Paramount Theatre (Atlanta)

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Coordinates: 33°45′28.5″N 84°23′14.5″W / 33.757917°N 84.387361°W / 33.757917; -84.387361
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Paramount Theatre
US$1,000,000
Design and construction
Architect(s)Philip T. Shutze
Architecture firmHentz, Reid & Adler
Other information
Seating capacity2,700

The Paramount Theatre was a movie palace in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The building was designed by Philip T. Shutze and was completed in 1920 as the Howard Theatre, a name it kept until 1929. It was located at 169 Peachtree Street, in an area that soon became the location of several other major theaters, earning it the nickname "Broadway of the South". With a seating capacity of 2,700, it was at the time the second largest movie theater in the world, behind only the Capitol Theatre in New York City. In addition to functioning as a movie theater, the building hosted live performances, with several nationally renowned orchestras playing at the venue through the 1940s and Elvis Presley playing at the theater in 1956. By the 1950s, however, movie palaces faced increased competition from smaller movie theaters and the rise in popularity of television, and the Paramount was demolished in 1960.

History

Background and construction

The 1 acre (0.40 ha) of land in downtown Atlanta on which the theater would eventually be built traded hands several times throughout the late 1800s before it was sold to Asa Griggs Candler for $97,000 on November 30, 1909.[2] Candler sold the land on April 17, 1911, to brothers Forrest and George W. Adair Jr. for $120,000.[2] On March 28, 1919,[3] the Adairs agreed to lease the land to C. B. and George Troup Howard,[2] the latter of whom was a successful cotton merchant.[4] The lease was granted on the condition that a theater be built on the property, which at this time had a valuation of $625,000.[2] The theater's value, including its equipment, was to be greater than $250,000.[3] At the end of the 25-year lease, the property, including the theater, would revert to the Adairs.[3] Prior to the theater's construction, several one-story commercial stores were located on the property.[5]

The design of this new building, to be called the Howard Theatre, was handled by the Atlanta-based

Atlanta Chamber of Commerce) stated that the theater would be open by October 1, 1920,[13] it was not open to the public until early December of that year.[11]

Theater in operation

Upon its opening, the theater was well received by the general public. Contemporary publications in the city called it one of the "show spots of the city"

movie palaces in the city,[13] with the Metropolitan Theater, which had been under construction at the same time as the Howard,[13] opening shortly afterwards.[10] The Howard had been built along Peachtree Street near Loew's Grand Theatre, an area which soon became known as the "Broadway of the South" in reference to the numerous theaters there.[6][14]

As a performing arts venue, the theater hosted the

Georgia Governor Eurith D. Rivers.[22] Throughout the decade, the theater hosted numerous nationally renowned orchestras,[23] and between June 22 and 24, 1956, Elvis Presley performed ten shows at the theater.[24] However, by this time, the grand movie palaces in Atlanta, as in other cities across the United States, were facing increased competition from smaller movie theaters in suburban areas and from the rise in popularity of television.[6] As a result, several of Atlanta's landmark movie theaters were demolished in the latter half of the 20th century.[6] The Paramount was one of these, being demolished in 1960 and replaced by a 12-story building.[6]

Architecture

A black and white photograph of the interior of a theatre auditorium
Auditorium of the theater, 1921

The theater building had dimensions of 90 feet (27 m) by 275 feet (84 m).

Italian Renaissance style,[13] with a facade modeled after the Palazzo Chiericati designed by Andrea Palladio.[7] This building marked one of the first designs by Shutze to incorporate Italian influences.[7] The building's facade was composed entirely of limestone,[13] and the main entrance consisted of an arched opening measuring 35 feet (11 m) tall and 35 feet (11 m) wide.[13] A large marquee was on the Peachtree entrance,[6] which also hosted several small shops.[13]

The interior of the theater was designed in the

restrooms and smoking rooms.[13] The staircase and columns in the lobby area were constructed of marble.[12] The auditorium area had no columns that could block viewing of the stage, which could hold up to 50 musicians.[13] The stage was designed to host both live performances and motion pictures.[13] The theater had a seating capacity of 2,700,[12] which made it the largest theater in Atlanta and the second largest movie theater in the world, behind only the Capitol Theatre in New York City.[11]

Notes

  1. Atlanta Historical Society's official publication have differed, with either Neel Reid or Shutze (both architects for Hentz, Reid & Adler) cited as the building's architect.[8][7] In a 1986 article on Shutze, historian Elizabeth Meredith Dowling states that the Italian-inspired architecture of the building points to Shutze as the designer, as he had recently spent time studying architecture in Rome before returning to work in Atlanta.[7] Additionally, a letter written during the time of the theater's construction from Allyn Cox to his mother makes mention of Shutze's work on a theater design that is most likely in reference to the Howard Theatre.[7] Furthermore, a 2017 article published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution states that Shutze was the architect for the theater.[9]

References

  1. ^ The City Builder 1933, p. 13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Garrett 1969a, pp. 350–351.
  3. ^ a b c The City Builder 1921c, p. 18.
  4. ^ a b Garrett 1969b, p. 778.
  5. ^ a b Chapman 1932, p. 17.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Craig 1995, p. 58.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Dowling 1986, p. 43.
  8. ^ McCall 1973, p. 21.
  9. ^ a b c Johnston 2017.
  10. ^ a b Trotti 1924, p. 12.
  11. ^ a b c d e The City Builder 1921a, p. 17.
  12. ^ a b c d Jones 1923, p. 26.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The City Builder 1920, p. 20.
  14. ^ Trotti 1931, p. 4.
  15. ^ Spain 1923, p. 10.
  16. ^ Sherry 1977, pp. 7–8.
  17. ^ Trotti 1924, p. 13.
  18. ^ Spain 1923, p. 11.
  19. ^ The City Builder 1921b, p. 16.
  20. ^ The City Builder 1923, p. 7.
  21. ^ Barker 1930, p. 24.
  22. ^ McKinley 1990–1991, p. 18.
  23. ^ Martin 1987, p. 7.
  24. ^ Johnston 2016.

Sources

External links

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