfied when Lamb built the Strand Theatre on Broadway, which was opened in 1914 by

Mitchel H. Mark Mitchel H. Mark a.k.a. Mitchell Mark a.k.a. Mitchell H. Mark (born as Mitchel Henry Mark) (1868 – March 20, 1918) was a pioneer of motion picture exhibition in the United States. Early life Mitchel Henry Mark was born in 1868 in Richmond Virgi ...

at the cost of one million dollars. This opening was the first example of a success in drawing the upper middle class to the movies and it spurred others to follow suit. As their name implies movie palaces were advertised to, "make the average citizen feel like royalty." To accomplish this these theaters were outfitted with a plethora amenities such as larger sitting areas, air conditioning, and even childcare services. Between 1914 and 1922 over 4,000 movie palaces were opened. Notable pioneers of movies palaces include the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

firm of

Rapp and Rapp C. W. & George L. Rapp, commonly known as Rapp & Rapp, was an American architectural firm famed for the design of movie palaces and other theatres. Active from 1906 to 1965 and based in Chicago, the office designed over 400 theatres, inclu ...

, which designed the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Uptown, and Oriental Theatres. S.L. "Roxy" Rothafel, originated the deluxe presentation of films with themed stage shows.

Sid Grauman Sidney Patrick Grauman (March 17, 1879 – March 5, 1950) was an American showman who created two of Hollywood's most recognizable and visited landmarks, the Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre. Biography Early years Grauman was the so ...

, built the first movie palace on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

, Los Angeles'

Million Dollar Theater The Million Dollar Theatre at 307 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in 1917 with the premiere of William S. Hart's '' The Silent Man''. It's the northernmost of the collect ...

, in 1918.

Decline

Following World War II movie ticket sales began to rapidly decline due to the widespread adoption of television and

mass migration Mass migration refers to the migration of large groups of people from one geographical area to another. Mass migration is distinguished from individual or small-scale migration; and also from seasonal migration, which may occur on a regular basis ...

of the population from the cities, where all the movie palaces had been built, into the suburbs. The closing of most movie palaces occurred after ''

United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. ''United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.'', 334 U.S. 131 (1948) (also known as the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948, the Paramount Case, or the Paramount Decision), was a landmark United States Supreme Court antitrust case that decided the f ...

'' in 1948, which ordered all of the major film studios to sell their theaters. Most of the newly independent theaters could not continue to operate on the low admissions sales of the time without the financial support of the major studios and were forced to close. Many were able to stay in business by converting to operate as

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

or pornography theaters.

Design

Eberson specialized in the subgenre of "atmospheric" theatres. His first, of the 500 in his career, was the 1923 Majestic in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. The atmospherics usually conveyed the impression of sitting in an outdoor courtyard, surrounded by highly ornamented asymmetrical facades and exotic flora and fauna, underneath a dark blue canopy; when the lights went out, a specially designed projector, the Brenograph, was used to project clouds, and special celestial effects on the ceiling. Lamb's style was initially based on the more traditional, "hardtop" form patterned on

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

s, but was no less ornate. His theaters evolved from relatively restrained neo-classic designs in the 1910s to those with elaborate baroque and Asian motifs in the late 1920s. The movie palace's signature look was one of extravagant ornamentation. The theaters were often designed with an eclectic exoticism where a variety of referenced visual styles collided wildly with one another. French Baroque, High Gothic, Moroccan, Mediterranean, Spanish Gothic, Hindu, Babylonian, Aztec, Mayan, Orientalist, Italian Renaissance, and (after the discovery of

King Tut Tutankhamun (, egy, twt-ꜥnḫ-jmn), Egyptological pronunciation Tutankhamen () (), sometimes referred to as King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ruled ...

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...

in 1922)

Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...

were all variously mixed and matched. This wealth of ornament was not merely for aesthetic effect. It was meant to create a fantasy environment to attract moviegoers and involved a type of social engineering, distraction, and traffic management, meant to work on human bodies and minds in a specific way. Today, most of the surviving movie palaces operate as regular theaters, showcasing concerts, plays and operas.

List of movie palaces

This is a list of selected movie palaces, with location and year of construction. *

Akron Civic Theatre The Akron Civic Theatre (originally the Loew's Theatre) is a theater in Akron, Ohio. It is one of only five remaining atmospheric theatres designed by John Eberson in the United States and is an excellent example of the great movie palaces of t ...

(formerly Loew's (Akron) Theatre),

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

, 1929 * Alabama Theatre,

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, 1927 * Alameda Theatre,

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda (island), Alam ...

, 1932 * Albee Theater, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1927 *

Alex Theatre The Alex Theatre is a landmark located at 216 North Brand Boulevard in Glendale, California, United States. It is currently owned by the city of Glendale and operated by Glendale Arts. The theater’s capacity is 1,400. Architecture The Alex The ...

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

, 1925 * Arcada Theater, St. Charles, Illinois, 1926 * Arlington Theater,

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

, 1931 *

Avalon Regal Theater The Avalon Regal Theater (originally the Avalon Theater, and later the New Regal Theater) is a music hall located at 1641 East 79th Street, bordered by the Avalon Park and South Shore neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, 1927 * Aztec Theatre,

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, 1926 * Bama Theatre,

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...

, 1938 *

Biograph Theater The Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, was originally a movie theater but now presents live productions. It gained early notoriety as the location where bank robber John Dillinger was lea ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 1914 *

Boyd Theatre The Boyd Theatre was a 1920s era movie palace in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It operated as a movie theater for 74 years, operating under the name Sameric as part of the United Artists theater chain, before closing in 2002. The t ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 1928 * Brauntex Theatre,

New Braunfels, Texas New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just north ...

1942 *

Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in Central Michigan, the city is the county seat of Isabella County. The population was 21,688 as of the 2020 United States census. It is surrounded by Union Township but is politic ...

, 1920 *

Byrd Theatre The Byrd Theatre is a cinema in the Carytown neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. It was named after William Byrd II, the founder of the city. The theater opened on December 24, 1928 to much excitement and is affectionately referred to as "Richmon ...

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, 1928 * California Theatre,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, 1927 * The Capitol,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, 1924 * Capitol Cinema,

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, 1920 * Capitol Theatre,

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the Central New York, central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Ro ...

, 1928 * Capitol Theatre

Port Chester, New York Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populat ...

, 1926 * Capitol Theatre,

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, 1921 * Carlton Cinema,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, UK, 1930 * Carolina Theatre,

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, 1926 *

Carpenter Theater Richmond CenterStage is a performing arts center in Richmond, Virginia, that includes the Altria Theatre and the theatre formerly known as the Carpenter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts. The Carpenter Theatre was originally a Loew's Thea ...

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, 1928 *

Castro Theatre The Castro Theatre is a historic movie palace in San Francisco that became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street in the Castro District, it was built in 1922 with a California Churrigueresque façad ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, 1922 * Commodore Picture House,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, UK, 1930 *

Chicago Theatre The Chicago Theatre, originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a landmark theater located on North State Street in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Built in 1921, the Chicago Theatre was the flagship for the Balaban an ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 1921 * Circle Theatre,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, 1916 *

Congress Theater The Congress Theater is a historic movie palace in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. Fridstein and Company designed it in 1926 for the movie theater operator Lubliner and Trinz. It features ornate exterior and interior design work in a c ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 1926 *

Coolidge Corner Theatre Coolidge Corner Theatre is an independent cinema in the Coolidge Corner section of Brookline, Massachusetts specializing in international, documentary, animated, and independent film selections and series. History Coolidge Corner Theatre was origi ...

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, 1933 *

Coronado Theatre The Coronado Performing Arts Center (originally the Coronado Theatre), in Rockford, Illinois, is a 2,400-seat theatre, designed by architect Frederic J. Klein. The theatre cost $1.5 million to build, and opened on October 9, 1927. Interior The t ...

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

, 1927 *

Crest Theatre The Crest Theatre is a historic theatre located in downtown Sacramento, California. History It originally opened in 1912 as the Empress Theatre, and at that time was used as a vaudeville palace. It later became the Hippodrome. On September 14, ...

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, 1912 * Del Mar Theatre,

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a pop ...

Dominion Cinema The Dominion Cinema is an independent Streamline Moderne cinema located in the Morningside area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The company was incorporated by William Cameron, on 13 May 1937 when he bought the land in Newbattle Terrace. The cinema was ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, UK, 1938 * Duke of York's Picture House,

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, UK, 1910One of the UK's oldest continuously-running cinemas. *

Egyptian Theatre Egyptian-style theatres are based on the traditional and historic design elements of Ancient Egypt. The first Egyptian Theatre to be constructed in the US – which inspired many of the identically-named theatres that followed it – was Graum ...

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

, 1927 *

DeKalb, Illinois DeKalb ( ) is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 according to the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated Franconian- French war hero Johann de Kalb, who died ...

, 1929 *

El Capitan Theatre El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple (now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre) is owned by The Walt Disney Company and serves as th ...

, Los Angeles, California, 1926 * The Electric Cinema,

, UK, 1910One of the UK's oldest continuously-running cinemas. *

Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres are a pair of stacked theatres in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Winter Garden Theatre is seven storeys above the Elgin Theatre. They are the last surviving Edwardian stacked theatres in the world. History T ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, 1913 *

Embassy Theatre (Fort Wayne) The Embassy Theatre (formerly the Emboyd Theatre) is a 2,471-seat performing arts theater in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. It was built in 1928 as a movie palace and today it is the home of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra. History The theat ...

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, 1928 * Empire Theater, Sellersburg, Indiana *

Everyman Cinema, Muswell Hill The Everyman Cinema, Muswell Hill, formerly The Odeon, is a grade II* listed building with Historic England. It was designed by George Coles George Coles may refer to: * George Coles (Cambridge University cricketer) (1798–1865), English amate ...

, UK, 1935 *

Englert Theatre Englert Theatre in Iowa City, Iowa, is a renovated vaudeville-era playhouse now serving as a community arts center and 725-seat performance venue. It is owned and operated year around by Englert Civic Theatre, a non-profit art organization. The b ...

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

1912 *

Fargo Theatre The Fargo Theatre is an art deco movie theater in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, United States. Construction on the building began in the fall of 1925 and the theatre opened on March 15, 1926. It was restored in 1999 to its historic appearance an ...

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

1926 *

Florida Theatre The Florida Theatre is a historic American movie theater located in Jacksonville, Florida. Opened in April 1927, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 4, 1982. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter plac ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, 1927 * Fourth Avenue Theatre (Anchorage, Alaska),

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

, 1947 * Fox Theatre,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 1929, the only surviving movie palace in Atlanta * Fox Theatre,

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

, 1930 * Fox Theatre,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 1928 * Fox Theatre,

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Marsh or Salt Flats") is a city in California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area lo ...

* Fox Theatre,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, 1929, now

Copley Symphony Hall Copley Symphony Hall (originally the Fox Theatre) in San Diego, California, designed by Weeks and Day, opened in 1929 as the Fox Theatre (a Gothic-revival luxury movie theater). The hall was conferred to the San Diego Symphony in 1984. It is ...

* Fox Theatre,

, 1929 *

Fox Theater Fox Theatre or Fox Theater or Fox Theater Building may refer to: U.S. * Fox Tucson Theatre (Tucson, Arizona) *Fox Theater (Bakersfield, California) * Fox Theatre (Fullerton, California) * Fox Theater, Westwood Village (Los Angeles, California) * Fo ...

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

, 1931 * Fox Theatre,

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, 1929 * Tooting Granada,

, UK, 1931 *

Garde Arts Center The Garde Arts Center is a non-profit performing arts center and cinema located at 325 State Street at the corner of Huntington Street in New London, Connecticut. It owns and operates the Garde Theatre, a historic movie palace. History The theat ...

New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town ** ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, 1926 *

Garneau Theatre The Garneau Theatre is a historic movie theatre located on 109 Street in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The theatre originally operated independently until it joined with Famous Players in 1941. It closed in late 1990, and reopened in December 1991 u ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, 1940 * Gateway Theatre,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 1930 * Gaumont State,

, UK, 1937 * Golden State Theatre,

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...

, 1926 * Granada Theatre,

Sherbrooke, Quebec Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional count ...

, 1929 * Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, California, 1926 * Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, 1927 * Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, Los Angeles 1922 * Hammersmith Apollo,

, UK, 1932 * Hawaii Theatre, Honolulu, 1922 * Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, Sydney, Australia, 1935 * Indiana Theatre (Indianapolis), 1933 * Indiana Theatre (Terre Haute, Indiana), 1922 * Ironwood Theatre, Ironwood, Michigan, 1928 * Jefferson Theatre, Beaumont, Texas 1927 * Jefferson Theater (Virginia), Jefferson Theater, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1912 * The Kensington Cinema (now Odeon Cinemas, Odeon),

, UK, 1926 * Kentucky Theater (Lexington), Kentucky Theater, Lexington, Kentucky, 1922 * Lafayette Theatre (Suffern), Lafayette Theatre, Suffern, New York, 1924 * Landmark Theater (Richmond, Virginia), Landmark Theatre,

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, 1926 * Landmark Theatre (Syracuse, New York), Landmark Theatre, 1928 (formerly Loew's State Theatre), Syracuse, New York * Lensic Theater, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1931 * United Palace Theater, Loew's 175th Street Theater, New York City, 1930 * Loew's Grand Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, 1920s * Loew's Jersey Theatre, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1929 * Loew's Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, New York, 1929 * Paradise Theater (Bronx, New York), Loew's Paradise Theatre, The Bronx, New York (state), New York, 1929 * Loew's Penn Theatre, (now Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, Heinz Hall), Pittsburgh, 1927 * Loew's State Palace Theatre, New Orleans, 1926 * Loew's State Theatre, (now Providence Performing Arts Center), Providence, Rhode Island, 1928 * Loew's State Theatre, now TCC Jeanne & George Roper Performing Arts Center, Norfolk, Virginia, 1929 * Loew's Tara Cinema, Atlanta, Ga., 1968, now a

; renamed the Lefont Tara years later, and now the Regal Tara * Loew's Valencia Theatre, Queens, New York (state), New York, 1929 * Los Angeles Theatre, Los Angeles * Lorenzo Theatre, San Lorenzo, California, currently in restoration by the Lorenzo Theatre Foundation. * Lucas Theatre, Savannah, Georgia, 1921 * Mainstreet Theater, Kansas City, Missouri, 1921 (formerly the Empire and the RKO Missouri) * Majestic Theatre, Dallas, Texas 1921 * Majestic Theatre (San Antonio), Majestic Theatre, San Antonio, TX 1929 * O2 Apollo Manchester, Manchester Apollo, Manchester, UK, 1938 * Mark Strand Theatre, New York City, 1914 * Martin's Cinerama, Atlanta, Georgia, 1962 (formerly the Tower Theatre, later renamed the Atlanta Theatre and later still, the Columbia Theatre; from 1962 onward, however, no matter what the name, it always retained its ultra-curved screen. Later stopped its movie operations and became the new home of the Academy Theatre, the oldest live professional theatre company in Georgia.) * Michigan Theater (Ann Arbor), Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1928 * Michigan Theater (Detroit), Michigan Theatre, Detroit, 1926 * Michigan (now Frauenthal) Theater, Muskegon, Michigan, 1929 *

, Los Angeles, 1918 * Norwalk Theatre, Norwalk, Ohio, 1941 * North Park Theatre, Buffalo, New York, 1920 * Odeon Leicester Square,

, UK, 1937 * Odeon Cinema, Manchester, Odeon Cinema, Manchester, UK, 1930 * Odeon North End Cinema, Portsmouth, UK, 1936 * Ohio Theatre (Columbus), Ohio Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, 1928 * Ohio Theater (Cleveland), Ohio Theatre, Cleveland, 1921 * Olympia Theater and Office Building, Olympia Theatre, Miami, 1926 * Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre, Oriental Theatre,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 1926 * Oriental Theatre (Milwaukee), Oriental Theatre, Milwaukee, 1927 * Sioux City Orpheum, Orpheum Theatre, Sioux City, Iowa, 1927 * Orpheum Theatre (Memphis, Tennessee), Orpheum Theatre, Memphis, Tennessee, 1928 * Orpheum (Vancouver), Orpheum Theatre,

, 1927 * Orpheum Theatre (Wichita), Orpheum Theatre, Wichita, Kansas, 1922 * Ouimetoscope, Montreal, 1906 * Oxford Picture Hall, Whitstable, Kent, UK, 1912 * Palace Theatre Syracuse, NY 1924 * Palace Theatre (Albany, New York), Palace Theatre, Albany, New York, 1931 * Palace Theatre (Marion, Ohio), 1928 * Palace Theater, Cleveland, Palace Theatre, Cleveland, 1922 * Palace Theatre (Canton, Ohio), 1926 * Lorain Palace Theatre, Palace Theatre, Lorain, Ohio 1928 * The Louisville Palace, Palace Theatre, Louisville, Kentucky, 1928 * LeVeque Tower#Palace Theatre, Palace Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, 1927 * Pantages Theatre (Los Angeles), Los Angeles, 1930 * Pantages Theatre (Salt Lake City), Salt Lake City, 1918 * Paramount Theatre (Abilene, Texas), Paramount Theatre, Abilene, Texas, 1930 * Paramount Theatre, Aurora, Illinois, 1931 * Paramount Theater (Austin, Minnesota), Paramount Theatre, Austin, Minnesota, 1929 * Paramount Theatre (Austin, Texas), Paramount Theatre, Austin, Texas, 1915 * Paramount Theatre (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1928 * Paramount Theater (Denver, Colorado), Paramount Theater, Denver, Colorado, 1930 * Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California), Paramount Theatre, Oakland, California, 1931 * Paramount Theatre (Portland, Oregon), Paramount Theatre, Portland, Oregon, 1928, (now the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall) * Paramount Theatre (Seattle), Paramount Theatre, Seattle 1927 * Paramount Theater (Springfield, Massachusetts) , Paramount Theater, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1926, (formerly known as Julia Sanderson Theater and The Hippodrome) * Peery's Egyptian Theatre, Ogden, Utah, 1924 * Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge, Illinois, 1928 * Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley, UK, 1912One of the UK's oldest continuously-running cinemas. * Plaza cinema, Port Talbot, Plaza Cinema, Port Talbot, UK, 1940 * Plaza Theatre (El Paso), Plaza Theatre, El Paso, Texas, 1930 * Polk Theatre (Lakeland), Polk Theatre, Lakeland, Florida, 1928 * Pomona Fox Theater, Pomona, California, 1931 * Princess Theatre (Edmonton), Princess Theatre,

, 1915 * Quo Vadis Entertainment Center (movie theater), Quo Vadis Entertainment Center, Westland, Michigan, 1966 * Radio City Music Hall, New York City, 1932 * Redford Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, 1928 * Regent Theatre, Mudgee (New South Wales), Australia, 1935 * The Rex, Berkhamsted, England, UK, 1938 * Rialto Theatre (Montreal), Rialto Theatre, Montreal, 1924 * Rialto Square Theatre, Joliet, Illinois, 1926 * Ritz Theatre, Tiffin, Ohio, 1928 * Riviera Theater,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 1918 * Riviera Theatre (North Tonawanda, New York), Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda, New York, 1926 * Rockingham Theatre, Reidsville, North Carolina, 1929 * Roxie Theater, San Francisco, 1909 * Roxy Theatre (New York City), Roxy Theatre, New York City, 1927 * Roxy Theatre (Atlanta), Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, built 1926, renamed the Roxy in 1938Cinema Treasures
/ref> * Roxy Theatre (Saskatoon), Roxy Theatre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 1930 * Saenger Theatre (Mobile, Alabama), Saenger Theatre, Mobile, Alabama, 1927 * Saenger Theatre (New Orleans), Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, 1927 * Saenger Theatre (Pensacola, Florida), Saenger Theatre, Pensacola, Florida, 1925 * Saenger Theatre, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 1929 * Senator Theatre, Baltimore, 1939 * Shea's Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, New York, 1926 * Snowdon Theatre, Montreal, 1937 * Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto, California, 1925, restored 1989 * Stanley Theater (Jersey City), Stanley Theater (now an Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses), Jersey City, New Jersey, 1928 * Stanley Theater, (now Benedum Center), Pittsburgh, 1928 * Stanley Theater (Utica, New York), Stanley Theatre, Utica, New York, 1928 * Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, Stanley Theatre (now Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage),

, 1930 * State Cinema (now Focal Point Cinema & Cafe), Hastings, New Zealand, 1933 * State Theater (Cleveland), State Theater, Cleveland, 1921 * State Theatre (Kalamazoo, Michigan), State Theatre, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1927 * State Theatre, Woodland, California * State Theatre Center for the Arts, Uniontown, Pennsylvania 1922 * Strand Theatre (Marietta, Georgia), The Strand Theatre, Marietta, Georgia 1935 * St. George Theatre, Staten Island, New York, 1929 * Suffolk Theater, Riverhead, New York 1933 * Sun Theatre,

(Victoria (Australia), Victoria), Australia, 1938 * Sunnyvale Theater, Sunnyvale, California, 1926; formerly the New Strand Theater * Tampa Theatre, Tampa, Florida, 1926 * Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1928 * Troxy, Troxy Cinema,

, UK, 1933 * United Artists Theatre, Los Angeles, 1927; reopened in 2014 as part of the Ace Hotel Los Angeles, Ace Hotel * Uptown Theater (Washington, D.C.), Uptown Theater, Washington, D.C., 1933 * Uptown Theatre (Chicago), Uptown Theatre,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 1925 * Uptown Theater (Minneapolis), Uptown Theater, Minneapolis, 1913 * Uptown Theatre (Toronto), Uptown Theatre,

, 1920 * Varsity Theatre (Palo Alto), Varsity Theatre, Palo Alto, California, 1927 * Victory Theatre, Evansville, Indiana, 1921; formerly the Loew's Victory * Virginia Theatre (Champaign), Virginia Theatre, Champaign, Illinois, 1921 * Warner Grand Theatre, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, 1931 * Powers Auditorium, Warner Theater, Powers Auditorium, Youngstown, Ohio, 1930 * Warner Theatre (Erie, Pennsylvania), Warner Theatre, Erie, Pennsylvania, 1931 * Warner Theatre (now Powers Auditorium), Youngstown, Ohio, 1931 * Warnors Theatre, Fresno, California, 1928 * Warren Theatres, Wichita, Kansas, 1996 * Washoe Theater, Anaconda, Montana, 1931 * Weinberg Center, Frederick, Maryland, 1926 (formerly the Tivoli Theatre) * Wilshire Theater, Beverly Hills, California, 1930 * Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, 1930

Notes

Citations

References

* Valentine, Maggie. ''The Show Starts on the Sidewalk: An Architectural History of the Movie Theatre, Starring S. Charles Lee''. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1994.

External links

Cinema Treasures

Theatre Historical Society of America

Historic Theaters

{{DEFAULTSORT:Movie Palace Cinemas and movie theaters in the United States Movie palaces, History of film

Background

History

Decline

Design

List of movie palaces

See also

Notes

Citations

References

External links