The Saenger Theatre, also known as the Saenger Theater, is a historic

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

in Pensacola,

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. It is located at 118 South Palafox Place. On July 19, 1976, it was added to the U.S.

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 1989, the Saenger Theater was listed in '' A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', published by the University of Florida Press.''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 7,

History

The theatre, often referred to as the ''Grand Dame of Palafox'' was first built in 1925 and was designed by architect Emile Weil in the style known as Spanish Baroque architecture. This style was selected due to the extensive Spanish history of the Pensacola area. Mr. Weil is also known for designing theaters in Mobile,

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, as well as

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and Shreveport, both of

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. Construction began at 118 South Palafox and opened in 1925. The back of the theater uses bricks from the Pensacola Opera House, which stood at the corner of Jefferson and Government Streets, but was destroyed in the 1916 hurricane. The overall cost to build the Saenger was a total of $500,000 and was constructed by C.H. Turner Company, General Contractors. The building not only featured a Robert Morton organ which currently is in reconstruction, but also 2,250 leather-backed seats, extravagant chandeliers and more than eight pounds of silver for its silver screen. The Saenger also boasted using "Dr. Mendenhall's new transvertical non-statical projectographic machine" as the projector. Doors to the Saenger opened on April 2, 1925 to "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

" followed by the "Dance of Old Seville," performed by a local dance class as well as a solo sung by yet another member of the community. The main event, which was Cecil B. DeMille's '' The Ten Commandments,'' was finally shown which completed their sold-out grand opening day. The Saenger was host to a variety of entertainment. In addition to silent motion pictures, and later motion pictures with sound,

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 Broadway shows were frequent favorites. Local entertainers were also invited to perform at the elite Saenger. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the theater stayed open around the clock so that local citizens were able to watch

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news, news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a Movie theater, cinema, newsreels were a source of cu ...

s at any time of the day, or night. As the years passed, the illustrious theater began to fall out of favor due to competition with drive-ins, as well as other factors, and slowly fell into disrepair. Like so many other palatial movie houses, the Saenger sadly suffered from lack of interest. 1975 brought sadness as the doors to the once magnificent Saenger closed; however, it was not forgotten. The theater was donated to the City of Pensacola who, with the combined efforts of the University of West Florida, worked to restore her to her original majestic structure. In 1981, her first grand re-opening took place alongside a performance by " The Duke Ellington Orchestra," a well renowned jazz ensemble. More recently, the theater underwent another renovation totaling over $15 million, exceeding original estimates by nearly $5 million. The latest renovation was to extend the stage as well as enlarge the dressing rooms. The seating was to become more spacious and comfortable as well. This second grand re-opening took place on March 26, 2009 to "Jesus Christ Superstar." The structure remains at its original location on the Northeastern corner of South Palafox Place and East Intendencia Street and continues to provide a variety of entertainment as in its older days.

References

Gallery

Image:Pensacola Saenger Thtr01.jpg, Image:Saengertheatre.jpg, {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Pensacola, Florida National Register of Historic Places in Escambia County, Florida Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Movie palaces Saenger theatres Emile Weil buildings Tourist attractions in Pensacola, Florida Theatres completed in 1925 Spanish Baroque architecture

History

See also

References

External links

Gallery