The second Bijou may be seen next to the curved marquee photo on the Loew’s State page of CT. There is a large crowd on the street but it may not have anything to do with the theatre. 146 S. Main was just north of the State’s boxoffice.
The first Lyceum theatre was in the lower level of the Memphis Athletic Association on the northwest corner of Third and Union. There is a drawing of this building in the library’s collection that references the theatre. This is the building that burned in 1893. The second Lyceum, in the photos here, opened in 1894 and was demolished in 1935. This second was used by Loew’s from 1916 to 1920, the year Loew’s State opened.
The 60s modern front shown in the color photo was also multi-purpose. The entrances, with escalators, were re-aligned to the corners of each hall (with marquees) and had a multi purpose large room between. It also made the building look modern from the street as was the case in several other downtown buildings. Existing photos of the WPA mural in the South Hall foyer (covered in this renovation) showed it to be of dubious artistic merit especially after a section of it was uncovered for fresh eyes to see it. It was covered again before the building was demolished.
The new photos are after 1920, first marquee; after 1929, first marquee and vertical; 1956, second marquee; 1968 (Memphis Riots) altered marquee and second vertical (altered).
Joe: where did that beautiful photo of the Pantages come from? It is much better than the one the Theatre Historical Society owns (and I have that print from them). There weren’t any more, were there? BTW, in the THS collection from Terry Helgesen is where the 1916 date came up. Maybe, B Marcus Priteca was given the contract that year and there were construction delays. There also exist beautiful photos of the block with and without the theatre.
Good news and bad news. The building is going to become a spa for Gould’s, a beauty parlor which has been at Poplar Plaza for many years. The bad news is that all the remaining decor has been gutted. Couldn’t see the restrooms but the curved lobby which Bookstar retained is gone. The interior was much handsomer after Bookstar moved in than it ever was before (it was pretty plain as were most neighborhood theatres) but all of that is also gone.
People who remember the Hollywood Stars collage at the Ridgeway Four do not remember its predecessor which was the focal point of the Highland Quartet. It was removed many years ago the first time Malco tried to retire the cinema (U of M students kept it open for a while).
People who remember the Hollywood Stars collage at the Ridgeway Four do not remember its predecessor which was the focal point of the Quartet. It was removed many years ago the first time Malco tried to retire the cinema (U of M students kept it open for a while).
The Princess probably had that reputation because it stank. It had a men’s room but it was easier to use the storm drain in the alley on the south side. The Princess was legendary because of that and convenient because the concession stand was outdoors. It stank even after it closed, inside and out, and during demolition. I remember hearing from people I knew that it was a “colored theatre” on Main St. It had some upper levels because my father bought some of the fire escape stairs for a project of his. Also some of the balcony rails from Loew’s State. That’s how I got my mementos from the State and a glimpse of the ruins of the Princess.
BTW, Mary Pearcy was shot in the boxoffice of the Malco in late 1971, just before “Hair” reopened the stage in January 1972. It was an attempted robbery. After that, the bulletproof glass was installed which remains today. Malco did not use the window facing Main ever again. I was at the theatre before and after and I will never forget that night.
How do I see this photo? The library’s photo of the Majestic/Strand building has a big 10c over an arched marquee. You can plainly see the top cartouche which appears in other photos of the Strand. However, there is another older photo showing a vertical with a starburst over it that says “Majestic” which seems to pre-date both of the other buildings. Which one is it?
293-295 Madison shows a Jefferson Theatre in 1910 and a Lyric Theatre in 1912 in the Polk City Directories for those years. The 1908 directory shows a Germania Hall (the German community auditorium which did have stage presentations) at 190 Jefferson but only a coal company and Patterson Transfer at the 309-311 address. What year was your information?
Have found and retrieved my theatre memorablilia from Schwab’s, now starting a new project concerning same for Memphis Heritage. This explains my return to the discussion after, say, 25 years.
I am going by the 1909 city directory, we will have to seek further in later directories. Try looking for Lyric in the 1912 directory (remember, the canvass in 1911 will appear in 1912) and see what you find as will I. These directories can be found on the local county register website (Tom Leatherwood) up to 1918. All this is recent news to me, thought the Lyric had just been left out because it was not a regular cinema.
JEFFERSON/LYRIC/MAZDA 293-295 Madison Opened 1908 . 1400 seats. Burned 1941.
The Lyric started out life as The Jefferson in 1908. It is listed in the 1909 city directory at 293-295 Madison. Its name was changed to The Lyric when the management changed in 1911. This is presently just west of where the Madison overpass crosses Danny Thomas. New construction and parking at the address currently. Originally presented stage shows and Vaudeville. Sarah Bernhardt performed here. The name was changed again to the Mazda about 10 years before it burned. In later years, prizefights were held at the theatre. The theatre burned on January 23, 1941.
Also note, in the Life Magazine photo, the “Loew’s” on the Loew’s State vertical has been covered up because the theatre had been sold and was now called just the State. The sides of the marquee used the vertical for the Loew’s name but the front had a panel which covered the neon reading “State Theatre.”
Joe’s remark would explain a theatre seating 2300 built into a half-block depth lot, backing into the alley. The Pantages had practically no lobby, just a foyer, and a canopy that ran the entire width of the building. That’s why the later marquee was so long. Another alley ran down the south side, perhaps that’s where the negro entrance was. I just missed this one as I was just becoming interested in movie palaces when I saw it coming down. I did see some slides, later, from the bank that bought it. The dome ribs and the proscenium were reinforced concrete—it took forever to bring it down. It also seemed to be the only true concrete proscenium arch (of any size) in a Memphis theatre—the others were either oblong (Loew’s Palace, Lyceum, Majestic) or had an arch with drapery to change the shape of the actual oblong opening (Orpheum, Loew’s State).
The “Wonderland” photo is at the incorrect address.
The second Bijou may be seen next to the curved marquee photo on the Loew’s State page of CT. There is a large crowd on the street but it may not have anything to do with the theatre. 146 S. Main was just north of the State’s boxoffice.
The first Lyceum theatre was in the lower level of the Memphis Athletic Association on the northwest corner of Third and Union. There is a drawing of this building in the library’s collection that references the theatre. This is the building that burned in 1893. The second Lyceum, in the photos here, opened in 1894 and was demolished in 1935. This second was used by Loew’s from 1916 to 1920, the year Loew’s State opened.
The 60s modern front shown in the color photo was also multi-purpose. The entrances, with escalators, were re-aligned to the corners of each hall (with marquees) and had a multi purpose large room between. It also made the building look modern from the street as was the case in several other downtown buildings. Existing photos of the WPA mural in the South Hall foyer (covered in this renovation) showed it to be of dubious artistic merit especially after a section of it was uncovered for fresh eyes to see it. It was covered again before the building was demolished.
The new photos are after 1920, first marquee; after 1929, first marquee and vertical; 1956, second marquee; 1968 (Memphis Riots) altered marquee and second vertical (altered).
Thanks so much.
Joe: where did that beautiful photo of the Pantages come from? It is much better than the one the Theatre Historical Society owns (and I have that print from them). There weren’t any more, were there? BTW, in the THS collection from Terry Helgesen is where the 1916 date came up. Maybe, B Marcus Priteca was given the contract that year and there were construction delays. There also exist beautiful photos of the block with and without the theatre.
Raleigh Springs Cinema closed Monday, December 5.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/dec/07/curtain-falls-at-malco-raleigh-springs-cinema/
Good news and bad news. The building is going to become a spa for Gould’s, a beauty parlor which has been at Poplar Plaza for many years. The bad news is that all the remaining decor has been gutted. Couldn’t see the restrooms but the curved lobby which Bookstar retained is gone. The interior was much handsomer after Bookstar moved in than it ever was before (it was pretty plain as were most neighborhood theatres) but all of that is also gone.
No trace of the Bellevue remains. For directional purposes, the address would now be 2350 Elvis Presley Blvd.
People who remember the Hollywood Stars collage at the Ridgeway Four do not remember its predecessor which was the focal point of the Highland Quartet. It was removed many years ago the first time Malco tried to retire the cinema (U of M students kept it open for a while).
People who remember the Hollywood Stars collage at the Ridgeway Four do not remember its predecessor which was the focal point of the Quartet. It was removed many years ago the first time Malco tried to retire the cinema (U of M students kept it open for a while).
The Princess probably had that reputation because it stank. It had a men’s room but it was easier to use the storm drain in the alley on the south side. The Princess was legendary because of that and convenient because the concession stand was outdoors. It stank even after it closed, inside and out, and during demolition. I remember hearing from people I knew that it was a “colored theatre” on Main St. It had some upper levels because my father bought some of the fire escape stairs for a project of his. Also some of the balcony rails from Loew’s State. That’s how I got my mementos from the State and a glimpse of the ruins of the Princess. BTW, Mary Pearcy was shot in the boxoffice of the Malco in late 1971, just before “Hair” reopened the stage in January 1972. It was an attempted robbery. After that, the bulletproof glass was installed which remains today. Malco did not use the window facing Main ever again. I was at the theatre before and after and I will never forget that night.
How do I see this photo? The library’s photo of the Majestic/Strand building has a big 10c over an arched marquee. You can plainly see the top cartouche which appears in other photos of the Strand. However, there is another older photo showing a vertical with a starburst over it that says “Majestic” which seems to pre-date both of the other buildings. Which one is it?
Will, where did you come by the Don Baker memorabilia?
293-295 Madison shows a Jefferson Theatre in 1910 and a Lyric Theatre in 1912 in the Polk City Directories for those years. The 1908 directory shows a Germania Hall (the German community auditorium which did have stage presentations) at 190 Jefferson but only a coal company and Patterson Transfer at the 309-311 address. What year was your information?
New photo uploaded of the Memphian as Circuit Playhouse.
The building is the same outside but the interior is completely gone.
Please note that the Majestic Grille indeed has one screen! In operation!
Have found and retrieved my theatre memorablilia from Schwab’s, now starting a new project concerning same for Memphis Heritage. This explains my return to the discussion after, say, 25 years.
I am going by the 1909 city directory, we will have to seek further in later directories. Try looking for Lyric in the 1912 directory (remember, the canvass in 1911 will appear in 1912) and see what you find as will I. These directories can be found on the local county register website (Tom Leatherwood) up to 1918. All this is recent news to me, thought the Lyric had just been left out because it was not a regular cinema.
JEFFERSON/LYRIC/MAZDA 293-295 Madison Opened 1908 . 1400 seats. Burned 1941.
The Lyric started out life as The Jefferson in 1908. It is listed in the 1909 city directory at 293-295 Madison. Its name was changed to The Lyric when the management changed in 1911. This is presently just west of where the Madison overpass crosses Danny Thomas. New construction and parking at the address currently. Originally presented stage shows and Vaudeville. Sarah Bernhardt performed here. The name was changed again to the Mazda about 10 years before it burned. In later years, prizefights were held at the theatre. The theatre burned on January 23, 1941.
Also note, in the Life Magazine photo, the “Loew’s” on the Loew’s State vertical has been covered up because the theatre had been sold and was now called just the State. The sides of the marquee used the vertical for the Loew’s name but the front had a panel which covered the neon reading “State Theatre.”
Joe’s remark would explain a theatre seating 2300 built into a half-block depth lot, backing into the alley. The Pantages had practically no lobby, just a foyer, and a canopy that ran the entire width of the building. That’s why the later marquee was so long. Another alley ran down the south side, perhaps that’s where the negro entrance was. I just missed this one as I was just becoming interested in movie palaces when I saw it coming down. I did see some slides, later, from the bank that bought it. The dome ribs and the proscenium were reinforced concrete—it took forever to bring it down. It also seemed to be the only true concrete proscenium arch (of any size) in a Memphis theatre—the others were either oblong (Loew’s Palace, Lyceum, Majestic) or had an arch with drapery to change the shape of the actual oblong opening (Orpheum, Loew’s State).
Found an old photo of the Suzore #1 on Jackson. I actually shouted at Fred Suzore in his apartment from down on the sidewalk.