The Fox Theatre, Peachtree Street and Ponce De Leon Avenue, Midtown, Atlanta, GA
Built in 1929, this Moorish Revival-style building was designed by Olivier J. Vinour of Marye, Alger and Vinour to serve as the Yaarab Shrine Temple, intended to be a large building for the Atlanta branch of the Shriners, a fraternal organization. However, when the cost of construction exceeded the expectations of the Shriners, the design of the building's auditorium and lobby were modified to allow it to be leased to William Fox, allowing them to serve as a movie theater known as The Fox Theatre. The building is Atlanta's grandest example of an early 20th Century "movie palace," a common moniker for grand movie theaters and cinemas that were constructed across the United States. In addition to the auditorium, the building featured retail lease spaces along Ponce De Leon Avenue and Peachtree Street, and offices, a locker room, a lounge, kitchen, events hall, and ballroom for the Shriners. The theater and the Shriners became insolvent soon after the building was completed, and in 1932, the building was foreclosed upon and was acquired by Paramount Pictures and Georgia-based theater franchisees Lucas and Jenkins. The Shriners remained tenants in the building until 1949, renting the space they had originally owned.
The theater features a two-tone buff brick exterior with an onion dome and two lower domes, clad in blue tile, over the gothic arched Ponce De Leon Avenue entrance, which was once the main entrance to the Shriners headquarters, a one-story retail podium along Ponce De Leon Avenue and Peachtree Street with large bays featuring plate glass windows, transoms, and recessed doorways, Gothic and Moorish arches, a front entrance with a blade sign, marquee, two minaret-style towers, a crenellated parapet, and a brass ticket booth, an exterior multi-tier staircase on the south facade of the auditorium with multiple balconies, decorative screens with Moorish motifs, a minaret-style tower at the southwest corner of the auditorium, and a rooftop terrace at the northeast corner of the building. Inside, the building features a lavish lobby with a ceiling featuring beams and decorative stencils, stone panel-clad walls, and a terrazzo floor, an Egyptian Revival-style ballroom, a massive atmospheric auditorium meant to resemble an Arabian courtyard with stone walls, a domed ceiling that simulates the sky in appearance, decorative Moorish and Arabian ornamentation, a faux tent canopy over the balcony, and 4,665 seats.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It is a contributing structure in the Fox Theatre Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The theater survived the threat of demolition in 1974 due to the efforts of concerned citizens, whom started a campaign known as Save The Fox, and the building was purchased by the preservation nonprofit Atlanta Landmarks, Inc. The building was restored, and has since served as a Performing Arts Center and Concert Hall, with other spaces in the building hosting private events. The building today is the only surviving movie palace in Atlanta, and serves as a major cultural center.
The Fox Theatre, Peachtree Street and Ponce De Leon Avenue, Midtown, Atlanta, GA
Built in 1929, this Moorish Revival-style building was designed by Olivier J. Vinour of Marye, Alger and Vinour to serve as the Yaarab Shrine Temple, intended to be a large building for the Atlanta branch of the Shriners, a fraternal organization. However, when the cost of construction exceeded the expectations of the Shriners, the design of the building's auditorium and lobby were modified to allow it to be leased to William Fox, allowing them to serve as a movie theater known as The Fox Theatre. The building is Atlanta's grandest example of an early 20th Century "movie palace," a common moniker for grand movie theaters and cinemas that were constructed across the United States. In addition to the auditorium, the building featured retail lease spaces along Ponce De Leon Avenue and Peachtree Street, and offices, a locker room, a lounge, kitchen, events hall, and ballroom for the Shriners. The theater and the Shriners became insolvent soon after the building was completed, and in 1932, the building was foreclosed upon and was acquired by Paramount Pictures and Georgia-based theater franchisees Lucas and Jenkins. The Shriners remained tenants in the building until 1949, renting the space they had originally owned.
The theater features a two-tone buff brick exterior with an onion dome and two lower domes, clad in blue tile, over the gothic arched Ponce De Leon Avenue entrance, which was once the main entrance to the Shriners headquarters, a one-story retail podium along Ponce De Leon Avenue and Peachtree Street with large bays featuring plate glass windows, transoms, and recessed doorways, Gothic and Moorish arches, a front entrance with a blade sign, marquee, two minaret-style towers, a crenellated parapet, and a brass ticket booth, an exterior multi-tier staircase on the south facade of the auditorium with multiple balconies, decorative screens with Moorish motifs, a minaret-style tower at the southwest corner of the auditorium, and a rooftop terrace at the northeast corner of the building. Inside, the building features a lavish lobby with a ceiling featuring beams and decorative stencils, stone panel-clad walls, and a terrazzo floor, an Egyptian Revival-style ballroom, a massive atmospheric auditorium meant to resemble an Arabian courtyard with stone walls, a domed ceiling that simulates the sky in appearance, decorative Moorish and Arabian ornamentation, a faux tent canopy over the balcony, and 4,665 seats.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It is a contributing structure in the Fox Theatre Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The theater survived the threat of demolition in 1974 due to the efforts of concerned citizens, whom started a campaign known as Save The Fox, and the building was purchased by the preservation nonprofit Atlanta Landmarks, Inc. The building was restored, and has since served as a Performing Arts Center and Concert Hall, with other spaces in the building hosting private events. The building today is the only surviving movie palace in Atlanta, and serves as a major cultural center.