Thanks to CTA for forwarding a Daily Mail article. http://preview.tinyurl.com/2aqohk The newpaper reported that a stage production based on David Lean’s film Brief Encounters will begin February 2 at “The Cinema on The Haymarket” (this theater) and last until at least June 22. Both stage and screen will be used. The official, gala opening will be on February 17. Top price tickets will be only $29.50 pounds, a bargain for the West End.
Westminster Council agreed to change the use from cinema to live shows on stage.
The article describes the theater as having Italian and Spanish Renaissance “front of house” detail. The articles states that all 444 seats have perfect sightlines because they are designed for a cinema.
The article does not state whether movies will continue in the two auditoriums placed in the former stalls (orchestra).
Patsy,
you should look at the theater’s website, linked above, which says Tours usually 2ce a month on Wednesday & Saturday. Next month’s tour schedule not posted yet.
For this month & Feb, website shows screenings of West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Singin in the Rain, Cabaret, An American in Paris, a double feature of Buster Keaton silent films (there’s a Wurlitzer organ), and current movies such as Atonement. Projection equipment doesn’t include 70 mm.
Tampa Tribune (Florida)
December 22, 2007 Saturday
Still Star-Struck At 80
By Kurt Loft, The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA – Our city has its share of movie houses, concert halls and
auditoriums, but it covets one above all, a magical place where history drifts like a
ghost and a starlit sky twinkles above our heads.
The Tampa Theatre is more than a landmark. It is part of the city’s body and
being, a breathing remnant of the past that refuses to fade or lose its
luster. For in this lavishly appointed palace, time moves in all directions, and
visitors slip enchanted into another era.
Tampa rightly takes pride in its prize in the heart of downtown, a
1,450-seat theater built more than 80 years ago and now on the National Register of
Historic Places. Nothing like it exists here, a mixed-breed of Italian
Renaissance, Byzantine, Mediterranean, Spanish, Greek Revival and English Tudor.
Gleaming marble floors and palazzo tile add touches of regal weight.
Defending the premises are mythological figures standing in alcoves around
the proscenium, and exotic beasts, gargoyles and birds hide among darkened
nooks and crannies. On any given night the Mighty Wurlitzer organ – a staple
during the age of silent film – pops up through the center of the stage.
Designed by architect John Eberson and built for $1.2 million, the theater
was Tampa’s first “air-cooled” building when it opened on Oct. 15, 1926,
featuring the silent film “Ace of Cads” for 25 cents. Today, the theater offers
more than 700 films and other events each year in an ideal marriage of form and
function.
“What’s important is the programming the theater does,” says Art Keeble,
director of the Arts Council of Tampa-Hillsborough County. “You can see great
movies and concerts, get married there, go to wine tastings. And while you go
for the event, once you walk in you’re struck by the beauty of the place. It’s
the heart of the cultural district.”
That heart nearly was ripped out by indifference and neglect. By the 1960s,
more and more people were leaving Tampa proper for the suburbs, and soon new
malls and multiplexes stole business from downtown.
With lost revenue, the historic theater fell into decay, leaving little
budget for sufficient maintenance. Termites and rust replaced Gable and Garbo,
and a final act loomed: the wrecking ball.
The mere suggestion that anyone would raze the place sends tingles down the
back of Randi Whiddon, president of the Tampa Theatre Restoration Society and
an architect with Urban Studios.
“People have taken down some amazing buildings that are part of our history,
but this is a real Tampa icon,” she says. “It’s full of unbelievable detail
and workmanship. There are only a handful of theaters out there with this
kind of feel.”
Florida State Theaters, which owned the building at the time, bailed out by
selling it for $1 to the city of Tampa. Local politicians, in particular City
Councilman Lee Duncan, realized the potential of the theater and worked on a
preservation plan with the arts council.
In 1977, the theater reopened as a quasi-nonprofit film and special events
center, and the next year was named to the National Register of Historic
Places. It was declared a Tampa landmark in 1988. A fundraising effort in the
1990s injected $1.5 million in much-needed restoration work.
Today, the theater is regarded as one of the country’s best preserved
examples of grand movie palace architecture, and each year more than 135,000 people
attend its classic film series, concerts and social events.
To accommodate the crowds and preserve the theater’s charm, management keeps
restoration on the front burner. Nobody seems to mind.
“The day-to-day care and love takes a lot of work and money,” says Tara
Schroeder, a theater spokeswoman. “But I’m privileged to work here. I feel like
we’re stewards of a community treasure.”
Philadelphia newspapers have a photo of it on the marquee of the Sameric (Boyd).
Was supposed to have an anniv showing at NYC’s Paris, but that didn’t happen.
When reviewing 70 mm World Premieres, I drafted this, but the Ziegfeld has had so many 35 mm premieres, I didn’t submit it for an addition to the Intro. Close Encounters stands out as the most important of the 70 mm premieres there, right?
World Premieres of 70mm films at the Ziegfeld included Rollerball (June 25, 1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (November 15, 1977), The Rose (November 6, 1979), Fame (May 12, 1980), Grease 2 (June 9, 1982), Who’s That Girl (August 6, 1987), and Hoffa (December 15, 1992)
Not sure as to twins, but I can tell you that Baltimore’s Stanley was the most magnificient movie palace ever built in that city, and has also been lost.
Philadelphia’s Stanley, also neoclassical, was one of Philly’s greatest showplace movie palaces.
Warren, you might have missed the new language of the 4th & 5th paragraphs of the Intro. (I suggested it be inserted there) Given the 1st paragraph statement, the Intro makes the architectural contributions clear.
The individual listings of Architect and firm have been subject to debate in regard to other theaters, as you know. I too often find that’s confusing. Perhaps there should be categories for Original Architect, Renovations Architect, etc. but that’s up to the webmasters.
Here’s some history from theater website:
There has been a cinema on Crosby Road North in Waterloo since 1939. For over 60 years the local community has laughed and cried its way through the Hollywood classics and the best of British and World Cinema. During this time, the building has been a major source of contact with the outside world and within the community. People’s perceptions have been changed, their lives enriched.
And then, in November 1996, the owners decided to close the doors for good and sell the site for redevelopment into yet another new office block.
The community was horrified – petitions were signed, campaigns were instigated and the Plaza Community Cinema Trust was established. A lease was agreed and finally in July 1997 with no financial capital to speak of, but with a wealth of volunteer support, the cinema was reopened (this is a story in itself!), to show Jurassic Park to packed houses.
And so it went on. By Christmas ‘97 all three screens were up and running showing a huge range of films. Then came a whole multitude of film-related activities: – the Arts Screen; the (now over 300-strong) Kids Club; the afternoon social club; several festivals and lots of events: – an Advocacy film week; regular short film nights; a talk by a Holocaust survivor before a showing of Schindler’s List; presentations by directors such as Stephen Frears, Michael Winterbottom and Julian Temple. And the ideas just keep on coming! In January 2000, having raised £325,000 in just four months, the Trust bought the building. And with virtually all the work done by unpaid volunteers and for 364 days per year. Even though we now have a core of paid staff, the Plaza still could not operate without volunteers.
This from their website:
The Plaza Cinema is delighted to announce that it has secured funding of £50,000 from the Big Lottery Fund People’s Millions. The money will be spent on a complete facelift for the building.
Thanks for your support! We won the grant in a head-to-head vote announced on Granada Television. We are grateful for the many telephone calls from our supporters, which won us the vote.
Here’s an article about the Empire moving: View link
The Introduction states Lamb designed the 1912 theater. If anybody finds an article with name of the architect who designed the multiplex, post it! then, the info might get placed in the Intro, too.
Most websites seem to simply list Stone for RCMH, or at least for the exterior. One site says THREE architecture firms hired Stone! so maybe just leave it as is….
I don’t them on speed dial, but I do make telephone calls, and check the Net websites for the theaters that spell it out. No shock to anybody that some of us on this website are zealots in this regard.
marquee relighting 2007
View link
set of interior photos:
View link
Photos including of an auditorium, at architect’s website.
http://www.jkroller.com/flash/index.html
click on Projects, then Entertainment, then theater name.
Thanks to CTA for forwarding a Daily Mail article. http://preview.tinyurl.com/2aqohk The newpaper reported that a stage production based on David Lean’s film Brief Encounters will begin February 2 at “The Cinema on The Haymarket” (this theater) and last until at least June 22. Both stage and screen will be used. The official, gala opening will be on February 17. Top price tickets will be only $29.50 pounds, a bargain for the West End.
Westminster Council agreed to change the use from cinema to live shows on stage.
The article describes the theater as having Italian and Spanish Renaissance “front of house” detail. The articles states that all 444 seats have perfect sightlines because they are designed for a cinema.
The article does not state whether movies will continue in the two auditoriums placed in the former stalls (orchestra).
Patsy,
you should look at the theater’s website, linked above, which says Tours usually 2ce a month on Wednesday & Saturday. Next month’s tour schedule not posted yet.
For this month & Feb, website shows screenings of West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Singin in the Rain, Cabaret, An American in Paris, a double feature of Buster Keaton silent films (there’s a Wurlitzer organ), and current movies such as Atonement. Projection equipment doesn’t include 70 mm.
Tampa Tribune (Florida)
December 22, 2007 Saturday
Still Star-Struck At 80
By Kurt Loft, The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA – Our city has its share of movie houses, concert halls and
auditoriums, but it covets one above all, a magical place where history drifts like a
ghost and a starlit sky twinkles above our heads.
The Tampa Theatre is more than a landmark. It is part of the city’s body and
being, a breathing remnant of the past that refuses to fade or lose its
luster. For in this lavishly appointed palace, time moves in all directions, and
visitors slip enchanted into another era.
Tampa rightly takes pride in its prize in the heart of downtown, a
1,450-seat theater built more than 80 years ago and now on the National Register of
Historic Places. Nothing like it exists here, a mixed-breed of Italian
Renaissance, Byzantine, Mediterranean, Spanish, Greek Revival and English Tudor.
Gleaming marble floors and palazzo tile add touches of regal weight.
Defending the premises are mythological figures standing in alcoves around
the proscenium, and exotic beasts, gargoyles and birds hide among darkened
nooks and crannies. On any given night the Mighty Wurlitzer organ – a staple
during the age of silent film – pops up through the center of the stage.
Designed by architect John Eberson and built for $1.2 million, the theater
was Tampa’s first “air-cooled” building when it opened on Oct. 15, 1926,
featuring the silent film “Ace of Cads” for 25 cents. Today, the theater offers
more than 700 films and other events each year in an ideal marriage of form and
function.
“What’s important is the programming the theater does,” says Art Keeble,
director of the Arts Council of Tampa-Hillsborough County. “You can see great
movies and concerts, get married there, go to wine tastings. And while you go
for the event, once you walk in you’re struck by the beauty of the place. It’s
the heart of the cultural district.”
That heart nearly was ripped out by indifference and neglect. By the 1960s,
more and more people were leaving Tampa proper for the suburbs, and soon new
malls and multiplexes stole business from downtown.
With lost revenue, the historic theater fell into decay, leaving little
budget for sufficient maintenance. Termites and rust replaced Gable and Garbo,
and a final act loomed: the wrecking ball.
The mere suggestion that anyone would raze the place sends tingles down the
back of Randi Whiddon, president of the Tampa Theatre Restoration Society and
an architect with Urban Studios.
“People have taken down some amazing buildings that are part of our history,
but this is a real Tampa icon,” she says. “It’s full of unbelievable detail
and workmanship. There are only a handful of theaters out there with this
kind of feel.”
Florida State Theaters, which owned the building at the time, bailed out by
selling it for $1 to the city of Tampa. Local politicians, in particular City
Councilman Lee Duncan, realized the potential of the theater and worked on a
preservation plan with the arts council.
In 1977, the theater reopened as a quasi-nonprofit film and special events
center, and the next year was named to the National Register of Historic
Places. It was declared a Tampa landmark in 1988. A fundraising effort in the
1990s injected $1.5 million in much-needed restoration work.
Today, the theater is regarded as one of the country’s best preserved
examples of grand movie palace architecture, and each year more than 135,000 people
attend its classic film series, concerts and social events.
To accommodate the crowds and preserve the theater’s charm, management keeps
restoration on the front burner. Nobody seems to mind.
“The day-to-day care and love takes a lot of work and money,” says Tara
Schroeder, a theater spokeswoman. “But I’m privileged to work here. I feel like
we’re stewards of a community treasure.”
Reporter Kurt Loft.
1997 photos including wonderful looking auditorium, by Ken Roe:
View link
Ken Roe’s 2006 photos of interior of this grand Art Nouveau theater:
View link
With Ron’s 1934 date for movies, then I will speculate that’s when architect William H. Lee worked on this theater.
Philadelphia newspapers have a photo of it on the marquee of the Sameric (Boyd).
Was supposed to have an anniv showing at NYC’s Paris, but that didn’t happen.
When reviewing 70 mm World Premieres, I drafted this, but the Ziegfeld has had so many 35 mm premieres, I didn’t submit it for an addition to the Intro. Close Encounters stands out as the most important of the 70 mm premieres there, right?
World Premieres of 70mm films at the Ziegfeld included Rollerball (June 25, 1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (November 15, 1977), The Rose (November 6, 1979), Fame (May 12, 1980), Grease 2 (June 9, 1982), Who’s That Girl (August 6, 1987), and Hoffa (December 15, 1992)
Not 1950’s, but as I don’t see it above posted, wonderful photo set by Ken Roe of this theater:
View link
Not sure as to twins, but I can tell you that Baltimore’s Stanley was the most magnificient movie palace ever built in that city, and has also been lost.
Philadelphia’s Stanley, also neoclassical, was one of Philly’s greatest showplace movie palaces.
Gorgeous photos of the auditorium, 2006 by Ken Roe:
View link
is this a photo of the bookstore that was in the auditorium? is it still open?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j-a-x/221049330/
There was a prior thread on this maybe somebody can find. Here’s some in Manhattan:
(42nd Street) Empire’s exterior & lobby
/theaters/255/
if you don’t buy tickets, at least see exterior (42nd Street) New Amsterdam
/theaters/30/
see a movie at Clearview’s Ziegfeld
/theaters/12/
Take the tour of Radio City Music Hall
/theaters/55/
church, another gorgeous movie palace, Hollywood Theatre
/theaters/312/
church & concerts in great movie palace, Loews 175th
/theaters/44/
(I haven’t been to) see arthouse movie at City Cinemas Village East
/theaters/290/
Warren, you might have missed the new language of the 4th & 5th paragraphs of the Intro. (I suggested it be inserted there) Given the 1st paragraph statement, the Intro makes the architectural contributions clear.
The individual listings of Architect and firm have been subject to debate in regard to other theaters, as you know. I too often find that’s confusing. Perhaps there should be categories for Original Architect, Renovations Architect, etc. but that’s up to the webmasters.
At rental info, the website has 3 photos including auditorium facing stage.
other than on the theater website, maybe you can find a photo & link it?
Here’s some history from theater website:
There has been a cinema on Crosby Road North in Waterloo since 1939. For over 60 years the local community has laughed and cried its way through the Hollywood classics and the best of British and World Cinema. During this time, the building has been a major source of contact with the outside world and within the community. People’s perceptions have been changed, their lives enriched.
And then, in November 1996, the owners decided to close the doors for good and sell the site for redevelopment into yet another new office block.
The community was horrified – petitions were signed, campaigns were instigated and the Plaza Community Cinema Trust was established. A lease was agreed and finally in July 1997 with no financial capital to speak of, but with a wealth of volunteer support, the cinema was reopened (this is a story in itself!), to show Jurassic Park to packed houses.
And so it went on. By Christmas ‘97 all three screens were up and running showing a huge range of films. Then came a whole multitude of film-related activities: – the Arts Screen; the (now over 300-strong) Kids Club; the afternoon social club; several festivals and lots of events: – an Advocacy film week; regular short film nights; a talk by a Holocaust survivor before a showing of Schindler’s List; presentations by directors such as Stephen Frears, Michael Winterbottom and Julian Temple. And the ideas just keep on coming! In January 2000, having raised £325,000 in just four months, the Trust bought the building. And with virtually all the work done by unpaid volunteers and for 364 days per year. Even though we now have a core of paid staff, the Plaza still could not operate without volunteers.
This from their website:
The Plaza Cinema is delighted to announce that it has secured funding of £50,000 from the Big Lottery Fund People’s Millions. The money will be spent on a complete facelift for the building.
Thanks for your support! We won the grant in a head-to-head vote announced on Granada Television. We are grateful for the many telephone calls from our supporters, which won us the vote.
The wonderfully relevant info provided by Al has been integrated into the Intro.
Here’s an article about the Empire moving:
View link
The Introduction states Lamb designed the 1912 theater. If anybody finds an article with name of the architect who designed the multiplex, post it! then, the info might get placed in the Intro, too.
Horse’s head in the bed!
Most websites seem to simply list Stone for RCMH, or at least for the exterior. One site says THREE architecture firms hired Stone! so maybe just leave it as is….
I don’t them on speed dial, but I do make telephone calls, and check the Net websites for the theaters that spell it out. No shock to anybody that some of us on this website are zealots in this regard.