Orpheum Theatre

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Uploaded on: July 8, 2020

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Photo & description credit Ron Hale.

“So last year, I was delivering a parcel at the corner of 2nd and Vance. I spotted something I had never seen before. "What’s that?” Turns out, it was a film vault. And that’s how I found out about Memphis' “film row”.

Film row consisted of several buildings that were motion picture distribution centers. The vaults were NOT designed to keep thieves from stealing them. They were designed to keep fires contained from the rest of the building.

Nitrate films are VERY unstable, and can spontaneously combust. If this happened, a mechanical fuse activation device would melt, and counterweights would slam the doors shut, protecting the building from burning down.

This is one of four vaults that were constructed at the old R.K.O. Film distribution center."

Related Film Row website below.

https://historic-memphis.com/memphis-historic/filmrow/filmrow.html?fbclid=IwAR0Hx23JIvm8TcMlPThrj7jbyrRuC5ecaib7mjRs9y366jhSTctVqOC41ts