
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 ...
of
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 theater
[Hippodrome 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
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 theater.
The theater played a major role in the entertainment of Richmond's
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. ...
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 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 ...
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