The Hilbert Circle Theatre, originally called the Circle Theatre, is in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, on

Monument Circle The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a tall neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. In the years ...

in the

Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A m ...

. It was originally built in 1916 as a "deluxe movie palace" and now is the home of the

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...

. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs The theatre was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980.

History

The Circle Theatre was one of the first "motion picture palaces" in the Midwest and one of the first movie theaters west of New York. The theatre also offered locally produced stage shows, such as the 1921 ''The Landing of the Pilgrims'' for Thanksgiving week. In 1922, a $50,000

Wurlitzer organ The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

was installed for use during silent films and solo performances. In the summer of 1924, visiting musicians offered Circle patrons "syncopation seasons" with various jazz and popular music performances while the house concert orchestra was off.

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

were two such visitors who held concerts in the theatre. On March 6, 1927, the Circle brought sound movies to the Indianapolis approximately fourteen months before other venues. Three musical film segments were shown:

Roy Smeck Leroy George Alfred "Roy" Smeck (6 February 1900 – 5 April 1994) was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar, and ukulele earned him the nickname "The Wizard of the Strings". Background Smeck was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. ...

playing the guitar, ukulele, and banjo;

Giovanni Martinelli Giovanni Martinelli (22 October 1885 – 2 February 1969) was an Italian operatic spinto tenor. He was associated with the Italian lyric-dramatic repertory, although he performed French operatic roles to great acclaim as well. Martinelli wa ...

, a Metropolitan Opera tenor, singing ''

I Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, 'Clowns') is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...

'', and finally,

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

, the blackface singing comedian. The Circle brought another first to the city in February 1928 by offering ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American part-talkie musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music and lip-synchronous ...

'', a film with four talking and singing scenes starring Al Jolson. As multiscreen cinemas emerged in suburban malls throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Circle Theatre fell into disrepair. Reopening on October 12, 1984 after a $6.8 million renovation, the Circle Theatre is home to the

. In December 1996, it was renamed the Hilbert Circle Theatre after being endowed by Stephen Hilbert, founder of

CNO Financial Group CNO Financial Group, Inc. (formerly Conseco, Inc. (from Consolidated National Security Corporation)) is an American financial services holding company based in Carmel, Indiana. Its insurance subsidiaries provide life insurance, annuity and supp ...

, and his wife Tomisue. The theatre holds 1,660 seats and has space for an 87-member ensemble. It is now home to a 3-manual 24-rank Wurlitzer theatre organ.

Architecture

The theatre was designed by Indianapolis architects Rubus & Hunter. Built in 1916, the building is a Neoclassical-revival with white glazed

terra cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...

entrance section with a brick

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

section behind. The front façade is slightly curved. The theatre's interior was designed by architect Robert Adam and uses motifs from Greek, Etruscan and Pompeian artists.

Notable events

In 1986, the theatre reverted to being a movie palace for the world premier of '' Hoosiers.'' The theatre hosted the Weightlifting Competition during the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

. Actress

Kitty Carlisle Kitty Carlisle Hart (born Catherine Conn; September 3, 1910 – April 17, 2007) was an American stage and screen actress, opera singer, television personality and spokesperson for the arts. She was the leading lady in the Marx Brothers movie '' ...

hosted a centennial celebration for the Indiana native composer

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

in 1991. The venue later hosted

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's ''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of the '' Late Night'' franchise. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon,

'' for a week of episodes during

Super Bowl XLVI Super Bowl XLVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

in 2012.On the set with Jimmy Fallon
''WTHR.com''. Retrieved February 1, 2012.

References

External links

*
Official website
from Indianapolis, a Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary {{Authority control Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Indiana Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Neoclassical architecture in Indiana Theatres completed in 1916 Music venues in Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis

History

Architecture

Notable events

See also

References

External links