Paramount Theatre

The organ was still visible in the 1950's and 1960's when I was a child and went to this theater. The old Vitaphone box speakers with their heavy cables were also visible on their track on either side of the screen.

this theatre could have been an atmospheric as all the other theatres mentioned are with the exception of the orpheum in wichita.
atmos.

Does anyone have a website address with photos of the Paramount and the others on Church that were razed in Nashville over the years?

atmos, this was definately not an atmospheric. It would be an interesting footnote in movie palace history to know who made the choice of "clouds or chandeliers."

It is ironic that Nashville lost all its movie palaces just as the city (and state) were building the brand new Tennessee Performing Arts Center with three variously sized halls just blocks from the "threatre strip" along Church Street. Having been in all three of the TPAC halls many times, I can only sigh and wonder how anyone ever thought that was better than saving -even one of - the old palaces.

And with Nashville being "Music City USA" it's really hard to believe that these entertainment theatres were all demolished! They even built a 'new' Grand Old Opry, didn't they?

The Paramount Theatre in Nashville Opened November 14, 1930 with seating for 2000 patrons. The last year I show for this theatre is 1978. Other theatres listed for this area are Tennessee; Crescent; Lowes; and Knickerbocker theatres.

Thanks Tom! Are these additional theatres that you have listed all gone now? The one called the Tennessee is also the name of the recently restored theatre in Knoxville TN and supposedly the Nashville Tennessee marquee is now at the Knoxville theatre since it was the same name!

Patsy, Tom, et al, All the downtown movie palaces in Nashville are gone. The only old venues in Nashville are the Ryman Auditorium (which is actually a former church, longtime home of the Grand Ole Opry) and the lovely, but seemingly un-loved, War Memorial Auditorium. Neither of which showed movies to my knowledge.

Knoxville's recently - and splendidly - renovated Tennessee Theatre has a completely new marquee and vertical sign to replace the 1950's marquee and long lost 1928 vertical. The Nashville "Tennessee Theatre" signs didn't make it to Knoxville, though it was discussed at the time.

Tom, you might note that in downtown Nashville, Loew's operated the Crescent and the Vendome for a while. While not trying to be picky I don't recall there being a theatre with the singular name "Loew's".

Patsy - a new auditorium was indeed built for the Grand Ole Opry. (in 1973?) It was part of a theme park named Opry Land which has since been demolished. The G.O.O. theatre is now part of an enormous shopping mall called Opry Mills which includes the Opry Land Hotel.

Back to the Paramount: did any photos ever surface? I've never found any, though to be honest, I haven't tried too hard. Has anyone checked with the Theatre Historical Society?

You are indeed correct Will; I meant to type Loews Crescent but I omitted the second name. The Vendome that was operated by Loews opened at the turn of the century and showed its first moving picture around 1903. The Vendome was located at 615 Church Street. The Vendome burned in 1967 and Loews took over the Crescent Theatre located at 415 Church Street.

The vintage section of the Grannis Photography website (http://grannisphotography.com/)contains photos of many of the old downtown theatres along some shots of a few in the outlining area of Nashville.

Here are a couple of photos made during the demolishion of the Paramount: http://www.flickr.com/photos/92318075@N00/20785084/in/photostream/

A Wurlitzer organ Opus 2132 Style BAL 3 was installed in the Paramount Theater on 9/17/30. Status of organ: Sold.

What is an Eberson "hardtop"?

Eberson is the architect. Hardtop is a "trade term" to distinguish an indoor theatre from a drive-in or "ozone".

Jack, tisk, tisk, tisk: "hard top" as opposed to "atmospheric." Patsy, John Eberson developed a style of movie palace architecture inwhich the plaster ceiling was a dark blue dome representing the sky, the side walls were designed with highly orate "exterior" details to create the impression that the audience was sitting in an open courtyard. The sky would have twinkling stars and clouds floating past, the court yard would have trees, shubs, birds and vines (all fake of course). Eberson's name became synonomous (sp?) with what he called the "atmospheric style." He did design more traditional theatres, the Nashville Paramount for example. When talking about one of his non-atmospheric theatres one describes them, with tongue firmly in cheek, as a hard-top. Eberson's career was long and fruitful. He was designing theatres at least into the 1950's. He may have even designed drive-ins (don't know).

The Cinema Treasures lists can be sorted by architect. Give it a try and look up some of Eberson's halls. There will be lots of examples. He really was one of the best.

Will: I've been studying and admiring theatres with the Eberson connection as the atmospherics are my favorite theatre interiors. Thanks for the thorough explanation. When I find and read about an Eberson atmospheric theatre that has been demolished I am saddened because these theatres will never be reproduced only restored IF they are saved by a particular town or city!

Well at least give me credit for being kinda half right. I was going by what a former writer (or so she said) for Variety told me. By chance does anyone know if the AIA maintains any type of listing of works by its members (I am assuming Mr. Eberson was part of the association)? I have heard that he designed a few smaller scale theatres.

Jack, you are correct that Variety has long called indoor movie theatres "hardtops" to distinguish them from "ozoners" or "passion pits" (Variety nomenclature for drive-ins.) Variety has always had a language of its own, and even has its own name for that language, and now features a web page with a handy glossary of its terms: Slanguage. Many terms originated at Variety have made their way into general use ("sex appeal" being an example), and there are others that deserve to. I'm particularly fond of "sprocket opera" for film festival, and "zitcom" for a T.V. comedy aimed at a teenage audience.

Joe, thanks for the grin. A subscription to Variety is so expensive I've never taken it regularly: only pick up an occassional issue. On the subject of "Slanguage" I bow to your greater knowledge and will follow the link you provided. Jack, I don't know if AIA keeps an "opus list" for its members but suspect not. The Cinema Treasures lists can be sorted by architect though and provides a wonderful starting point for research. The webmaster here and the support team have done a wonderful job with this site. Can't compliment them enough!

Last week I was assisting with the tuning (and playing) of the Wurlitzer Organ at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga and met Mr. Everett Hortenstein, a gentleman in his 80's. He was introduced to me as the former theatre organist at the Paramount Theatre in Nashville.

Larry: Interesting post as I'm sure your introduction gave you the opportunity to speak with Mr. Hortenstein about his days at the Paramount in Nashville. Now I'll have to check out the Paramount link and read what happened to that theatre.

"Nashville had several big movie palaces downtown, three on Church Street. All have been razed." Very sad and very surprising that that particular city would allow all of these theatres to be lost, forever!

Does Nashville have any remaining old theatres today?

Here are a couple of recent photos of theatres in Nashville and throughout Tennessee. The Belcourt (circa 1925) on Belcourt Ave is the only theatre built before 1960 still in operation. The Fifth Ave (1909-60) and the Donelson (1950-73) are still standing although neither resembles a theatre anymore. The Peafowl (1915-29) on 4th Ave N, the Woodland (1924-55) on Woodland St, the Melrose (1940-83) on Franklin Rd, the Belle Meade (1940-90) on Harding Rd, Roxy (1940-55) on Wilburn St, the Gem (1945-55) on 1st Ave S and the Woodbine (1950-60) still retain some of their exterior charm although none have operated as theatre in over a decade.

Jack: Thanks for this theatre update for Nashville. I can't believe that a city like Nashville would allow so many of their beautiful old and historic theatres to be demolished! Such a shame!

With all due respect, Nashville’s loss is proportional with most other metropolitan areas particularly when you consider how many theatres have shuttered in Manhattan over the past few years. There are still quite a few fantastic theatres still in operation just outside of Nashville including the Franklin, the Lincoln in Fayetteville and the Roxy in Clarksville. Also, there remains a glimmer of hope that maybe a circuit like Landmark or Lefont could revive either or both the Belle Meade and Melrose. Fortunately we still have the Belcourt and according to a recent posting on the Madison Theatre site, there are plans underway to restore part of the building for use as a theatre.

Most American cities have restored at least one to two of there downtown movie palaces. Its a shame that the Paramount was torn down after surviving so many years. Both Memphis and Knoxville have restored downtown movie palaces. Nashville joins a very short list of cities not to have any historic downtown movie palaces left.brucec

brucec: I'm familiar with the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville though have yet to visit it.

Nashville is a money city. It retains very liitle of what doesn't make money.

Actually, there were only three movie palaces on Church Street - the Paramount, the Tennessee and Loew's Vendome. The Vendome burned down. The Paramount and Tennessee were razed. I think one of the reasons none of the palaces were saved is the fact that Nsahville is the state capitol. It houses TPAC, a complexz of three state built theaters. As a result of TPAC, the old palaces served no practical use.

MH, You neglect to mention the Cresent, which though not really a movie palace per se, was a large theatre on Church. T-PAC was built AFTER the Paramount,the Cresent and the Vendome were razed. The Tennessee came down because a developer (whom I met, talked with and pleaded the case for saving the Tennessee and its 11 story office building) wanted to build a larger, newer building. T-PAC did not make these theatres redundant.

Although I never had the opportunity to visit the Paramount, I have toured a few of Mr. Eberson’s works of art and have no doubt the Paramount was superior to the stark and unremarkable TPAC. But to dispel the notion that Nashville lacks a flair for fashion, take a peek at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. This new home for the Nashville Symphony looks to be a spectacular venue.

Will, I pleaded the fate of the Tennessee with the developer, too. As you already know, what's on the site now is a very uninspired high rise condo/apartment building.

I never considered the Cresent to be a palace - interesting signage, but small lobby and very plain auditorium. Historically, it was important because it became a Cinerama venue before that concept moved to the Belle Meade. Also, it became a Loew's after the Vendome burned. I think it was built in the shell of the old Princess Theater but I never found out when that was.

The Cresent was commercially successful, particularly during the Loew's period. But a palace. Can you remember anything of note about it's interior. I can't.

I came across an address of 727 Church Street in one of the movie palace books for the Paramount Theatre.

"Nashville had several big movie palaces downtown, three on Church Street. All have been razed." What were the names of the "several big movie palaces" in downtown Nashville so I can at least read about them on CT. Thanks.

It is truly a shame that Nashville no longer has this former Eberson theatre!

Actually, I mis-spoke: there were four on Church - Paramount, Tennessee, Cresent (later Loew's Cresent) and Vendome (later Loew's Vendome). And just off Church were the 5th Avenue and the Knickerbocker. Of the list, the Paramount was the grandest, the Vendome the oldest.

There must have been others but I haven't done the research to unearth them. I do have an old Nashville post card that show's a sign in the distance that clearly reads "Orpheum" but it could be that one of the other halls was booking Orpheum vaudeville and it wasn't a theatre named Orpheum - you know the Audacious Theatre presents Orpheum Vaudeville and Lubish Film favorites at popular prices - that sort of thing.

Will: What does it mean Eberson "hard top"? I may have asked you this before, so please forgive me if that is the case.

Patsy, please refer to my post of October 3, 2005 at 5:57 a.m. above(thankfully, Pacific time). It begins "Jack, tisk tisk tisk..."

Thanks again, but I have a sad heart to think that this theatre does NOT exist in Nashville! Do you know the reasons why this Eberson theatre was brought down?

And when?

When and why? 1978 and it wasn't making enough money for the ower.

In the 1960's these old theatres were considered a dime-a-dozen - every town had a beat-up Loew's that had been butchered for Cinerama, a Paramount that hadn't been painted in 40 years, a Warner with seats that were harder than oak church pews, the balcony at your local Orpheum hadn't seen anyone but a couple of ushers sneeking cigarettes since Fred & Ginger had danced across the screen, the stage curtains at your Majestic were rotting, the lights were half burned out at your United Artists, the marquee at your Bijou didn't have all its neon burning anymore.

The land all those glorius, abused, magnificient, drafty old theatres was sitting on was prime realestate for a concrete and steel office building or a parking lot for the neighboring department store to try and lure customers back from the suburbs.

Jack Coursey had some sad, but compelling photos of the Paramount as it was being torn down at

http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=paramount&w=50434003%40N00&m=pool

Will: Those photos are most fascinating to view yet such a sad Eberson note in history and for the City of Nashville.

What is on the former Paramount property now?

I found the same address for this theater that Chuck posted on Mar 16, 2006. I'm not sure how accurate the Google satellite map is, but this address appears to be a parking lot on Google.

727 Church St
Nashville, TN 37203

Oh, Lost Memory I sure hope we are wrong, but Google is probably accurate. If so, another Eberson piece of history lost to another PARKING LOT! I can just imagene the CMA awards being broadcast tonight from the Paramount IF it were still with us!

So on November 14 we should all have a moment of silence for the Paramount that opened on that date in 1930 at 727 Church Street in Nashville TN.

There are currently no motion picture theatres or former motion picture theatres in downtown Nashville. All have been demolished. All of the theatres which use to make up the theatre district are listed in cinematreasues and include the Bijou, Alhambra, Capitol, Central, Elite, Crescent, Crystal, Dixie, Fifth Avenue, Knickerbocker, Paramount, Princess, Rex, Rialto, Ritz, Strand, Tennessee and the Vendome. I do not believe that there was ever more that five in operation at one time. Most of these, such as the Elite/Princess/Crescent/Loews were all the same theatre, just different names at different times on the marquee.
To Nashville’s credit, it came through in not only saving, but also sustaining the Belcourt Theatre.

Tell me about the Belcourt with photos or is there a CT link for that theatre? Where the CMA Awards ceremony is being held in Nashville tonight it looks to be quite large with comfortable seating, etc.

But it wasn't built by John Eberson!

The Paramount location is still a parking lot. When I go by there, I recall it in the '60s when I saw A HARD DAYS NIGHT, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, COOL HAND LUKE, Jerry Lewis and Don Knotts films, and others there. The "classy films" such as the Doris Day/Rock Hudson and Sandra Dee/Bobby Darin movies played down the street at the Art Deco wonder, the Tennessee Theater.

May I clear up a few things for you folks.
1. There were 7 theaters in operation in downtown Nashville at the same time during the '50's. I know because I went to all of them practically weekly. Movie nut.
2. The Rex was the dog of the lot but a lot of fun, It regularly had 3 Stooges or Bowery Boys festivals. Loew's, and nobody ever called it the Vendome even if that was scrawled underneath its name, was considered the classiest. It had all the great MGM musicals. I saw 'An American In Paris' there 9 times. The Paramount had the best comedies, the Knickerbocker the best mysteries/detective stories,
the Tennessee the best musical comedies and generally the biggest stars, the 5th Avenue the best old westerns, and the Princess had
vaudeville.


I'm writing a book about Nashville in the '50's, '60's, and '70's and there's a section on movie houses in it. I hope you'll all buy it if I ever get it published.
I've also got a page over on Chip Curleys Nashville Memories site. There are some thumbnails on movies over there.
Posted by Lou, Nov. 23, 2006

Lou, looking forward to the book. Sounds like a jewel. My mom (age 80) grew up in Nashville and so maybe those "of a certain age" never called it the Vendome, but when she talks about the Loew's in downtown Nashville, she always means the Loew's Cresent. And you know, mother is NEVER wrong. Just ask her.

Got a projected publishing date for the book?

"7 theaters in operation in downtown Nashville at the same time during the '50's." Such a shame that this isn't the case today!

Will, don't disagree with her but Loew's Vendome sat in the middle of the block between 6th and 7th staring straight up the hill at the Capitol. Loew's Crescent sat in the middle of the block between 4th and 5th. It was where the old Princess was pushed by Cain Sloan.

Patsy, there were 7 theaters downtown because that's where everyone went for entertainment. They got first run 'big' movies. Outlying movies got reruns or 'b' list stuff, although a lot of them were great.
You have to remember that Nashville only had 150,000 people back then. There hadn't been a great rush to the suburbs because there were essentially no suburbs to rush to. Then Metro government jumped in and gobbled up the county for tax purposes. That forced
people away from downtown.

So, I guess you could say human propagation and human greed caused the death of the downtown movies.

Your final remark is a sad 'note' to hear in Music City USA.

Loew's Vendome was an amazing space. It was apparently a legitimate theater when it opened in 1903. It was square shaped, as opposed to the rectanglular shape of many movie palaces. It had several balconies. Probably the upper balcony was for 'colored only'.

The Vendome was set back from Church street. At the entrance was the marquee and box office. From there one walked down perhaps a hundred feet to the actual entrance to the theater. The lobby was rather small but had a high ceiling and the most amazing crystal chandelier.

It was essentially a wooden structure, so the fact that it burned was not so surprising. It burned on a Thursday night in 1967. The film playing was "The Dirty Dozen". Ads in the local papers the nexy day proclaimed "HELD OVER! 2ND HOT WEEK"! Hot indeed.

In the ensuring months, Loew's unveiled a plan to construct a mammoth theater on the site. But the time of the movie palace had passed, and the project never happened. Instead, Lowe's leased a small, rather plain theater down the street. I think they leased it from Cresent Amusement, which ran most of the theaters then. [It might have been from Martin Theaters which took over Crescent about
that time.]

Loew's had a very successful run at the Cresent for several years. The chain also leased the Melrose Theater on Franklin Road.

My girlfriend and I sat through "A Hard Day's Night" twice at Loew's Vendome in 1964.

After sitting idle for several years. the Vendome property was built into a downtown mall by a private developer. This brilliant scheme failed.

Today the site it the home of the Nashville Public Library. While obviously not a movie palace, it is an awesome structure - monumental and grandiose. Unintendably, it is a tribute to structure that once stood there.

The colored balcony in Loews had its own smaller marquee and entrance in the alley behind the theater. The Paramount had its own marquee and colored entrance in the alley beside Zibarts Bookstore which abutted the theater. It led to the upper half of the single balcony which was separated by a large rail, colored above, white below.
Loews was as you say a 'performance' theater, most performances being opera. It had four elaborate opera boxes on each side, upstairs and down. I have several stories about what went on in those boxes in my book, if I ever get it done.

Any photos anyone?

Need to update the address on the Paramount. It was given on 3/16 and 11/6 as 727 Church St., also LM is correct it is a parking lot.

I'm confused is there a library or parking lot where the Eberson Paramount once stood?

I just noticed it was you, Chuck? Hi and Aloha!

Patsy, hello, I am still around but hardly ever get on this site any more. Where the Paramount once stood is a parking lot. We were in Nashville in October.

Sorry to read that the Paramount is now another parking lot. Have a great 2007, Captain.

Still would love to see photos of this former Nashville theatre after viewing photos of the former Tennessee on that CT link.

Will: I just sent an email to THS and asked them if they had any photos of the former Paramount. Will get back with their answer asap. Happy New Year.

Here are photos of the Paramount: 1, 2, 3, 4

Jack: Thanks for the 4 photos. They sure look familiar as I think I recall seeing them elsewhere. Such a shame and it was an EBERSON! Hang your heads in SHAME, Nashville.

I see that a few of these photos were posted earlier on this link so that is where I saw them. Thanks again.

I think I was only in the Nashville Paramount one time. It was torn down shortly after I was transferred to Nashville for about three years. Am I remembering correctly that it was built on a section of Church Street that dropped sharply down to street below it, and if you walked in the theatre at the box office entrance on Church you were actually in the balcony area and had to go downstairs to sit in the orchestra area?

That's correct, richsaff. You entered the Paramount on either side of the outside box office through double glass doors. You walked slightly uphill through the marble floored lobby, at least it looked like marble, to a giant stairwell that led to the main floor downstairs. The lobby continued around either side of the stairwell to the carpeted balcony area. On the way in both walls were covered with giant posters of coming attractions.
My buddy, the usher, used to let us in free through the lower exit back behind the screen and Bob Lucks organ. (Ho.)

Lou and richsaff: Thanks for the verbal tour of the Paramount that was once in Nashville. I just went back and viewed some photos posted by Jack and was reminded again that this theatre was an EBERSON theatre which makes demolition an even harder pill to swallow.

Four words: A Hard Day's Night - printed on special Beatle tickets and you couldn't hear the movie because of the screaming.

In the 1930's Eberson had updated his theater style to art-deco, Art Moderne. Some of these are listed as Atmospheric, though they lack the treatments that he had applied to his work in the 1920's. Those theaters had vaulted Azure ceilings that met with sculpted or painted walls simulating a garden. The ceiling was either outfitted with small electric lightbulbs that twinkled - using automobile style blinker switches - or a Brenograph, a projector. They also used the Brenograph for the projection of clouds that moved across the sky. An example of one of his other creations can be seen here: http://www.sftos.org/olympia05.htm While others attempted to copy his style, there are several details that seemed to be lost by the casual viewer, who might be trying to copy his style. There are rumors that some of his plans were stolen and then used, but these cannot be confirmed.

I hope that helps. Too bad we all lost this Eberson design!

I attended many shows at the Paramount. One unusual feature of the building was its entrance way at street level..and auditorium which was downstairs.

I do recall seeing the organ console, but by that time the instrument was silent. It was bought by someone who broke it up and scattered it to the four winds.

Although I'm a classical/church organist, I do enjoy good theatre organ music; it's a shame that no venues for such exist in Nashville.

Yes, it is "a shame that no venues for such exist in Nashville", Music City USA! Many probably didn't appreciate the name Eberson the, but they do now...a little late though!

"A Hard Day's Night" played at The Paramount. Not at the Loew's. And by Loew's I mean the Loew's Vendome. We called the Loew's Vendome Loew's. We called the Loew's Crescent the Loew's Crescent. We called it the Loew's Crescent because there was a Crescent Drive-In out on Murfreesboro Road. So if someone said, "It's playing at the Crescent, " they meant that it was playing at the drive-in. If it was playing downtown, one would say, "It's at the Loew's Crescent."

Hope that clears everything up for everybody.

My early 1960s organ teacher, Mary Doster, was a fill-in organist at the Paramount. She used to tell me that the organ was removed to a Dr's home in Bowling Green, Ky. I had never heard that the organ was 'broken-up' as mentioned in this thread, and am not too sure that it is true, as a color picture of the Wurlizter console is on the inside first few pages of the last edition (4th book in the series, I believe) of the Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ. You can see this book's ordering form here (http://www.atos.org/marketplace/) as well as the place to order a back copy of the American Theatre Organ Society's quarterly publication 2007 Vol. 49, No.1, No.2, in which a picture of an organist at the console of the Paramount Nashville Wurlitzer is also listed under the category of Mystery Organist.

In speaking with organist Gaylord Carter many years ago by telephone when checking on a CD I had ordered from him, he told me that the organ from the Loew's Vendome was in either the Oakland or LA area, as he had played it.

"....an organist at the console of the Paramount Nashville Wurlitzer...." These few words are nice to read and do so wish the theatre, an organist and that Wurlitzer were still in existence in that theatre in TN!

This Paramount's Wurlitzer was the first theatre organ in Nashville to be situated on a lift in November 9, 1930. On November 14th, 1930, the Tennessean reported that theatre organist C. Sharpe Minor, also known as Charlie Minor, billed as the "manipulator of the manuals", would be introducing the 3 manual Wurlitzer. The opening night's film would be "Fast and Loose" with Miriam Hopkins, Frank Morgan, and Carole Lombard. Tickets were 60 cents.

On December 14th, 1931, the film "Frankenstein" was playing with Johnny Winters at the Wurlitzer.

On November 7th, 1946, the film "The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers" starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott was being shown, with Bob Luck at the organ.

In the 80's we purchased three pieces of furniture from the old Paramount from a former employee. It is a setee and 2 chairs, oriental in design and reportedly were part of a movie set before part of the Nashville theater decor. We still have the set and live in Murfreesboro.

Correction on the furniture above. There are 4 pieces, including a sofa.

In an earlier post it was mentioned that there was not a theater know as LOEWS. There was the LOEWS VENDOME was known to most locals as just The Loews. It faced up Capitol Bvld. looking directly at the Nashville, Tennessee Capitol building.I also used to have some seats from the Paramount that me and a friend took out as they were tearing down the building.We worked for Loews at the LOEWS CRESCENT down church street. I do not know what happen to them though.

tisloews: Too bad you don't still have some seats from the Paramount...designed by Eberson!

Nashville has simply demolished too many theatres over the years!

In regards to an early post "A HARD DAYS NIGHT" played at the Paramont, but it also played at the LOEWS VENDOME I saw the records fro the Vendome that we stored at the Loews Crescent after the Vendome burned But the records did not burn in the fire.It sold a lot of tickets..