Proctor’s Palace Theatre, Yonkers, New York.

On December 3, I’ll be giving another lecture on the Fall of the American Movie Palace as part of the Atlas Obscura Speakers series at the Observatory in Brooklyn. I’ll be adding some new images and information, so if you came to the first one, there’s still a reason to check it out.

Here’s some information about it from the Observatory’s website:

There’s nothing remarkable about a movie theater today, but there used to be. When the great American Movie Palaces opened, they were some of the most lavish, stunning buildings anyone had ever seen. With the birth of the multiplex, theater companies found it harder and harder to keep these buildings open. Some were demolished, some were converted, and some remain to this day. “The Fall of the American Movie Palace” will take you through the history of these magnificent buildings, from their opening in the early 1900s to years after the final curtain.

Check out Atlas Obscura for more information, and to purchase tickets. http://atlasobscura.com/blog/american-palace

Tickets can also be purchased at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4687750187/eorg

National Theatre Detroit, MI

Just a quick reminder – there are still tickets available to my lecture at the Observatory in Brooklyn on December 3 at 7:30PM.

Tickets can be purchased at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4687750187?ref=elink

For more information about the lecture check out Atlas Obscura  and the Observatory’s websites.

http://atlasobscura.com/blog/american-palace

http://observatoryroom.org/2012/11/07/the-fall-of-the-american-movie-palace-2/

View of the remains of the auditorium from the balcony.

Proctor’s Palace Theatre opened on January 31, 1916 in Yonkers, New York. The 2,300 seat theater was designed by William E. Lehman who is also known for the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. It was built for theater magnate F.F. Proctor. Lehman designed the auditorium with a mix of French, Flemish and Italian style architecture. He is quoted as saying, “I wanted to create a building that will wear well.”  The complex also included a six story office building.

The proscenium arch was untouched during auditorium’s conversion into an office space.

In 1929, the Proctor theater chain was sold to the Radio Keith Orpheum Corporation.  Soon after the sale the theater was closed so renovations could be made to show motion pictures. When the theater reopened two months later, it was renamed RKO Proctor’s. During its time as a motion picture palace many stars visited the theater to promote their films, including Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita, Jerry Lewis, Bela Lugosi, Robert Mitchum and Shirley MacLaine.

Shortly after the theater closed the seats were removed due to a clause in the building’s fire insurance policy.

The Proctor’s closed in 1973 and briefly reopened in 1974 before closing permanently the next year. After it closed, the main level of the auditorium was converted into an office space and the balcony was sealed off. The lobby of the theater was removed and converted to retail space.

View of the top of the auditorium from the balcony.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The current owner as well as the City of Yonkers, are interested in restoring the building.

The ceiling of the auditorium.

A closer look at some of the details on the ceiling.

When the theater was converted into an office space heating ducts were added to the balcony.

The mural above the proscenium arch was painted over years before the theater closed.

Only a Hall & Connolly follow-spot remains in the projector room.

Film is strewn about the rewinding station.

All the plaster-work to the left and right of the stage area was removed during the conversion of the auditorium.

Another view of the auditorium from the balcony.

View of the auditorium from the balcony.

The Madison Theatre opened on October 16, 1920 in Peoria, Illinois. It was built by architect Frederic J. Klein (known for Rockford, Illinois’ Coronado Theatre) for the Robinson Amusement Company. The 1,739 seat theater was originally designed in the Adamesque style and was remodeled in 1936 in the simpler art deco style to ease the maintenance of the building.

The Proscenium arch is surrounded by beaded plaster molding and a motif of acanthus leaves. At the center is the figure of a girl that is repeated throughout the plaster-work of the theater.

The Madison opened as a vaudeville and silent film theater. It was converted to show motion pictures or “talkies” in the late 1920s. The owner Dee Robinson hosted annual Christmas shows where children could attend for free. This practice continued into the 1950s, years after Robinson passed away. In 1980 the theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

View of the auditorium from the side of the balcony.

The Madison was renovated again in the 1980s. The original entrance and part of the lobby were demolished and turned into a bar. The theater became a concert venue in the mid 1990s, with many popular bands playing there, including B.B. King, Ray Charles, Creed, REO Speedwagon, Fiona Apple, the Smashing Pumpkins, the Insane Clown Posse, and Slayer. In 2003 the Madison was closed by the city due to fire code violations. J.D. Comfort, one of the owners of the building, is quoted as saying that the building should be torn down, and that its served its purpose. He estimates that it would cost $18 million to restore the building. The Madison remains closed today.

View of the lobby from the mezzanine.

The dome in the auditorium consists of concentric circles. The outermost circle in the dome has 21 different sculpted plaques.

Another view from the side of the balcony.

View of the auditorium from the balcony.

The National Theatre opened on September 16, 1911 in Detroit, Michigan. Designed by Detroit architect Albert Kahn (who designed so many buildings in Detroit that he was nicknamed, “the architect of Detroit”),   the National is noted as his only theater and is the oldest surviving building from the city’s original theater district. Built in the Art Nouveau style, the exterior of the building is covered with terra cotta from Pewabic Pottery, another Detroit landmark.

Much of the plaster work has broken away since the theater closed.

Like most theaters in the early 20th century, the National opened as a vaudeville house and later switched to showing films. However, the 800 seat theater could not compete with the larger movie palaces that were built nearby, and switched to showing burlesque accompanied by a live orchestra by the 1940’s. With the change in entertainment came a name change, to the National Burlesk Theatre.

The foyer of the National Theatre.

In the early 1970’s the National was renamed the Palace Theatre and started showing pornographic films. It later closed in 1975. That same year, the National was added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with some other buildings on the street. They were collectively known as the Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings, or the Monroe Block. The theater changed hands several times in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s before the City of Detroit seized the property due to back taxes owed. All the other Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings were torn down in 1990, leaving the National Theatre as the only surviving member of the Monroe Block.

A close up of a painting on the wall of the foyer.

There have since been several proposals to renovate the theater, including one that would turning it into a dance club and another an African-American film museum, but neither of these came to pass. Anticipating the restoration of the building, the interior of the theater was cleaned out by a local preservation group in 1998. The National remains abandoned, with no current plans for restoration.

The seats were removed when the interior of the theater was cleaned out in 1998.

Most of the original doors remain intact.

View of the main level of the auditorium.

Nothing remains in the projector room.

A closer look at the exit doors.

View of the exit from the side of the stage.

View of the balcony auditorium after multiplexing.

The Fabian Theatre opened on December 14, 1925 in Paterson, New Jersey. Designed by Paterson architect Fred Wesley Wentworth for theater magnate Jacob Fabian, the 3,228 seat theater was built in a Sullivanesque style with a two ton chandelier, tile floors, murals, and Turkish baths in the basement.

The foyer of the Fabian Theatre.

The Fabian opened with the silent film “We Moderns” as well as a performance from the Fabian Grand Orchestra. Several of the comedy duo Abbott and Costello’s film premiers were held at the Fabian, due to it being in Lou Costello’s hometown. The films shown were “One Night in the Tropics,” “Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.” In 1948, Reverend Charles Tarter, a civil rights pioneer, challenged segregation by repeatedly sitting in the main level of the auditorium at a time when African Americans were only allowed to sit in the balcony.

View of the back of the balcony auditorium from the stage.

Shortly after opening, the Fabian Theatre Chain merged with Stanley Warner, who modernized the theater in 1962. The standing area at the back of the main level of the auditorium was cut off from the seats by a glass wall. The seating was reduced by 500, the chandelier was replaced and a new projection equipment and sound system were installed. All of the marble in the theater was cleaned and repolished by the same company that originally installed it almost 40 years earlier.

Some of the original plaster work shows through a modern renovation.

In July 1977, the theater was sold to Theater Management Associates, who turned it into a triplex. The main level was divided into two 500 seat theaters, and the 1,200 seats on the balcony. The Fabian reopened in late 1977 as the Fabian 1-2-3. Two additional screens were added to the stage area in the early 1980s. The Fabian closed in late 1993.

The proscenium arch was covered up during the 1977 triplexing of the theater.

After being closed for over ten years, demolition of the Fabian was approved by New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection in 2004. The site was slated to become office space and parking for the Paterson Board of Education, but the project was never executed. The theater was gutted to make way for condos and retail space in 2011.

A closeup of the mural in the theater’s foyer.

Another look at the back of the auditorium from the stage.

I’m happy to announce that 15 of my images are going to be shown at the Sakura Gallery in Paris, France from March 27 to April 30, 2013.

Sakura is located at 46, cour Saint-Emilion, 75012 Paris. For more information about the gallery check out their website : http://www.galerie-sakura.com.

View of the auditorium from the balcony.

The Eastown Theatre opened on October 1, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan. It was built by the architectural firm of V.J. Waiver and Company for the Wisper and Westman Theatre chain. Designed in a Baroque architectural style, the 2,500 seat theater was built for motion pictures and did not have live performances until much later. Most movie palace openings were a grand event, and the Eastown was no exception. Newspaper ads proclaimed the opening to be, “the most glorious event in the history of east Detroit.” The opening film was Clark Gable’s first starring role “Sporting Blood.”

View of the auditorium from the stage.

The theater closed in 1967 and after some renovation reopened as a music venue on May 29, 1969. During this time many famous bands played at the Eastown, including Elton John, the Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, the Grateful Dead, Rush, Jefferson Airplane, the Who and more. Alice Cooper played at the theater often, and some say that he found his now iconic top hat in a dumpster behind the theater before a performance. The theater was also the site of quite a bit of illegal activity. Drug dealers openly sold drugs during shows, and after two deaths, drug arrests and overcrowding violations the mayor of Detroit revoked the city business license. The Eastown closed on December 11, 1971.

The theater’s lobby.

The theater reopened once again in late 1975 as a music venue called the Showcase Theatre. James Brown played 14 shows in six days during this time. This was short lived due to rising crime in the area. Patrons’ cars were often vandalized or broken into and the Showcase closed after 18 months. It became an adult film theater in 1980, lasting until 1984. Eastown’s next iteration came when it was taken over by the Detroit Center for the Performing Arts in 1984. DCPA used the theater to put on plays and acting workshops. With the condition of the theater deteriorating, DCPA started to raise money to make the necessary renovations but was unable to and closed the theater.

View of the auditorium from the side of the balcony.

After a stint hosting raves, the Eastown was taken over by Deeper Life Ministries.  The church used the apartments attached to the building for housing for its congregation with the intent of converting the auditorium into a place of worship. They were unable to and the theater was put up for sale in 2004. On August 9, 2010 a fire broke out in the apartment section of the building. The fire destroyed half of the complex. Other than some smoke damage, the theater was untouched. The city condemned the building and placed demolition notices on the front door the following day.

View from the main level of the auditorium.

The proscenium arch has become water damaged in the years since the theater closed.

The ceiling in the foyer has also begun to collapse.

Much of the plaster work on the balcony has crumbled and broken off the wall.

“The Eastown was the best audience in the world. And I’m not saying that just because you’re writing it down. Any other city, people went home from work to put on their Levis and black leather jackets for a concert. In Detroit they came from work like that. The Eastown — those were pure rock ’n’ roll times.” – Alice Cooper, The Detroit Free Press

Loew’s Palace Theatre Bridgeport, CT

It’s time for another round of the “From the balcony” Print sale. The following prints will be $25 dollars off from now until April 30th. If you buy all 5 you’ll receive an additional discount!

Prints are available in editions of five in the following sizes:

The available sizes are:

8″x10″ – $25.00

12″x18″ – $50.00

16″x24″ – $75.00

In addition all the images on the Prints page will be 50% off until April 30.

Images are printed on Kodak Professional Endura Supra paper.

Please e-mail me if interested. Payment is accepted via Paypal, Amazon Payments or credit card. Prints are shipped via USPS or FedEx.

Grand Theatre Steubenville, OH

Eastown Theatre Detroit, MI

National Theatre Detroit, MI

Uptown Theatre Racine, WI

The theater’s proscenium arch.

Built on the site of Henry Ford’s first garage, the Michigan Theatre opened on August 23, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. The 4,038 seat theater was designed by Chicago-based theater architecture firm Rapp & Rapp (also known for the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn) for the Balaban and Katz Theatre Corporation.

View of the proscenium arch and part of the ceiling from the back of the auditorium.

As with many other theaters at the time, the Michigan opened as a silent film theater and was later converted to show “talkies.”  The first motion picture shown with sound was “Sawdust Paradise,” starring Esther Ralston, Reed Howes and Hobart Bosworth. In addition to showing films, the theater was also used as a live performance venue. Some of the greatest performers of the day played there, including Bob Hope, the Marx Brothers, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. The live performances were discontinued in the late 1930s when the Michigan began showing only movies.\

The lobby ceiling is one of the few things that survived the transformation into a garage.

The Michigan closed in 1967 due to declining ticket sales. It was reopened a few months later by Nicholas George, who owned and operated 11 theaters in the Detroit area. George made renovations to the theater, but it ended up closing again after just three years. Live performances returned in 1973 when the theater was converted into a 1,500 seat supper club and renamed the Michigan Palace. The club was not successful and closed a few months after opening.

Most of the balcony was removed to make room for the top level of the parking garage.

It later became a concert venue and hosted shows from many famous bands, including Aerosmith, Rush, Bob Seger, David Bowie and Blue Oyster Cult.  Its years as a concert venue took a toll on the theater and much of the interior decor was damaged. The theater closed for the last time in 1976 due to a dispute between the building’s owners and the concert venue management over the damage to the theater.

The landing inside one of the surviving stairwells.

Plans to demolish the theater were halted when demolition studies revealed that if the theater was demolished the structural integrity of an attached office building would be compromised. The inside of the auditorium was then partially gutted and a three-storey parking garage was built inside. The only remaining parts of the original theater include the ceiling, proscenium arch, part of the upper balcony, the projector room, the lobby ceiling and the ticket booth. The Michigan is still in use as a garage, and has been featured in a number of movies set in Detroit, including “8 Mile” and “Alex Cross.”

Another view of the lobby ceiling.

A look at the remains of the auditorium from the back of what used to be the balcony.

Introducing: the Snapshot Series  - Occasionally in my travels I come across a theater that I can’t find a lot of information on, or that I only have a chance to photograph for an hour or two. They’re still beautiful and fascinating, so they definitely have a place on After the Final Curtain.

View from the back of the auditorium.

The Liberty Theatre opened in 1922 in Dorchester, MA. It was operated by New England Theatres and showed primarily silent films. The 898-seat theater was in poor shape by 1941 and was later sold to ATC Theatres. In 1949, the Liberty was remodeled and reopened as an art house theater, but ended up closing in the 1950s. It was used as a household appliance warehouse in the 1960’s and later as a church until 1977, when it was converted to a warehouse for storage.

The lobby of the Liberty Theatre.

The Liberty Theatre was demolished in early 2013.

Much of the theater had been demolished before I had the chance to photograph it.

A close up of the proscenium arch.

A close up of some of the remaining plasterwork in the lobby.

Hi everyone – I’m on another trip photographing some of America’s abandoned theaters. Keep an eye out on the blog for updates over the next week.

Lyric Theatre Birmingham, AL.

Day two was spent photographing the Lyric Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama. The Lyric opened in 1914 as a vaudeville theater, and was eventually converted to show films. More information can be found at http://lightupthelyric.com/

View of the Jayhawk Theatre from the balcony.

The next theater I visited was the Jayhawk Theatre in Topeka, Kansas. The Jayhawk opened in August of 1926, and has been closed since May 1976. For more information visit the website of the organization trying to restore the theater: http://jayhawktheatre.com/

The chandelier was removed when the theater was used as a church.

The fourth theater I visited  was the Booth Theatre in Independence, Kansas. The Booth opened in 1927 and closed in 1980. It was used as a church for a few years before closing for good. In 1991 the Booth Theatre Foundation was started to renovate and reuse the theater.  For more information on the Booth Theatre foundation visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Booth-Theatre-Independence-KS/193393179833

View of the auditorium from the balcony.

The next stop on the trip was the Okla Theatre in McAlester, Oklahoma. The Okla opened on July 10, 1931 and closed on September 4, 1989. The city of McAlester is currently trying to restore and reopen the theater. For more information check out their website: http://www.oklatheater.com/

View from the balcony of the Berry Theatre.

After making a quick stop at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport to drop off some of my road trip companions, I headed over to the Berry Theatre in Fort Worth. The theater opened as the White Theatre in the early 1940s, and was eventually renamed the Berry Theatre after the street in resides on.

View of the stage from the main level.

The last stop of the trip was the Paramount Theatre in Marshall, Texas. The Paramount opened in 1930, and has had a number of different uses over the years. After it closed as a theater, it was used as a western themed dinner theater, and then a recording studio. The building is currently for sale.

View of the auditorium from the side of the balcony.

The Embassy Theatre opened August 12, 1926 in Port Chester, NY. Designed by prominent theater architect Thomas W. Lamb, the 1,591 seat theater was built on the grounds of an old Elk Lodge. Lamb also designed the nearby Capitol Theatre, which opened just a few days after the Embassy.

View of the ceiling from the main level.

Like most theaters of its time, the Embassy opened as a vaudeville house and gradually began pairing live performances with silent films before switching over to motion pictures. It was also used to host different events, including bridal showers and fashion shows. In August of 1937, the theater was added to the Leventhal-Werba Atlantic Coast circuit and was used as a live play house. The Embassy eventually switched back to showing motion pictures.

The original chandelier still hangs in the auditorium.

The Embassy closed in the early 1980s after showing Spanish language films for a few years. On June 26, 1986, the theater was reopened as a dance club for teenagers called the Public Domain. It was shut down by the police after only one night due to noise complaints.  The theater almost became a multiplex in 1998, but the deal fell through.

The ceiling of the lobby was decorated with various coats of arms.

The Port Chester Council of the Arts tried to get the Embassy listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and to renovate the theater for use as vaudeville museum. They cleaned up and repainted the Embassy, but were unsuccessful at obtaining the funds to restore the building. The building was sold in September 2012 to Embassy Real Estate Partners, LLC. The new owners plan to restore the theater to its original 1926 design.

Most of the projection equipment was left behind after the theater closed.

A close up of some of the plaster-work to the right of the stage.

The snack bar was added years after the theater opened.

View of the auditorium from the box seats.

The proscenium has two large holes in it due to the removal of sound or lighting equipment after the theater closed.

A closer look at one of the projectors.

View of the stage from the main level.

The lobby mezzanine.

The hand cranked film rewinder still has one of the last movies to be shown at the theater in it.

View of the auditorium from the center of the balcony.

Upper Balcony, Proctor’s Palace Theatre Newark, NJ

For my summer print sale I decided to do something a bit different — instead of doing one sale for the month, there will be a different sale for each week!

From July 1 to July 7 these two images of the Proctor’s Palace Theatre will be on sale in the following sizes:

8″×10″ – $40.00

12″x18″ – $65.00

16″x24″ – $100.00

24″x36″ – $175.00

Each size is available in editions of 10, and once they sell out they will not be available in these sizes again.

Another little extra: included with each print this week will be an original 1966 ticket from the Proctor’s Palace Theatre.

Auditorium, Proctor’s Palace Theatre Newark, NJ

All images on the prints page will be 10% off for the month of July.

Please e-mail me for more information.

Payment accepted via Paypal, Amazon Payments, Credit Card or Personal check. Prints are shipped via FedEx or USPS.

Proctor’s Palace ticket stub from December 14, 1966.