Paramount Theatre
215 Third Street,
Baton Rouge,
LA
70801
215 Third Street,
Baton Rouge,
LA
70801
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Once described as the most thoroughly equipped and scientifically built motion picture play house in the South, this theater replaced the old Columbia Theatre after its 1919 demolition.
The new Columbia Theatre was opened September 4, 1920 with 1,451 seats, and was the first theater in the United States to have lights lining the aisles.
It was renamed the Paramount Theatre around 1937.
The Paramount Theatre was demolished in 1979.
Contributed by
Jack Van Leer
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
The Paramount was demolished in 1979, following a failed eleventh-hour attempt by private citizens to save it. The longtime owners felt the theater was too expensive to maintain, and had it flattened to street-level before it was turned into a parking lot.
Fortunately, parts of the old theater—the pipe organ, the marquee and neon sign, and the concrete statues—still exist, scattered about town in the hands of various individuals. A multi-level parking garage is about to be built at the corner of Third at Convention Streets, in place of where the Paramount once stood.
Here is a photo of the Paramount Theater and this is the ticket booth.
Sometime in the late 1970’s I believe, the Varsity was divided into two cinemas from it’s original single cinema format. It was then known as the Varsity Twin Cinema and became primarily a repertory cinema, showing many old classic Hollywood movies, from Casablanca to Night of the Living Dead. Around 1985, the movie venue change to art films and independent films. Around 1987-88, the two cinema’s were modified with long bench-like tables in front of the seats and a real food and booze menu was created. Waiters and waitresses would come around and take your food and drink order. This fad didn’t last that long as your food would be brought to you after the film started usually, and was quite a distraction. This was the only theater in Baton Rouge that showed the controversial THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST in 1988 (an, of course, the picketers were there, but were made to stand and do there shouting across the street on Highland Road). In 1991, the venue changed again to that of a live concert hall. Better that than tearing it down…
CL, Did you mean to post this on the Varsity’s page or is there a connection to the Paramount?
Oops. sorry! You are correct, I meant to post this on the Varsity’s page…
Here is a vintage (1970s?) photo of the Paramount Theater and this is an interior view.
Rear view 1970s.
Exterior side view.
Here are some color versions of photos previously posted in b/w.
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3
Photo4
I have many fond memories of the Paramount and a child growing up in Baton Rouge. The most vivid is when my father and I were at Gone With the Wind in the mid ‘70’s. The movie was delayed in starting, no one could understand why. Finally, 3 rather large gentlemen in suits came into the theater and checked everyone out. A few moments later, Gov. Edwin Edwards walked in and sat 2 rows in front of us.
The Paramount was such a beautiful theater. It broke my heart to see it torn down. I never really understood why.
Did the movie “The Long Hot Summer” make it’s world premiere at the Paramount?