Saenger Theatre

Here is an article about the progress being made on the restoration efforts, with pictures. Original chandeliers have been found, and there are hopes of eventually restoring the theater’s organ.

I attended the Jerry Seinfeld performance at the Saenger Saturday night. The theatre is very beautiful. I have been going there since the mid 1960’s and it is more spectacular than it has been in the last 50 years. The exterior is restored and the marquees replicate the 1927 originals nicely. The reinstallation of the lights and trellis on the rampart street side building is also very nice. The vertical sign on Canal Street has not yet been installed but renderings of the sign indicate that it will be a faithful replication of the 1927 original. The most outstanding part of the restoration is the new paint scheme by Evergreen Architectural Arts. The painting, leafing (Dutch metal), glazing and faux finishes are beautifully executed. I seriously doubt that all of the color selections are based on the 1927 originals, but the overall effect is totally in keeping with what one would expect to see in a movie palace. Details that had long been buried under decades of paint are now vividly delineated. The ceiling of the arcade has had its stenciling restored, and three replicated chandeliers illuminate this room. In the auditorium, there are more stars than ever before in the Saenger sky. The original house draperies, seating, and decorative lighting have all been lovingly restored. Awnings once again adorn the windows of this Florentine courtyard, trees and vines drape the upper parts of the courtyard walls as clouds drift overhead. The only issues that I have with the restoration is that it is not finished. In the arcade, portions of the upper walls that originally had wall covering were blank white panels. The finishes on the lounge walls were not complete. Several light fixtures in the auditorium were not working. The soloist stage house left was not completely painted and the beveled mirror appeared to be missing. At the entrance to the second balcony, house right, a large plaster urn that had once graced the top of the wall was missing. Several pieces of plaster trellis that line the upper wall of the auditorium appear to have been cut off an not replaced. In fact, if you look closely you can see the inside of the end of the false trellis work where no attempt was even made to disguise the damage. Finally the profusion of oversized refreshment counters in the orchestra and mezzanine lobbies restricts pedestrian flow and generally diminishes the beautifully of the restored spaces.

With all of this to see, Jerry Seinfeld was a little superfluous.

Circa 1927 photo added courtesy of Henry F. Beck‎. Sign promoting the Saenger’s building costs mounted over the entryway.

10/21/53 photo added via Jerrytt Mon‎.

Acording to news reports debris from the collapse of the new building in the next lot fell onto the theatre roof; the theatre was closed and the show playing there had to vacate. I don’t know what the current status is.