The Hippodrome Theater is located in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. It is situated in the historical

African-American neighborhood African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American ...

Jackson Ward Jackson Ward, previously known as Central Wards, is a historically African-American district in Richmond, Virginia, with a long tradition of African-American businesses. It is located less than a mile from the Virginia State Capitol, sitting ...

, which was referred to as "The

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

of the South" during the 1920s.The Hippodrome Theater. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.hippodromerichmond.com/about/history/ The Hippodrome Theater was originally opened as a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and movie theaterHippodrome Theater. (2009, February 25-March 3). The Richmond Voice, p. 12. and was a stop on the " Chitlin' Circuit" of places considered safe and acceptable for African American entertainers in the era of

racial segregation in the United States Facilities and services such as housing, healthcare, education, employment, and transportation have been systematically separated in the United States based on racial categorizations. Notably, racial segregation in the United States was the leg ...

. Today, The Hippodrome Theater has been restored to a fully functioning performance venue in hopes of reclaiming its prominent role in

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

cultural history Cultural history records and interprets past events involving human beings through the social, cultural, and political milieu of or relating to the arts and manners that a group favors. Jacob Burckhardt (1818–1897) helped found cultural history ...

Early history

The Hippodrome Theater was opened in 1914 by Charles A. Somma as a

and movie theater. The theater played a major role in the entertainment of Richmond's

community during the early 20th century.Fuller-Seeley, K. (2002). Celebrate Richmond Theater. Richmond: The Dietz Press. (Pages 82-89) It is located on Second Street in Richmond, which was once known as The Deuce. The Deuce was a famous center of black commerce in Richmond and the street was lined with stores, restaurants, banks, and theaters. Essentially, The Deuce was the esteemed location in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

for black nightlife and The Hippodrome Theater was one of The Deuce's leading attractions from the 1920s to the 1940s. During this period, Richmond's African-American community was heavily influenced by New York City's

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...

and the theater attracted big performers who were prominent in the cultural movement's performance scene. These performers included talents such as

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

Bill Robinson Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20 ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Moms Mabley Loretta Mary Aiken (March 19, 1897 – May 23, 1975), known by her stage name Jackie "Moms" Mabley, was an American stand-up comedian and actress. Mabley began her career on the theater stage in the 1920s and became a veteran entertainer of the ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

Ida Cox Ida M. Cox ( Prather; February 26, 1888 or 1896 – November 10, 1967) was an American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings. She was billed as "The Uncrowned Queen of the Blues".Harrison, Daphne Du ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

and countless others who performed on the Hippodrome's stage. In 1937, The Hippodrome Theater was purchased from Charles A. Somma by the Abe Lichtman theater chain.

History: 1940s to 1980s

In 1945, The Hippodrome Theater caught fire. The origin of the fire was never fully determined, although it was believed to be caused by a short circuit in the theater's wiring. In 1947, The Hippodrome reopened its doors to the public. After the fire the theater was renovated and remodeled in an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style of architecture.Ronald Stalling urrent owner of the Hippodrome Theater personal interview with the owner, March 28, 2014 The updated theater included new features such as air conditioning and the latest technical equipment. The elaborate ceremony for the reopening of the historical theater attracted an impressive crowd of 2,500 individuals. Once the theater was reopened after the fire, it functioned primarily as a movie theater throughout the 1950s. The Hippodrome Theater closed again in the 1960s, re-opened again, then closed once again in the 1970s and functioned as a church for a short period of time. The Hippodrome Theater reopened in the 1980s as a movie theater .

Present

The current owner of the Hippodrome Theater is Ronald Stalling. The Hippodrome Theater still remains a functioning theater that continues to hold performances on the legendary stage as well as offering film showings. Directly beside the theater lies the Taylor Mansion, which was originally the home of Rev. William Lee Taylor. The mansion was built in 1907 by the architect John A. Lankford and today it functions as the Speakeasy Grill restaurant, which specializes in southeastern cuisine. The Hippodrome Theater and the Taylor Mansion are part of Stalling's current project of returning

and the notorious Second Street to the important African-American cultural sphere it functioned as during the early 20th century.

References

External links

The Hippodrome Theatre
{{Coord, 37.54719, -77.43793, type:landmark_region:US-VA, display=title Art Deco cinemas and movie theaters Cinemas and movie theaters in Virginia Former cinemas in the United States Theatres in Richmond, Virginia African-American history in Richmond, Virginia Historically African-American theaters and music venues