Paramount Center for the Arts

The Bristol Paramount opened in 1931 and is unusual for the fact that it sits right on a state line, on State Street, which is appropriately named, because it divides the states of Tennessee and Virginia.

Seating 765, the Paramount originally hosted both stage shows and motion pictures, and also contained a Mighty Wurlitzer, which was lifted hydraulically from the orchestra pit to stage level.

The Paramount is decorated in a stunning Art Deco style, with touches of Venetian Renaissance decor inside.

In the 1950’s, when a CinemaScope screen was installed, the ornate proscenium arch was damaged and its organ taken out. The theater continued to screen movies until 1979, when it was shuttered after decades of being the premier entertainment venue for Bristol.

The Paramount’s restoration began in the 1980’s, and more than $2 million was spent on returning it to its former splendor, including enlarging the depth of the stage to 36 feet (by knocking out a rear wall), recreating the long-lost marquees, including a two-story tall sign spelling out the theater’s name which soars over State Street.

The Paramount now rents an organ from the Piedmont Theatre Organ Society, which is a chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, for $1 a year to replace its own lost Wurlitzer.

For over a decade now, the Paramount Center for the Arts, which it is now officially known as, has hosted everything from Broadway shows like “Annie Get Your Gun” to concerts by Hootie and the Blowfish and Emmylou Harris, and is also the home of several local organizations, including Theatre Bristol, the Piedmont Theatre Organ Society, the Bristol Ballet Company and the Bristol Concert Choir. The Paramount is also used for civic functions and conferences.

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