I estimate that he refurbished the dressing rooms that existed there when I was the triplex manager in 1982. There were several dressing rooms backstage, badly dilapidated and storing junk, but ready to be refurbished.
3 (Does the ornamentation remain)
I consider that probably the original ornamentation remains. The balcony was boxded in to create two theatres upstairs, but the original side walls and ceiling were retained. This resulted in a very incoherent look, as the new front wall upstairs was bare boring sheetrock, and the side walls and ceiling were ornamental, with mouldings and chandeliers. The downstairs theatre was entirely original on all walls.
I worked for Guild theatres in the early 1980s, and was the manager of the Embassy 2,3,4. I also workes at times at the Embassy I, the Forum, and another theatre that Guild theatres operated.
I always enjoyed the many interesting architectural features of this theatre, and often wandered about the parts of the theatre that nobody else got to see. I recall a lot of space behind the screen from the original stage, with much of the equipment still in place. I recall several floors of dressing rooms on either side of the stage, and those horrendous labrynthian fire escapes… which were inside the building, but open to the sky.
When I was there, the original curtain still worked, and we would occasionally close it at the end of a film. I recall a some of the stage still projected in front of the screen and curtain, but do not know if the entire front part of the stage remained.
I can probably answer two questions here
1 (Did the contractor create new dressing rooms?)
I estimate that he refurbished the dressing rooms that existed there when I was the triplex manager in 1982. There were several dressing rooms backstage, badly dilapidated and storing junk, but ready to be refurbished.
3 (Does the ornamentation remain)
I consider that probably the original ornamentation remains. The balcony was boxded in to create two theatres upstairs, but the original side walls and ceiling were retained. This resulted in a very incoherent look, as the new front wall upstairs was bare boring sheetrock, and the side walls and ceiling were ornamental, with mouldings and chandeliers. The downstairs theatre was entirely original on all walls.
Thats true, while it was a large screen, it was only a fraction of the available space. There was a LOT of dead space around the projection area.
I worked for Guild theatres in the early 1980s, and was the manager of the Embassy 2,3,4. I also workes at times at the Embassy I, the Forum, and another theatre that Guild theatres operated.
I always enjoyed the many interesting architectural features of this theatre, and often wandered about the parts of the theatre that nobody else got to see. I recall a lot of space behind the screen from the original stage, with much of the equipment still in place. I recall several floors of dressing rooms on either side of the stage, and those horrendous labrynthian fire escapes… which were inside the building, but open to the sky.
When I was there, the original curtain still worked, and we would occasionally close it at the end of a film. I recall a some of the stage still projected in front of the screen and curtain, but do not know if the entire front part of the stage remained.