Saenger Theater

sdoerr on December 20, 2003 at 5:46 pm

When Mobile’s Saenger Theatre opened on January 19, 1927, it was the 61st in the Saenger Theatre chain founded by JH and AD Saenger of New Orleans, and located throughout the South, as well in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Hailed as “Alabama’s Greatest Showplace” and “the most beautiful playhouse in all of Dixie”, the Mobile Saenger Theatre took a year to construct at a cost of about $500,000. Designed by renowned architect Emile Weil, the Mobile Saenger featured three-color auditorium lighting; a 2-manuel, 10-rank Robert Morton theatre organ; full stage facilities to accommodate large road shows, including stage and wardrobe traps, four floors of dressing rooms, musicians' and chorus rooms; and 2,615 seats. (Around 1950, the seats on the floor were replaced and re-spaced, reducing the theatre’s seating capacity to about 2200; seating capacity is now 1993). Revisions were made to the blueprints during construction for the installation of Carrier Air Conditioning unit #005 (#001 is in the Smithsonian Institution).

The theatre’s decoration, described as “the motif of a French palace of the Renaissance”, was in fact an interesting theme developed on classical Greek mythologies and Mobile’s coastal location. Poseidon is cast above the front entrance; interior plaster ornamentation includes Dionysus above the proscenium, Maenads encircling the chandelier in the lounge, Pan beneath the organ grilles, and various stylized seahorses, shells, and fish throughout the theatre. The color scheme of the interior was primarily sea-green with maroon and gold trim, and trompe l'oeil decoration of the ceiling. The arcade’s lighting fixture is an abstraction of bubbles.

The building was designed in a continental style so that it resembled European opera houses. The auditorium’s opera boxes, located beneath the organ grilles, were later removed to improve sightlines for the larger Cinemascope movie screen. Other outstanding architectural features of the building included the tilted arcade, marble grand staircase, lamps, chandeliers, statuary, ornate door frames, mezzanine, and promenade. Lavish furnishings in the men’s “Stage Room” and the ladies' “At the Sign of the Lipstick,” lounge, magnificent draperies, and carpets with the name of the theatre woven into the fabric.

At the dedication ceremonies on January 19, 1927, then Mayor Harry T.Hartwell and State Senator John Craft were joined by J.L. Bedsole, president of the Chamber of Commerce, in addressing the crowd gathered for theauspicious occasion. Mrs. W.G. Ward, a representative of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, presented a portrait of General Robert E. Lee for the Theatre’s foyer, as the dedication date was the General’s 119th birthday.

Through the years, the Saenger Theatre provided Mobilians outstanding theatrical entertainment on the live stage and motion picture screen. The Saenger hosted silent movies, vaudeville shows, movies, dramatic and musical productions, and was the scene of the first America’s Junior Miss Pageant. However, as was the case with many of these grand movie palaces, ownership changes, high maintenance costs, and a changing city-core rendered many of these beautiful buildings “white elephants”. Many were demolished to make was for parking lots and other forms of urban development. ABC/Paramount closed the Saenger Theatre and removed the projection equipment in early 1970. On the eve of demolition, the University of South Alabama bought the Saenger from ABC/Paramount and was renovated and re-opened as a performing arts center under the name of The USA Saenger Theatre. The University’s restoration and return to operation of the Mobile Saenger Theatre is credited as having been one of the major forces in the revitalization of downtown Mobile.

On October 1, 1999, the City of Mobile purchased the Saenger Theatre from the University of South Alabama. A new, not-for-profit organization, called Center For The Living Arts, Inc., was formed in early 2000 to operate the Saenger Theatre. The summer of 2000 saw the replacement of the Theatre’s antiquated air-conditioning and heating systems, as well as a major upgrade of the electrical system. Further upgrades will included the stage rigging and film projection systems, executive offices, as well as the conversion of the old retail space fronting Joachim Street into a grand lobby and concession area with updated restroom and VIP facilities.

The Saenger Theatre Performing Arts Center will function as a multi-disciplinary arts center, home of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Lyric Theatre, the Saenger Series, the Summer Movie Series, concerts, lectures, and special events.