The Gordon Theatre (now the Shrine of the black Madonna at 960 Ralph Abernathy Boulevard – formerly Gordon Street) should not be confused with the West End Theatre, which once stood at 595 Lee Street, SW. If you know West End, then you probably realize that Lee Street intersects Ralph Abernathy Boulevard (Gordon Street), near the train trestle. The former site of the West End Theatre on Lee Street and what was once the Gordon Theatre on Gordon Street were about a quarter of a mile apartment. The two theaters really looked nothing alike. When I first encountered the old West End Theatre, it had ceased to operate as a movie theater. It was being used as the location of Cantrell’s bookstore. The West End Theatre was one of a number of Atlanta area movie theaters that went out of business in the early to mid 1950’s. The West End Theatre was torn down in the 1960’s, as I recall.
The Paris Theatre rivalled my affection for the Beekman Theatre during the years that I lived in New York. Technically, the Paris Theatre is a West Side house, since it is located west of Fifth Avenue. Fortunately, I saw a number of films there and I always found the presentation to be very good. My only complaint was that the auditorium tended to get very warm at times.
The Paris' understated simplicity always had a very sophisticated New York quality about it. It would be a shame if it falls victim to some real estate developer. If the worst happens, this theatre will live on in my memory.
As Bogart said in CASABLANCA, “We’ll always have Paris.”
The last time that I was in Atlanta, Buckhead didn’t look like Buckhead any more. As a matter of fact, you could say that of a lot of neighborhoods in the Atlanta area!
The Garden Hills Cinema (at one time known as the Fine Art) reminds me somewhat of the Beekman Theatre, 1254 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10021. Both theatres are of similar size and configuration. At different times in my life I knew both theatres well. Here’s the Cinema Treasures link to the Beekman Theatre:
It looks like the Beekman Theatre, New York City’s best art house cinema, is slated for demolition. Former patrons like me are making their feelings on the matter known on the Cinema Treasures listing for the Beekman. Yours truly has posted a rather lengthy comment there regarding the future of motion picture exhibition as we have known it.
The fate of the Beekman could serve as a word of warning to Atlanta movie goers. Beware of real estate developers (no, garlic and crucifixes will not repell them!). Jewels like the Beekman Theatre and the Garden Hills Cinema should to be preserved!
The 211 S. Main Street address for the Fairfax Theatre could be correct. That should be near the intersection of Main Street and Fairfax Avenue in East Point. Some of my previous comments on the East Point Theatre might be appropriate here:
The Fairfax Theater was closed (and/or demolished) by the time I became acquainted with East Point. The 1953 Atlanta Telephone Directory simply lists the address of the Fairfax as East Point. So, I can’t determine its exact street address with any certainty. The Fairfax was one of a group of Atlanta neighborhood theaters that I never actually attended, or in some cases never knew of at all.
Theaters that I never knew included the American, 771 Marietta Street, NW; the Brookhaven, 4012 Peachtree Road, NE; the Cameo, 61 Peachtree Street (downtown); the Cascade, 1340 Gordon Street, SW (near the juncture of Cascade Road); the Empire, 42 Georgia Avenue, SW (near present day Turner Field); the Fulton 761 S. Central Avenue, SW; and the Memorial, 657 Memorial Drive, SE (in the vicinity of Oakland Cemetary).
Theaters that I was aware of, but never had the chance to attend, included the DeKalb, 130 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE (on the square in Decatur); Little Five Points 1103 Euclid Avenue, NE; and the West End, 595 Lee Street, SW (in West End). They were already closed up at the time I became aware of them. To the best of my knowledge, the only ones left standing are the Little Five Points (now known as the Seven Stages) and the Fulton (or so I gather from the listing on this site).
Remember that the heyday of Atlanta’s neighborhood theaters coincided with the era of racial segregation in the south. There was another group of Atlanta neighborhood theaters, referred to as “Colored Theaters,” which served the African-American community in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. That was the way of the world in those days.
All in all, the Atlanta area had about three dozen hardtop neighborhood theaters in the early 1950’s. Remember, the Atlanta area has changed drastically in the last 50 years. Street names and street numbers have been changed. Even beyond that, the entire “lay of the land” can look signifigantly different when you haven’t visited the city for a few years. So, even given the original street addresses, it can be difficult to determine just where these long gone theaters originally stood.
Hopefully, someone with a clear memory of post World War II Atlanta will read this comment and enlighten us more about the Atlanta area theaters in that era.
During the 1950’s, the Hilan Theatre in the Virginia-Highlands area was one of the nicer neighborhood theaters on Atlanta’s east side. When I was a boy, my father took me to the Hilan often, along with Plaza Theatre at 1083 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE; the Euclid at 1099 Euclid Avenue in Little Five Points; the Kirkwood Theatre at 1965 Boulevard Drive, SE in Kirkwood; the Madison at 496 Flat Shoals Road, SE in East Atlanta; the Ponce de Leon Theatre at 506 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE (near the intersection of Ponce de Leon and Monroe Drive); the Tenth Street Theatre at 990 Peachtree Road, NE (it once stood in front of the Margaret Mitchell residence); and the Techwood Theatre at 132 North Avenue, NW.
The only buildings still standing are the Hilan, Plaza (still in operation at this writing!), and the Madison (now being restored according to this site). The Hilan did stay in business through much of the 1960’s, but by that time the neighborhood theaters in Atlanta were losing business to the newer theaters in shopping centers.
During the many years that I lived in New York, I’m happy to say that I saw many films at the Beekman Theatre. During much of that time, I lived on the East Side, so the Beekman soon became my favorite Manhattan movie house. The Beekman had some of the best sight lines that I ever encountered in a relatively small theater. In the early 1970’s, I remember that the Beekman was part of the Cinema 5 group owned by Donald Rugoff (if memory serves, that is). By the late 1980’s the theater was becoming badly run down. The once comfortable rocking chair seats were breaking down.
When the theater was renovated, I jokingly complained to the manager that I missed the rocking chair seats. The manager good naturedly told me that if the new seats were not comfortable he would refund the price of admission to me. On the way out, I told him in all truth that the new seats WERE comfortable. Going to the Beekman had become a real pleasure again! The Beekman was one of the things that I missed after I moved away from New York. Now I realize that I will miss it even more knowing that I may never see a film there again. The thought of the Beekman Theatre being demolished really saddens me.
In conversations with old friends in New York, what I have been given to understand is this: Since Michael Bloomberg became Mayor, he has created a climate that encourages real estate development and undermines the quality of life for the middle class. After all, Mayor Bloomberg is a billionaire and a real estate developer himself. Is it any wonder that the Landmark Commission is failing to fulfill its original task?
As everyone who visits this site knows, ambience is so very important to the aesthetic appreciation of the performing arts. The early Hollywood movie moguls understood that when they created their “palaces of dreams” they were not just showing movies in them, they were giving the public an indelible experience. Even small jewels like the Beekman Theatre were part of that approach to motion picture exhibition.
Today there is a serious question as to whether or not motion picture exhibition as we have known it will continue to exist for the next generation. Right now technology is making true convergence between the home computer and a home theater system possible. If Sony and Toshiba can agree on a single standard for High Definition DVD, then the sales of High Definition televisions will increase (making the price decrease in time). If you consider the average price of an RCA color television about fifty years ago (close to $500, if I remember correctly) and adjust the price for inflation you come up with a figure of aproximately $3000 (naturally, this figure is subject to correction). If a Home Theater System with a High Definition television and recordable DVD player can be developed to sell in that price range, then a lot of middle class people will consider making such an investment. People are working so hard to pay for overpriced homes; meet high educational expenses for their children; and fund their retirements, they may consider home entertainment something other than a luxury.
Here is the point: When affordable home theater converges with high speed online delivery of programming (copyright issues aside for the moment) and High Definition DVD redefines the DVD market, what happens to motion picture exhibition as we have known it? The only answer that I can come up with is to look at the era following the Second World War. After 1946 (a peak year for box office grosses), attendence began to taper off. The generation that fought the Second World War got busy begatting the Baby Boom Generation. By the early 1950’s, the impact of television was enormous (the great American baby sitter for Baby Boomers). Add to that the effect of the Federal Court’s Consent Decree, requiring the movie studios to divest themselves of their interest in exhibition, and the impact was even greater. As most of us know, thousands of movie theaters closed across the country in the years that followed.
So, there may be a rough parallel to the era we are approaching to that time 50 to 60 years ago. If I see a ray of hope in movie exhibition it is because of complexes like Los Angeles' The Bridge Cinema Deluxe at the the Howard Huges Center just off the 405 Expressway. It features 14 screens of diferent sizes, all with stadium seating. There is even an IMAX theater, as well as ultra comfortable, wide, leather upholstered seats in the Directors Halls (at a premium price, but who cares?). The point is that people may go out to the movies if they can have a quality experience.
To paraphrase one of the last lines from Sam Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH (1969): “It ain’t like it used to be, but it’ll do!”
Well, I certainly remember the Madison Theatre as a movie house. It was one a group of neighborhood theaters on Atlanta’s east side that my dad took me to when I was a kid. Although I didn’t attend the Madison as frequently as I did the Decatur, the Euclid, the Plaza, the Hilan, the Kirkwood, and the Glen, I remember the Madison very well. The Madison stayed in business into the mid 1960’s, as I recall. The neighborhood was changing a great deal by that time. So, I imagine it closed sometime in the ‘60’s.
When visiting Atlanta, I’ve seen this theater a few times over the years. It looked rather sad all boarded up. I’m glad to know that it is being restored and I’ll be interested to know what they do with it.
No, you are incorrect about the name and address of this theater. You are referring to the Gordon Theatre (original address 960 Gordon Street, SW), which is now the Shrine of the Black Madonna on Ralph Abernathy Boulevard. This theater is located a few doors away from the Wren’s Nest, the home of Joel Chandler Harris (author of the Uncle Remus stories), which is maintained as a tourist attraction.
However, you are absolutely correct in saying that the Gordon Theatre was an outstanding neighborhood theater. It would get my vote as the best of the second run houses in the Atlanta area in its day. They really don’t build them like this any more.
The West End Theatre was at 595 Lee Street, SW. If you know West End, then you probably realize that Lee Street intersects Gordon Street, near the train trestle. The West End Theatre on Lee Street and the Gordon Theatre on Gordon Street were about a quarter of a mile apartment. When I first encountered the old West End Theatre, it had ceased to operate as a movie theater. It was being used as the location of Cantrell’s bookstore. The West End Theatre was one of a number of Atlanta area movie theaters that went out of business in the early to mid 1950’s. The West End Theatre was torn down in the 1960’s, as I recall.
In the same general vicinity, about half a mile outside the main business district of West End, was the Cascade Theatre at 1340 Gordon Street, SW (near the juncture of Cascade Road). Apparently, it was torn down years ago.
The Gordon Theater (the original address was 960 Gordon Street, SW) was possibly the largest of the second run, neighborhood theaters in the Atlanta area in its day. It was one of only several to have a balcony (another was the Euclid Theater in Little Five Points). Although I didn’t get to attend the Gordon Theatre as much as the neighborhood theaters on Atlanta’s east side, I did like this theater a lot.
On one occasion, my father took me to see TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT (1960) on a first run engagement. Gordon Scott, who starred as Tarzan, made a personal appearance.
The Gordon Theatre was a great venue for horror movies and other such guilty pleasures when I was a kid.
Yes, I remember the Fine Art and it’s sequined curtain, as well. The Fine Art at 2835 Peachtree Road, NE, along with the Art at 1132 Peachtree Road, NE, were the main venues for foreign films in the 1960’s.
When I had the opportunity to attend the theater again in the 1980’s (after the name had been changed back to the Garden Hills) I was struck by how much I still liked this theater. It was intimate and comfortable. The sight lines were good, as well as the projection and sound. I hope it hasn’t been changed.
The last time I attended the Plaza Theater was twenty years ago. The first time was over 30 years before that occasion. When I was growing up in Atlanta, I saw a number of movies there. My father told me that the Plaza Shopping Center was the first of its kind in the Atlanta area.
The Plaza Theater was one of my favorite neighborhood theaters when I was growing up. It’s really nice that not only has it survived, but it continues to operate. That’s remarkable for a city that has changed as much as Atlanta has in the last fifty something years!
Yes, that’s a Nazi flag flying on Peachtree Street! The occasion was the World Baptist Alliance Convention. This is another shot from the Lane Brothers Collection, housed at Georgia State.
Somehow I missed the note on the seating capacity of 2100! Hope someone whose memory of Atlanta goes back farther than mine can provide some more specifics.
It’s from the collection of photographs taken by the Lane Brothers, now housed in the Pullen Library of George State University.
About 1961, the Buckhead was converted to a first run policy (El CID being one of their first bookings). The name was changed to The Capri. Naturally, they renovated the theater (none too successfully). It always seemed like a neighborhood theater. The Capri (Buckhead); The Rhodes (closed up the last time I was in Atlanta); and the Fine Art (previously and currently The Garden Hills) were all second run houses pressed into service, so to speak, to book first run pictures in the 1960’s.
Although I attended the Euclid Theater (at 1099 Euclid Avenue, NE) many times when I was growing up in Atlanta, the Little Five Points Theater (nearby at 1103 Euclid Avenue, NE) was closed up as far back as I can remember.
The Little Five Points was one of several theaters that I was aware of, but never had the chance to attend, included: the DeKalb, 130 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE (on the square in Decatur) which later became the site of a J.C. Penny store; and the West End, 595 Lee Street, SW (in West End), which I remember as a book store. They had already ceased operations as movie houses at the time I became aware of them. To the best of my knowledge, some of the few of these left standing are the Little Five Points (now known as the Seven Stages); the Euclid (as the Variety); and the Fulton (or so I gather from the listing on this site).
Yes, it’s really remarkable that the Little Five Points and the Euclid have survived in an area known for such sweeping changes. However it is notable that the Plaza Theater and the Garden Hills Theaters are still operating under the management of Lefont Theaters. Structures that are still standing include: the Gordon Theater, 960 Gordon Street, SW, in West End (as the Church of the Black Madonna); the Hilan Theater,800 N. Highland Avenue, NE (renovated for commercial use); the Glen Theater, near the juncture of Candler Road and Glenwood Road in South East Atlanta (now a pawn shop); the Madison Theater at 496 Flat Shoals Road, SE (apparently undergoing restoration according to this site); the Rhodes Theater, 11 – A.S. Rhodes Center, off Peachtree Road (closed when last I saw it); and the facade of the Temple Theater, 456 Cherokee Avenue, SE (between Memorial Drive and Grant Park) still stands, complete with the its Masonic symbol.
Theaters that I never knew included the American, 771 Marietta Street, NW; the Brookhaven, 4012 Peachtree Road, NE; the Cameo, 61 Peachtree Street (downtown); the Cascade, 1340 Gordon Street, SW (near the juncture of Cascade Road); the Empire, 42 Georgia Avenue, SW (near present day Turner Field); the Fulton 761 S. Central Avenue, SW; and the Memorial, 657 Memorial Drive, SE (in the vicinity of Oakland Cemetary). Hope someone whose memory of Atlanta stretches back farther than mine can shed some light on them.
Yes, the Jefferson Avenue location is correct for the East Point Theater. Circa 1960, I attended the theater several times, but not on a regular basis. So, I never knew it by any other name than the East Point. In the early 1980’s, I stopped by the theater to take a look. Apparently, it had been closed up for quite some time. Circa 1990, I had a look at the location while I was traveling on a MARTA elevated train. The theater and the block had already been torn down.
The Fairfax Theater was closed by the time I became acquainted with East Point. The 1953 Atlanta Telephone Directory simply lists the address of the Fairfax as East Point. So, I can’t shed any light on its exact street address. The Fairfax was one of a group of Atlanta neighborhood theaters that I never actually attended, or in some cases never knew of at all.
Theaters that I never knew included the American, 771 Marietta Street, NW; the Brookhaven, 4012 Peachtree Road, NE; the Cameo, 61 Peachtree Street (downtown); the Cascade, 1340 Gordon Street, SW (near the juncture of Cascade Road); the Empire, 42 Georgia Avenue, SW (near present day Turner Field); the Fulton 761 S. Central Avenue, SW; and the Memorial, 657 Memorial Drive, SE (in the vicinity of Oakland Cemetary).
Theaters that I was aware of, but never had the chance to attend, included the DeKalb, 130 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE (on the square in Decatur); Little Five Points 1103 Euclid Avenue, NE; and the West End, 595 Lee Street, SW (in West End). They were already closed up at the time I became aware of them. To the best of my knowledge, the only ones left standing are the Little Five Points (now known as the Seven Stages) and the Fulton (or so I gather from the listing on this site).
Remember that these theaters were in business in the days of racial segregation. There was another group of neighborhood theaters referred to as “Colored Theaters,” which served the African-American community in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. Obviously, I am white. With 20/20 hindsight I am rather appalled that I grew up in a segregated society, but that’s another story.
All in all, the Atlanta area had about three dozen hardtop neighborhood theaters in the early 1950’s. Remember, the Atlanta area has changed drastically in the last 50 years. Yes, street names and street numbers have been changed. Apart from that, the entire “lay of the land” can look signifigantly different when you haven’t visited the city for a few years. So, even given the original street addresses, it can be difficult to determine where these long gone theaters originally stood.
As nearly as I can tell, The Capitol Theater closed down around 1948-49. An Atlanta Telephone Directory prior to that time should have the exact street number.
Here’s a link to a photo of the Capitol and the Roxy:
After the theater closed, it was gutted and the space was incorporated into the Davison-Paxon Department Store. The theater was actually inside (or possibly in back of) the Davison’s building. Although I was very familiar with the interior of Davison’s, it was not easy to tell exactly how the Capitol Theater was laid out. Based on the evidence, there was probably a long foyer to the lobby (like the Roxy next door). The auditorium may have been behind the elevator bank in Davison’s. If so, then the auditorium was in a relatively confined space. That would have meant that the seating capacity would have been considerably less than the Roxy.
Does anyone know the precise layout of the Capitol in relationship to Davison’s interior? What about the seating capacity?
My father had vivid memories of seeing the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN at a midnight sneak preview at the Capitol Theater.
My reference sources are incomplete. As nearly as I can tell, The Capitol Theater closed down around 1948-49. If you can consult an Atlanta Telephone Directory prior to that time, you should be able to find the street number.
Here’s a link to a photo of the Capitol and the Roxy:
As you probably know, the theater was gutted and the space was incorporated into the Davison-Paxon Department Store. The theater was actually inside (or possibly in back of) the Davison’s building. Although I was very familiar with the interior of Davison’s, it was not easy to tell exactly how the Capitol Theater was laid out.
Does anyone know the precise layout of the Capitol in relationship to Davison’s interior? What about the seating capacity?
My father had vivid memories of seeing the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN at a midnight sneak preview at the Capitol Theater.
Yes, the Towne Cinema was originally the Avondale Theater. Around 1966, the Avondale Theater came under the management of the late George Ellis. He altered the name and instituted a policy of art films and revivals. Prior to that time, the Avondale Theater had become run down and had a poor reputation.
Although Avondale Estates and the City of Decatur (which was incorporated as a city before Atlanta) bordered each other in DeKalb County, they were seperate and distinct communities. Their respective high schools were arch rivals.
As nearly as I can tell, this theater ceased operation sometimes in the 1970’s
According to a 1954 Atlanta Telephone Directory, the correct street address of The Roxy Theater was 204 Peachtree Street,NW (on the West side of Peachtree Street).
According to a photocopy that I have of pages from a 1954 Atlanta Telephone Directory, the street address of the Paramount Theater was 169 Peachtree Street, NE (on the East side of Peachtree Street). My father grew up in Atlanta and attended the theater many times in the 1920’s when it was known as the Howard Theater. He vividly recalled seeing many stage shows there, as well as movies.
The theater that you are referring to as the Cinerama and Columbia, was known primarily as the Tower Theater (located at 583 Peachtree Street, NE) during my childhood in Atlanta. Under that name, it was often used for legitimate plays and concerts. At one time, I found a 1956 program from the Tower Theater for a concert given by the great Swedish tenor, Jussi Bjoerling. The Tower was even used as a pre-Broadway tryout for one or two theater productions that I can remember. The Tower had been previously know as the Erlanger Theater. If you go on the Georgia State University website that I cited in my previous post, you can locate a photgraph of the Erlanger Theater.
For reference, The Loew’s Grand was located at 157 Peachtree Street, NE. The Roxy Theater was located at 204 Peachtree Street, NW (on the West side of Peachtree Street). Source for all addresses is the 1954 Atlanta Telephone Directory that cited earlier.
It’s the website for Georgia State University’s Pullen Library. It houses the photo collection of the Lane Brothers, professional photographers whose work spans the the 1930’s through the 1960’s. Use the search engine to search for the Roxy and/or Peachtree Street and you’ll find some nice photos.
When I was growing up in Atlanta in the 1950’s and 1960’s, I attended the Roxy frequently. Although they did show their share of typical commercial releases in those years, they tended to specialize in road show attractions. Pictures like AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, BEN HUR, SPARTACUS, THE LONGEST DAY and MY FAIR LADY played on a road show basis there.
The demolition of Atlanta’s Peachtree Street movie theaters robbed the city of a considerable amount of it’s charm and character. A pity.
The Gordon Theatre (now the Shrine of the black Madonna at 960 Ralph Abernathy Boulevard – formerly Gordon Street) should not be confused with the West End Theatre, which once stood at 595 Lee Street, SW. If you know West End, then you probably realize that Lee Street intersects Ralph Abernathy Boulevard (Gordon Street), near the train trestle. The former site of the West End Theatre on Lee Street and what was once the Gordon Theatre on Gordon Street were about a quarter of a mile apartment. The two theaters really looked nothing alike. When I first encountered the old West End Theatre, it had ceased to operate as a movie theater. It was being used as the location of Cantrell’s bookstore. The West End Theatre was one of a number of Atlanta area movie theaters that went out of business in the early to mid 1950’s. The West End Theatre was torn down in the 1960’s, as I recall.
The Paris Theatre rivalled my affection for the Beekman Theatre during the years that I lived in New York. Technically, the Paris Theatre is a West Side house, since it is located west of Fifth Avenue. Fortunately, I saw a number of films there and I always found the presentation to be very good. My only complaint was that the auditorium tended to get very warm at times.
The Paris' understated simplicity always had a very sophisticated New York quality about it. It would be a shame if it falls victim to some real estate developer. If the worst happens, this theatre will live on in my memory.
As Bogart said in CASABLANCA, “We’ll always have Paris.”
Here’s a link to a really nice pair of “then and now” photos at the Atlanta Time Machine website:
View link
The last time that I was in Atlanta, Buckhead didn’t look like Buckhead any more. As a matter of fact, you could say that of a lot of neighborhoods in the Atlanta area!
Here’s a link to a nice “then and now” pair of photos at the Atlanta Time Machine website:
View link
Might glad that this theatre is still in operation!
The Garden Hills Cinema (at one time known as the Fine Art) reminds me somewhat of the Beekman Theatre, 1254 Second Avenue, New York, New York 10021. Both theatres are of similar size and configuration. At different times in my life I knew both theatres well. Here’s the Cinema Treasures link to the Beekman Theatre:
/theaters/306/
It looks like the Beekman Theatre, New York City’s best art house cinema, is slated for demolition. Former patrons like me are making their feelings on the matter known on the Cinema Treasures listing for the Beekman. Yours truly has posted a rather lengthy comment there regarding the future of motion picture exhibition as we have known it.
The fate of the Beekman could serve as a word of warning to Atlanta movie goers. Beware of real estate developers (no, garlic and crucifixes will not repell them!). Jewels like the Beekman Theatre and the Garden Hills Cinema should to be preserved!
The 211 S. Main Street address for the Fairfax Theatre could be correct. That should be near the intersection of Main Street and Fairfax Avenue in East Point. Some of my previous comments on the East Point Theatre might be appropriate here:
The Fairfax Theater was closed (and/or demolished) by the time I became acquainted with East Point. The 1953 Atlanta Telephone Directory simply lists the address of the Fairfax as East Point. So, I can’t determine its exact street address with any certainty. The Fairfax was one of a group of Atlanta neighborhood theaters that I never actually attended, or in some cases never knew of at all.
Theaters that I never knew included the American, 771 Marietta Street, NW; the Brookhaven, 4012 Peachtree Road, NE; the Cameo, 61 Peachtree Street (downtown); the Cascade, 1340 Gordon Street, SW (near the juncture of Cascade Road); the Empire, 42 Georgia Avenue, SW (near present day Turner Field); the Fulton 761 S. Central Avenue, SW; and the Memorial, 657 Memorial Drive, SE (in the vicinity of Oakland Cemetary).
Theaters that I was aware of, but never had the chance to attend, included the DeKalb, 130 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE (on the square in Decatur); Little Five Points 1103 Euclid Avenue, NE; and the West End, 595 Lee Street, SW (in West End). They were already closed up at the time I became aware of them. To the best of my knowledge, the only ones left standing are the Little Five Points (now known as the Seven Stages) and the Fulton (or so I gather from the listing on this site).
Remember that the heyday of Atlanta’s neighborhood theaters coincided with the era of racial segregation in the south. There was another group of Atlanta neighborhood theaters, referred to as “Colored Theaters,” which served the African-American community in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. That was the way of the world in those days.
All in all, the Atlanta area had about three dozen hardtop neighborhood theaters in the early 1950’s. Remember, the Atlanta area has changed drastically in the last 50 years. Street names and street numbers have been changed. Even beyond that, the entire “lay of the land” can look signifigantly different when you haven’t visited the city for a few years. So, even given the original street addresses, it can be difficult to determine just where these long gone theaters originally stood.
Hopefully, someone with a clear memory of post World War II Atlanta will read this comment and enlighten us more about the Atlanta area theaters in that era.
During the 1950’s, the Hilan Theatre in the Virginia-Highlands area was one of the nicer neighborhood theaters on Atlanta’s east side. When I was a boy, my father took me to the Hilan often, along with Plaza Theatre at 1083 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE; the Euclid at 1099 Euclid Avenue in Little Five Points; the Kirkwood Theatre at 1965 Boulevard Drive, SE in Kirkwood; the Madison at 496 Flat Shoals Road, SE in East Atlanta; the Ponce de Leon Theatre at 506 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE (near the intersection of Ponce de Leon and Monroe Drive); the Tenth Street Theatre at 990 Peachtree Road, NE (it once stood in front of the Margaret Mitchell residence); and the Techwood Theatre at 132 North Avenue, NW.
The only buildings still standing are the Hilan, Plaza (still in operation at this writing!), and the Madison (now being restored according to this site). The Hilan did stay in business through much of the 1960’s, but by that time the neighborhood theaters in Atlanta were losing business to the newer theaters in shopping centers.
During the many years that I lived in New York, I’m happy to say that I saw many films at the Beekman Theatre. During much of that time, I lived on the East Side, so the Beekman soon became my favorite Manhattan movie house. The Beekman had some of the best sight lines that I ever encountered in a relatively small theater. In the early 1970’s, I remember that the Beekman was part of the Cinema 5 group owned by Donald Rugoff (if memory serves, that is). By the late 1980’s the theater was becoming badly run down. The once comfortable rocking chair seats were breaking down.
When the theater was renovated, I jokingly complained to the manager that I missed the rocking chair seats. The manager good naturedly told me that if the new seats were not comfortable he would refund the price of admission to me. On the way out, I told him in all truth that the new seats WERE comfortable. Going to the Beekman had become a real pleasure again! The Beekman was one of the things that I missed after I moved away from New York. Now I realize that I will miss it even more knowing that I may never see a film there again. The thought of the Beekman Theatre being demolished really saddens me.
In conversations with old friends in New York, what I have been given to understand is this: Since Michael Bloomberg became Mayor, he has created a climate that encourages real estate development and undermines the quality of life for the middle class. After all, Mayor Bloomberg is a billionaire and a real estate developer himself. Is it any wonder that the Landmark Commission is failing to fulfill its original task?
As everyone who visits this site knows, ambience is so very important to the aesthetic appreciation of the performing arts. The early Hollywood movie moguls understood that when they created their “palaces of dreams” they were not just showing movies in them, they were giving the public an indelible experience. Even small jewels like the Beekman Theatre were part of that approach to motion picture exhibition.
Today there is a serious question as to whether or not motion picture exhibition as we have known it will continue to exist for the next generation. Right now technology is making true convergence between the home computer and a home theater system possible. If Sony and Toshiba can agree on a single standard for High Definition DVD, then the sales of High Definition televisions will increase (making the price decrease in time). If you consider the average price of an RCA color television about fifty years ago (close to $500, if I remember correctly) and adjust the price for inflation you come up with a figure of aproximately $3000 (naturally, this figure is subject to correction). If a Home Theater System with a High Definition television and recordable DVD player can be developed to sell in that price range, then a lot of middle class people will consider making such an investment. People are working so hard to pay for overpriced homes; meet high educational expenses for their children; and fund their retirements, they may consider home entertainment something other than a luxury.
Here is the point: When affordable home theater converges with high speed online delivery of programming (copyright issues aside for the moment) and High Definition DVD redefines the DVD market, what happens to motion picture exhibition as we have known it? The only answer that I can come up with is to look at the era following the Second World War. After 1946 (a peak year for box office grosses), attendence began to taper off. The generation that fought the Second World War got busy begatting the Baby Boom Generation. By the early 1950’s, the impact of television was enormous (the great American baby sitter for Baby Boomers). Add to that the effect of the Federal Court’s Consent Decree, requiring the movie studios to divest themselves of their interest in exhibition, and the impact was even greater. As most of us know, thousands of movie theaters closed across the country in the years that followed.
So, there may be a rough parallel to the era we are approaching to that time 50 to 60 years ago. If I see a ray of hope in movie exhibition it is because of complexes like Los Angeles' The Bridge Cinema Deluxe at the the Howard Huges Center just off the 405 Expressway. It features 14 screens of diferent sizes, all with stadium seating. There is even an IMAX theater, as well as ultra comfortable, wide, leather upholstered seats in the Directors Halls (at a premium price, but who cares?). The point is that people may go out to the movies if they can have a quality experience.
To paraphrase one of the last lines from Sam Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH (1969): “It ain’t like it used to be, but it’ll do!”
Well, I certainly remember the Madison Theatre as a movie house. It was one a group of neighborhood theaters on Atlanta’s east side that my dad took me to when I was a kid. Although I didn’t attend the Madison as frequently as I did the Decatur, the Euclid, the Plaza, the Hilan, the Kirkwood, and the Glen, I remember the Madison very well. The Madison stayed in business into the mid 1960’s, as I recall. The neighborhood was changing a great deal by that time. So, I imagine it closed sometime in the ‘60’s.
When visiting Atlanta, I’ve seen this theater a few times over the years. It looked rather sad all boarded up. I’m glad to know that it is being restored and I’ll be interested to know what they do with it.
No, you are incorrect about the name and address of this theater. You are referring to the Gordon Theatre (original address 960 Gordon Street, SW), which is now the Shrine of the Black Madonna on Ralph Abernathy Boulevard. This theater is located a few doors away from the Wren’s Nest, the home of Joel Chandler Harris (author of the Uncle Remus stories), which is maintained as a tourist attraction.
However, you are absolutely correct in saying that the Gordon Theatre was an outstanding neighborhood theater. It would get my vote as the best of the second run houses in the Atlanta area in its day. They really don’t build them like this any more.
The West End Theatre was at 595 Lee Street, SW. If you know West End, then you probably realize that Lee Street intersects Gordon Street, near the train trestle. The West End Theatre on Lee Street and the Gordon Theatre on Gordon Street were about a quarter of a mile apartment. When I first encountered the old West End Theatre, it had ceased to operate as a movie theater. It was being used as the location of Cantrell’s bookstore. The West End Theatre was one of a number of Atlanta area movie theaters that went out of business in the early to mid 1950’s. The West End Theatre was torn down in the 1960’s, as I recall.
In the same general vicinity, about half a mile outside the main business district of West End, was the Cascade Theatre at 1340 Gordon Street, SW (near the juncture of Cascade Road). Apparently, it was torn down years ago.
The Gordon Theater (the original address was 960 Gordon Street, SW) was possibly the largest of the second run, neighborhood theaters in the Atlanta area in its day. It was one of only several to have a balcony (another was the Euclid Theater in Little Five Points). Although I didn’t get to attend the Gordon Theatre as much as the neighborhood theaters on Atlanta’s east side, I did like this theater a lot.
On one occasion, my father took me to see TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT (1960) on a first run engagement. Gordon Scott, who starred as Tarzan, made a personal appearance.
The Gordon Theatre was a great venue for horror movies and other such guilty pleasures when I was a kid.
Yes, I remember the Fine Art and it’s sequined curtain, as well. The Fine Art at 2835 Peachtree Road, NE, along with the Art at 1132 Peachtree Road, NE, were the main venues for foreign films in the 1960’s.
When I had the opportunity to attend the theater again in the 1980’s (after the name had been changed back to the Garden Hills) I was struck by how much I still liked this theater. It was intimate and comfortable. The sight lines were good, as well as the projection and sound. I hope it hasn’t been changed.
Wish we had more movie theaters like this one.
Here’s a link to a photo of the Plaza Theater, dated 1951:
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The last time I attended the Plaza Theater was twenty years ago. The first time was over 30 years before that occasion. When I was growing up in Atlanta, I saw a number of movies there. My father told me that the Plaza Shopping Center was the first of its kind in the Atlanta area.
The Plaza Theater was one of my favorite neighborhood theaters when I was growing up. It’s really nice that not only has it survived, but it continues to operate. That’s remarkable for a city that has changed as much as Atlanta has in the last fifty something years!
Here’s another link to a daytime photo of the Capitol Theater, dated 1937:
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Yes, that’s a Nazi flag flying on Peachtree Street! The occasion was the World Baptist Alliance Convention. This is another shot from the Lane Brothers Collection, housed at Georgia State.
Somehow I missed the note on the seating capacity of 2100! Hope someone whose memory of Atlanta goes back farther than mine can provide some more specifics.
Here’s another link to a photo of the Cameo when it was in operation:
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This photo, from the Lane Brothers Collection housed at Georgia State University, is undated.
The following link is to another photo of the Cameo building, dated 1954:
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So, by 1954 the Cameo had ceased to operate. Chances are it had closed by 1952, the date of the photo in the link in my previous post.
Here’s a link to a photograph of the Cameo, dated 1952:
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As you can see, the marquee is blank. It’s possible that the theater had closed by this point. Yes, the building did survive for some time afterward.
The Cameo seems to have been a downtown second run house, similar to the Central Theater at 104 Whitehall Street, NW.
This was originally The Buckhead Theater, a neighborhood second run house. Here’s a link to a photo of the Buckhead Theater:
www.library.gsu.edu/spcoll/spcollimages/av/lane/jpeg/LBGPF2-068a.jpg
It’s from the collection of photographs taken by the Lane Brothers, now housed in the Pullen Library of George State University.
About 1961, the Buckhead was converted to a first run policy (El CID being one of their first bookings). The name was changed to The Capri. Naturally, they renovated the theater (none too successfully). It always seemed like a neighborhood theater. The Capri (Buckhead); The Rhodes (closed up the last time I was in Atlanta); and the Fine Art (previously and currently The Garden Hills) were all second run houses pressed into service, so to speak, to book first run pictures in the 1960’s.
Although I attended the Euclid Theater (at 1099 Euclid Avenue, NE) many times when I was growing up in Atlanta, the Little Five Points Theater (nearby at 1103 Euclid Avenue, NE) was closed up as far back as I can remember.
The Little Five Points was one of several theaters that I was aware of, but never had the chance to attend, included: the DeKalb, 130 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE (on the square in Decatur) which later became the site of a J.C. Penny store; and the West End, 595 Lee Street, SW (in West End), which I remember as a book store. They had already ceased operations as movie houses at the time I became aware of them. To the best of my knowledge, some of the few of these left standing are the Little Five Points (now known as the Seven Stages); the Euclid (as the Variety); and the Fulton (or so I gather from the listing on this site).
Yes, it’s really remarkable that the Little Five Points and the Euclid have survived in an area known for such sweeping changes. However it is notable that the Plaza Theater and the Garden Hills Theaters are still operating under the management of Lefont Theaters. Structures that are still standing include: the Gordon Theater, 960 Gordon Street, SW, in West End (as the Church of the Black Madonna); the Hilan Theater,800 N. Highland Avenue, NE (renovated for commercial use); the Glen Theater, near the juncture of Candler Road and Glenwood Road in South East Atlanta (now a pawn shop); the Madison Theater at 496 Flat Shoals Road, SE (apparently undergoing restoration according to this site); the Rhodes Theater, 11 – A.S. Rhodes Center, off Peachtree Road (closed when last I saw it); and the facade of the Temple Theater, 456 Cherokee Avenue, SE (between Memorial Drive and Grant Park) still stands, complete with the its Masonic symbol.
Theaters that I never knew included the American, 771 Marietta Street, NW; the Brookhaven, 4012 Peachtree Road, NE; the Cameo, 61 Peachtree Street (downtown); the Cascade, 1340 Gordon Street, SW (near the juncture of Cascade Road); the Empire, 42 Georgia Avenue, SW (near present day Turner Field); the Fulton 761 S. Central Avenue, SW; and the Memorial, 657 Memorial Drive, SE (in the vicinity of Oakland Cemetary). Hope someone whose memory of Atlanta stretches back farther than mine can shed some light on them.
Yes, the Jefferson Avenue location is correct for the East Point Theater. Circa 1960, I attended the theater several times, but not on a regular basis. So, I never knew it by any other name than the East Point. In the early 1980’s, I stopped by the theater to take a look. Apparently, it had been closed up for quite some time. Circa 1990, I had a look at the location while I was traveling on a MARTA elevated train. The theater and the block had already been torn down.
The Fairfax Theater was closed by the time I became acquainted with East Point. The 1953 Atlanta Telephone Directory simply lists the address of the Fairfax as East Point. So, I can’t shed any light on its exact street address. The Fairfax was one of a group of Atlanta neighborhood theaters that I never actually attended, or in some cases never knew of at all.
Theaters that I never knew included the American, 771 Marietta Street, NW; the Brookhaven, 4012 Peachtree Road, NE; the Cameo, 61 Peachtree Street (downtown); the Cascade, 1340 Gordon Street, SW (near the juncture of Cascade Road); the Empire, 42 Georgia Avenue, SW (near present day Turner Field); the Fulton 761 S. Central Avenue, SW; and the Memorial, 657 Memorial Drive, SE (in the vicinity of Oakland Cemetary).
Theaters that I was aware of, but never had the chance to attend, included the DeKalb, 130 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE (on the square in Decatur); Little Five Points 1103 Euclid Avenue, NE; and the West End, 595 Lee Street, SW (in West End). They were already closed up at the time I became aware of them. To the best of my knowledge, the only ones left standing are the Little Five Points (now known as the Seven Stages) and the Fulton (or so I gather from the listing on this site).
Remember that these theaters were in business in the days of racial segregation. There was another group of neighborhood theaters referred to as “Colored Theaters,” which served the African-American community in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. Obviously, I am white. With 20/20 hindsight I am rather appalled that I grew up in a segregated society, but that’s another story.
All in all, the Atlanta area had about three dozen hardtop neighborhood theaters in the early 1950’s. Remember, the Atlanta area has changed drastically in the last 50 years. Yes, street names and street numbers have been changed. Apart from that, the entire “lay of the land” can look signifigantly different when you haven’t visited the city for a few years. So, even given the original street addresses, it can be difficult to determine where these long gone theaters originally stood.
As nearly as I can tell, The Capitol Theater closed down around 1948-49. An Atlanta Telephone Directory prior to that time should have the exact street number.
Here’s a link to a photo of the Capitol and the Roxy:
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Search the Georgia State University website and you’ll find several more photos of the Capitol:
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After the theater closed, it was gutted and the space was incorporated into the Davison-Paxon Department Store. The theater was actually inside (or possibly in back of) the Davison’s building. Although I was very familiar with the interior of Davison’s, it was not easy to tell exactly how the Capitol Theater was laid out. Based on the evidence, there was probably a long foyer to the lobby (like the Roxy next door). The auditorium may have been behind the elevator bank in Davison’s. If so, then the auditorium was in a relatively confined space. That would have meant that the seating capacity would have been considerably less than the Roxy.
Does anyone know the precise layout of the Capitol in relationship to Davison’s interior? What about the seating capacity?
My father had vivid memories of seeing the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN at a midnight sneak preview at the Capitol Theater.
My reference sources are incomplete. As nearly as I can tell, The Capitol Theater closed down around 1948-49. If you can consult an Atlanta Telephone Directory prior to that time, you should be able to find the street number.
Here’s a link to a photo of the Capitol and the Roxy:
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Search the Georgia State University website and you’ll find several more photo’s of the Capitol:
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As you probably know, the theater was gutted and the space was incorporated into the Davison-Paxon Department Store. The theater was actually inside (or possibly in back of) the Davison’s building. Although I was very familiar with the interior of Davison’s, it was not easy to tell exactly how the Capitol Theater was laid out.
Does anyone know the precise layout of the Capitol in relationship to Davison’s interior? What about the seating capacity?
My father had vivid memories of seeing the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN at a midnight sneak preview at the Capitol Theater.
Yes, the Towne Cinema was originally the Avondale Theater. Around 1966, the Avondale Theater came under the management of the late George Ellis. He altered the name and instituted a policy of art films and revivals. Prior to that time, the Avondale Theater had become run down and had a poor reputation.
Although Avondale Estates and the City of Decatur (which was incorporated as a city before Atlanta) bordered each other in DeKalb County, they were seperate and distinct communities. Their respective high schools were arch rivals.
As nearly as I can tell, this theater ceased operation sometimes in the 1970’s
According to a 1954 Atlanta Telephone Directory, the correct street address of The Roxy Theater was 204 Peachtree Street,NW (on the West side of Peachtree Street).
According to a photocopy that I have of pages from a 1954 Atlanta Telephone Directory, the street address of the Paramount Theater was 169 Peachtree Street, NE (on the East side of Peachtree Street). My father grew up in Atlanta and attended the theater many times in the 1920’s when it was known as the Howard Theater. He vividly recalled seeing many stage shows there, as well as movies.
The theater that you are referring to as the Cinerama and Columbia, was known primarily as the Tower Theater (located at 583 Peachtree Street, NE) during my childhood in Atlanta. Under that name, it was often used for legitimate plays and concerts. At one time, I found a 1956 program from the Tower Theater for a concert given by the great Swedish tenor, Jussi Bjoerling. The Tower was even used as a pre-Broadway tryout for one or two theater productions that I can remember. The Tower had been previously know as the Erlanger Theater. If you go on the Georgia State University website that I cited in my previous post, you can locate a photgraph of the Erlanger Theater.
For reference, The Loew’s Grand was located at 157 Peachtree Street, NE. The Roxy Theater was located at 204 Peachtree Street, NW (on the West side of Peachtree Street). Source for all addresses is the 1954 Atlanta Telephone Directory that cited earlier.
Here’s a link to a site where you can find a number of photos of the Atlanta Roxy:
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It’s the website for Georgia State University’s Pullen Library. It houses the photo collection of the Lane Brothers, professional photographers whose work spans the the 1930’s through the 1960’s. Use the search engine to search for the Roxy and/or Peachtree Street and you’ll find some nice photos.
When I was growing up in Atlanta in the 1950’s and 1960’s, I attended the Roxy frequently. Although they did show their share of typical commercial releases in those years, they tended to specialize in road show attractions. Pictures like AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, BEN HUR, SPARTACUS, THE LONGEST DAY and MY FAIR LADY played on a road show basis there.
The demolition of Atlanta’s Peachtree Street movie theaters robbed the city of a considerable amount of it’s charm and character. A pity.
I liked the Roxy and I remember it fondly.