Paramount Theatre

Chuck, the building with the “Rapides” vertical sign on it isn’t the theater. It’s on the side of the street with even-numbered addresses, but the Paramount had an odd-numbered address. The theater was across the street and down the block a bit, and it has been gone for about two decades now.

From the configuration of show windows and the deco detailing, the building with the Rapides sign looks like it might have been a dime store or a department store. Whatever it was originally, it is now the Rapides Foundation Building (the vertical sign has a side attachment with “Foundation” in smaller letters,) which runs all the way to 4th Street. Google doesn’t have street views for the Johnston Street or 4th Street sides of the building, but there’s a decent bird’s-eye at Bing Maps.

The Favrot of Favrot & Livaudais, architects of the Rapides Opera House, was Charles A. Favrot. His partner was Louis A. Livaudais. Favrot’s son, H. Mortimer Favrot, worked in the office of Favrot & Livaudais until 1934, when he formed the firm of Favrot & Reed with Alan C. Reed. Favrot & Reed went on to design at least three theaters.

Here is a 1912 photo from Duke University archives:
http://tinyurl.com/dd8lge

A Robert-Morton theater organ size 2/5 was installed in the Paramount Theater in 1928.

Here is a postcard picture of the Paramount Theater.

The NRHP info on the Paramount:

Rapides Opera House (added 1981 – Building – #81000298)
Also known as Paramount Theatre
Rapides County – 1125 3rd St., Alexandria
(10 acres, 1 building)

Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architect, builder, or engineer: Favrot & Livaudais
Architectural Style: Romanesque
Area of Significance: Performing Arts, Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation
Period of Significance: 1900-1924
Owner: Local Gov’t
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Auditorium, Music Facility, Theater
Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use

Here is an interior photo of the auditorium. The configuration is one I’ve never seen before: it had both a stadium seating section and a standard shelf balcony above it. It looks as though it had way more than the 800 seats currently claimed in this entry’s information section.

The roof of this theatre collapsed in the late 80’s and the theatre was then torn down. I was in Alexandria overnight when the roof collapsed. Driving by several months later, it was a big empty lot.