Saenger Theatre
207 W. Second Avenue,
Pine Bluff,
AR
71601
207 W. Second Avenue,
Pine Bluff,
AR
71601
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We are trying to Save the Saenger in Pine Bluff, Ar. Please go to Save Saenger on Facebook and perhaps donate to the cause..
The person who is mentioned here, Moon, NEVER bought the theater. Ever. It is still owned by Old Town Theatres Centre, Inc., a 501 c 3 corporation who are doing every thing they can to try and raise money to begin at the very least much needed repairs. Moon was indeed interested in getting ahold of the theater, but he never did – not even for a single day.
I was in Pine Bluff last February and I was blown away by the ghost-town it had become. I remember seeing movies in the Saenger and it was just an amazing place! I’m a photographer and I planned to capture the historic buildings as they stood against time….when I saw them, I found myself hoping to document their existence before they’re gone—which, given what I saw, is not far in the future. I was never there when the Hotel Pines was open but I have always been drawn to it—I remember stretching and straining to look through the boarded up/dirty windows just hoping to see what was inside. While I was there, I was allowed into the Hotel and I wanted to bawl! I shot several photos of it just to have some record of its existence. It is so sad that these places are being left to decay and be demolished because they don’t fit into our “Wal Mart and strip mall” world today.
I’ve tried to contact the owners of these old buildings to no avail. It really bothers me that they’ve become pawns in some petty “pissin' contest” between two immature ex-school rivals! How pathetic! They need to pull theirs heads out…….and realize there’s not just a “big” picture here, there’s a HUGE picture. They’re not playing Monopoly—they’re playing with history and, if they cause these places to be lost forever, history will NOT be kind to them when their stories are told in the future. I’d like to try to help save these places (and some others around Arkansas) so, any ideas………….
Take the 2 links I posted and it shows that the Hauber became Saenger sometime late in 1920. Burned in 1922, when Hauber no longer owned it, and was rebuilt by Saenger. Granted, it doesn’t say where or how much it was rebuilt. Since the rebuilding had an architect Emile Weil, I am going to assume from the ground up.
Cost for rebuild was estimated at $30,000 before the fire, then was finally rebuilt after the fire at a cost of $200,000. From reading the articles, it burned while in the process of rebuilding or remodeling.
This one is a little confusing, the Historical Society magazine mentions that the Hauber Theatre later became the Saenger Theatre but it doesn’t emntion before or after a fire or if the Saenger built a new building.
The 2nd link I posted says Hauber sold to Bohlinger Amusements in 1920, then 2 months later sold to Saenger. So it appears to already have been Saenger when it burned in 1922. Very possible a 1922 building on the same lot, but it doesn’t mentioned the building was razed.
The Saenger website claims “The Saenger was built in 1924 after the Hauber Theatre, a store-turned-theater burned shortly after it was remodeling in 1922”. Did both theaters occupy the same building or did one building replace the other?
2nd paragraph here says the same thing….
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And here too….
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According to this link posted by SiliconSam on the Strand page the Saenger originally opened as the Hauber Theatre.
http://pbjclibrary.state.ar.us/rotary/Hauber/
If I am reading it right the Sainger should have an AKA Hauber Theatre.
1984 photo of the Saenger Theatre.
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Another angle in the same year 1984.
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It will re-open as theatre as planned……
First Movie will be “The MOON strikes back, the negroids take revenge”
I say that in humor and to prove a point: MOON himself boasted of his pride to be able to buy the places that enforced segregation by law. So now he is the HNIC. The more you buy the more control you have. Now lets see him donate some property for charities sake.
Okay,
The theatres were sold to a gentleman investor by the name of MOON. He is from Memphis and is responsible for the building of Beale Street what it is today. He has been buying up a lot of properties in Pine Bluff such as the Hotel Pines and dozens of others, but he has been doing it semi-secretly. Its been in the papers but noone has a clue what he wants done with it. That whole downtown section is falling apart. THe ceiling just caved in at the old band museum.
Our Current Mayor in Pine Bluff is Carl Redus. Moon told Redus “The first thing you need to do is write a grant proposal to get the asbestos out of the buildings downtown.”
“We don’t have anyone on our staff that does grant writing” Redus replied.
“Well here is the grant proposal from Memphis. Just change the name of the city and the figures and send it in."
"Im sorry, we just don’t have anyone on any of our staffs that handle that.”
It turns out that Redus and Moon supposedly dated the same girl in high school therefore redus doesn’t want to gove Moon the credit for saving Pine Bluff. Now I don’t know if this is true but I have sources closely associated with the buildings that told me this and other things.
So the dream is over essentially. I went up on the roof and the condition of the roof up there was the last straw. My sister was getting ready to do a story about the buildings for the Commercial when we found out that they were both sold as fast as they could have been. Frankly I was pissed, so I will tell all I know as it is out of their hands now.
I have videos from inside the theatre as well as a lot of pictures of its state that are several months old.
THe community is across the street on the next block. That address is 207 W. Second Street.
Sorry for the bad news.
Respectfully,
Eric
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The 1955 Film Daily Yearbook gives the address of the Saenger Theater as 120 West Second St. which is probably West Second Avenue and seating at that time was 1494.
Should the Saenger Theater have the same address as the Community Theater?
What is the status of the Saenger Theater now? Has it changed hands? Did the Community Theater become a bar as was stated in the earlier post?
I now know that the Community and the Saenger are under negotiations for changing hands altogether. Developments as of Wednesday are happening and I will be able to comment on this further in the future.
Eric
Heres a shot of the Fascade
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A Shot of the Marquee, removed in 1988
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Heres the lateral and Posterior view
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And a view of the Saenger from Underneath the Marquee of the Community Theatre.
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The Theatre is lacking a lot more than a Marquee. It needs about 6 million for a complete restoration, with at least 55,000 for the roof alone. Unfortunately, the grant money is gone and the Pine Bluff Film Festival is over. They are selling the Community THeatre (Oldest 1 screen theatre in Arkansas), to turn it into a bar. The closest thing that it has to a Marquee is a sign that I’ll probably hang within the next few weeks. Heres a picture of the lobby through the window.
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Know anyone that wants to make a donation?
Respectfully,
Eric
Theatre needs a marquee it looks naked without one. brucec
Here is the most recent photo of it on the web.
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Mr. Beatty; Mr. Curry,
I have spent a couple of afternoons with Ms. Kathleen helping her clean the Community Theatre for its sale. I went to the screening of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” with my 10 year old niece and we met Patricia Neal. I felt so bad because I had to get her home and we had to leave and Prof. Hirsch practically begged us to stay as there was really noone there.
I am from the younger generation and I have recently become infatuated with the Saenger. I have a lot of ideas and Im currently working on a letter to Ms. Kathleen about some of my opinions, comments, suggestions, and a vision for the future. Im trying to get in touch with as many people as possible related to the Pine Bluff Film Festival so that perhaps I can express my concerns and receive feedback on the feasibility of some of my ideas. I need someone to contact me because while I’m beginning to see this as a lost cause, im pretty determined not to give up.
Respectfully,
Eric
Here is a large modern photo of the Saenger Theater.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995
Saenger Theater (added 1995 – Building – #95000348)
Also known as JE0550
Jct. of W. Second Ave. and Pine St., SE corner, Pine Bluff
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Weil, Emil
Architectural Style: Classical Revival
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Work In Progress
Here is an interesting article about the Saenger and the Silent Film Festival:
http://tinyurl.com/qnxar