Ambassador Theatre

“It was demolished about fifteen years ago when Fayetteville Street was turned into a mall.” Too bad it was demolished, but why do that when the street was only being turned into a mall for, I assume, pedestrians? And the building that this theatre was in looked to be of art deco design.

I remember seeing the remake of King Kong with Jessica Lange there in 1976 when I was 9 years old. I remember that it closed in 1979, but wasn’t it demolished in the summer of 1989? The brochure from the Raleigh City Museum states that it was demolished in 1979. Am I right?

The following is information that I received this week from http://www.raleighcitymuseum.org/ They approved my posting this as long as I gave them credit. Email me privately for the photo as you can’t post them here. The photo is from the NC Division of Archives & History.

Thanks for your interest in the Ambassador Theater that once graced Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. Attached as a JPG is one of the few exterior images the museum has of the movie theater, taken during a Raleigh Christmas Parade in 1953. Inserted below is textual information on the Ambassador that we used in some of our recent exhibits. Take care.

“In 1938, the AMBASSADOR THEATER opened on the 100-block to much fanfare. A 1,500-seat performance hall with an Art Moderne exterior, it could host vaudeville acts, live concerts and feature films. The Ambassador Theater was named to honor N&O publisher Josephus Daniels, who was named Ambassador to Mexico in 1937. In 1950 it hosted the Hollywood premier for the Gary Cooper film "Bright Leaf.” On February 8, 1956, Rock ‘n Roll legend Elvis Presley performed four concerts there. Until civil rights laws outlawed segregation, black patrons to the Ambassador entered through a side door and were restricted to balcony seating. In May 1963 this policy made the theater a sit-in target by local students from Shaw University and St. Augustine’s College. Losing much of its patronage to suburban theaters during the 1960s and '70s, the Ambassador was the last remaining downtown movie house when it closed in 1979. It was subsequently demolished."

Thank you Cha…so much…. would love to see more pictures…

Contact the suggested sources I list on this site and you may find helpful photos or materials:
http://www.cinematour.com/article.php?id=3

In addition to those listed, it is wise to trace the decendents of the original owners and builders who often have mementos/photos of their ancestors' theatre, and local newspaper files (‘morgues’) often have photos that appeared in print and some that didn’t. The Register of Deeds is a good place to start, since the documents there may direct you to people and groups involved years ago that might still have photos. Performing groups listed in old newspapers may still exist and have old photos of productions there. Best Wishes

It was bulldozed to make a parking lot for the First Union Capitol Center.