View of the Variety Theatre from the balcony.

I took the Greyhound bus from Chicago to Cleveland to photograph the last place on the road trip: The Variety Theatre. The theater opened on November 27, 1927, and closed in the 1980s. It was last in use as a wrestling venue called Wrestle Plex.

Full blog posts for all the theaters I visited on this trip are coming soon.

A close up of the mural painted above the proscenium arch.

Another day, another state. The Majestic (Uptown) Theatre in Racine, WI opened in 1928. It was designed in a gothic style, which was unusual for theaters. The theater closed in late 1959.

View of the auditorium from the side of the balcony.

After driving a bit more we made our way to our next theater. Look for a full post on this location soon.

View of the Majestic Theatre from the balcony.

We travelled 300 miles south to the Majestic Theatre in East St. Louis for the 3rd day of the road trip. The Majestic Theatre opened in February 1928 and was originally part of the Samuel Komm Theatre chain of St. Louis. It closed in 1960, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

View from the balcony of the New Regal Theatre.

I spent most of my second day in Chicago photographing the New Regal Theatre. This John Eberson designed theater opened in 1927 as the Avalon Theatre. It is said to be inspired by a Persian lamp Eberson found at an antiques market. The Regal closed in 2010 .

The ceiling decoration is called the largest flying carpet in the world.

The lobby of the Ramova Theatre.

I’m currently on a road trip to photograph some more abandoned theaters. Day 1 was spent revisiting the Ramova Theatre in Chicago.

The Ramova Theatre opened on August 21, 1929, and closed in the mid 1980s.

The main floor of the auditorium is now used as storage for a furniture store.

The Loew’s 46th Street Theatre opened on October 9, 1927 as the Universal Theatre. It was designed by John Eberson, a famous theater architect known for his atmospheric style auditoriums. According to an account in the Brooklyn Eagle, 25,000 people were present for the opening of the theater. The 2,675 seat theater was acquired by the Loew’s Corporation in August 1928, and closed so renovations could be made to the sound equipment. It reopened on September 10, 1928 as the Loew’s 46th Street Theatre.

This fountain actually worked. It helped to add to the illusion that patrons were sitting in a garden at night.

The 46th Street Theatre was the first atmospheric theater in New York City. It was designed to look like a night sky in an Italian garden. The illusion was completed with a projection of clouds across the ceiling. However, by the 1940’s the atmospheric effects had fallen into disrepair and were no longer used.

View of the balcony level.

The Loew’s Corporation transferred ownership to the 46th Theatre Company on September 14, 1966, and the theater was run as an independent movie theater until it closed in 1970. It was reopened later that year as the 46th Street Rock Palace, and was later renamed Bananafish Garden. The name was taken from J.D. Salinger’s short story “A Perfect Day for Banana Fish”. Many famous bands played shows at the theater during the years it was a concert venue including; The Byrds, The Grateful Dead, Jerry Lee Louis, The Bee Gees, Steely Dan, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Randy Newman.

A close up of some of the plaster work that adorns the walls of the auditorium.

In 1973, the theater was closed due to pressure from the local community, who felt that the concerts were causing too much noise. The building was then sold in 1974 to a furniture company. The stage was removed from the auditorium and it was converted into a storeroom for surplus furniture. The lobby was converted into a show room. It was sold again to the current owners Regal Furniture in 1996.

Birds have gotten trapped in the projector room over the years, leaving the floor covered in bird droppings.

The sides of the seats were also ornately decorated.

A close up of plaster work on the wall of the auditorium.

Another view of the fountain.

One of the projectors was leaking oil, and a coke can was used as a makeshift oil pan.

View of the stage from the balcony.

A close up of the plaster work around the fire escape doors.

The main level of the auditorium.

I recently spoke with Kathy McKean – the Managing Director of the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts. MIFA owns and is renovating the Victory Theatre in Holyoke, MA. 

1. What is MIFA?

“MIFA is a Holyoke based International Festival that brings world-class events to Holyoke and the Pioneer Valley. MIFA’s 2011 Season included Hal Holbrook in ‘Mark Twain Tonight’ and Silent Film Night The Last Command. Other presentations in Holyoke have been Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’, contemporary Irish Dance in ‘Irish Cream’, Eddie Palmieri in Concert, a series of French Dance, Enchanted Circle Theatre in ‘Sojourners Truth’ and Mikhail Baryshnikov 2004 World Tour. MIFA is a vehicle for community restoration and historic and architectural preservation and is renovating and reopening the historic Victory Theatre, a 1600 hundred-seat Broadway style theater in downtown Holyoke. The iconic theater will be returned to its original use as a live theater house for Holyoke, the Valley and the Northeast.”

A close up of some of the plaster work

2. What initially drew MIFA to the building?

“MIFA chose Holyoke as its home in 2004 because of the city’s innate architectural beauty, its geographic location, its multiplicity of spaces, its need and the presence of a unique super asset and the Victory Theatre whose power as the last Broadway style theater in the Connecticut River Valley could house major MIFA events.

The Victory Theatre consists of approximately 42,000 square feet of useable space of which 30,000 square feet is the theatre area itself. The building is located on a lot of 14,640 square feet and covers the entire site. The exterior is brick with masonry ornamentation including an inscription with the theatre’s name. The original marquee has been lost but MIFA plans to replicate its design from archival images.”

This room was originally an open balcony, but it was closed off when the theater was converted to a motion picture house.

3. How did you get involved with the restoration of the Victory Theater?

“Community leaders steadfastly protected the theater after its closing in 1979 and in the early 1990s an effort was made to bring it back, but a recession and bank failures thwarted this effort. MIFA immediately began working with the city to devise a plan, saving the Victory from the wrecking ball. In 2005 the festival undertook an in-depth assessment of the Victory. Funded by Jane’s Trust and the Massachusetts Legislature the study had theater experts gauge the feasibility and suitability and the cost of restoring and reopening the Victory Theatre. This study was completed in 2008. It resulted in a 2009 budget projecting a total cost of $28 million and lead to MIFA’s purchase of the theater in 2009. The challenge/ opportunity of the Victory once met will result in a magnificent addition to MIFA producing and presenting capability, a stimulus for Holyoke revitalization and a jewel in the Commonwealth’s cultural diadem.”

View of the theater from the side of the balcony.

4. Why is it important that the Victory Theater be renovated?

“The Victory Theatre’s restoration is envisioned to be a catalyst for the revitalization of downtown. Holyoke. The MIFA Victory Theatre will draw visitors and patrons from Holyoke and the Pioneer Valley and from out-of-state. There is no other public Broadway style theater like the Victory in a non academic setting in the Pioneer Valley capable of putting on the type of shows that the Victory can, because of its size and design. A restored Victory Theatre will establish a continuing center of international artistic excellence, attracting visitors interested in Holyoke and the best in arts and entertainment. The Theatre will offer a broad mix of programming featuring the performing arts, entertainment, film and cultural exchanges with countries which provided Holyoke’s population. Programming will increase the liveliness of the downtown creating a need for hotel, B&B’s, restaurants, cafes and coffee houses. Its downtown urban location fosters a sophisticated, environment for theater-goers that complements the Valley’s established ; ample dressing and make-up rooms; convenient concession facilities arts scene.  The Victory Theatre will draw 80,000 projected annual visitors/patrons to downtown Holyoke, including tourists.”

Even though the theater primarily showed movies, it had all the necessary equipment to hold live performances.

5. How is the MIFA raising money to fund the restoration of the theater?

“MIFA has developed a financial strategy and structure for the Victory Theatre, which relies on a wide variety of financial support including the $16 million of tax credits, that must be combined with cash grants and donations. MIFA’s financial plan calls for $6.5 million of public support from all levels of government and MIFA has been cultivating private donors and local and National Foundations.”

The stage has rotted during the years the theater was closed and will have to be replaced.

The two Vincent Maragliotti mural's on either side of the stage have been removed for restoration.

The Victory Theatre opened on December 31, 1920 in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The 1,680 seat theater was built by Mowll & Rand, an architecture firm based out of Boston.  The firm was also known for the design of the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Massachusetts. The Victory was commissioned by the brothers Samuel and Nathan Goldstein of Western Massachusetts Theatres Incorporated.

The grand staircase of the Victory Theatre.

The Goldsteins were considered pioneers in the motion picture industry. They spent the early 1900s operating nickelodeons — small storefront movie houses. The brothers, recognizing the increasing popularity of motion pictures, opened several larger theaters after World War I. The Victory’s name is itself a reference to the Allies’ victory during the war.

The Eagle on the proscenium arch symbolizes the Allies victory in World War I.

From its opening date, The Victory operated as a “combination house,” showing both films and vaudeville performances. With vaudeville’s decline in the early 1930s the Brothers discontinued the vaudeville performances in favor of the more popular motion picture screenings.

View from the stage of the Victory Theatre.

The Victory was damaged by a fire in 1942, and reopened after the damage was repaired. The theater closed permanently on December 15, 1978 due to declining ticket sales. The city took ownership of the theater soon after due to non-payment of taxes. In September 2008, the city of Holyoke transferred ownership of the theater to the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, who plan to renovate the theater and reopen it as a performing arts center.

This projection room wall is covered in notes and signatures from past projectionists.

The restoration of the Victory is being handled by DBVW Architects, a firm based in Providence, Rhode Island. Construction is set to begin in June 2012.

The owners placed a tarp over a hole in the ceiling, casting a blue light over the backstage area.

The main level of the auditorium.

Over the years the movie screen has fallen into disrepair.

View of the Paramount Theatre from the balcony.

The Paramount Theatre opened as the Broadway Theatre in Long Branch, New Jersey on August 1, 1912. The project was commissioned by theater magnate Walter Reade on the site of an old Episcopal church. The 1,772 seat Broadway began showing plays and vaudeville performances before transitioning over to film.

The mezzanine level of the lobby.

One of the first motion pictures shown at the theater was “Birth of A Nation,” a controversial film credited as one of the inspirational events behind the reformation of the Klu Klux Klan. In 1930, Reade suggested that Paramount-Publix, a large theater chain, reconstruct and begin managing the Broadway. The theater was stripped to the bare walls and remodeled by architect Leon Cubberley into an atmospheric style theater. After the redesign, the theater was renamed the Paramount Theatre.

All of the seats have been removed from both the main level and the balcony level of the theater.

The theater closed on September 14, 1959 due to declining ticket sales. When asked why the Paramount closed, owner Walter Reade, Jr. explained that the citizens of Long Branch tend to travel to neighboring towns to see movies.

The Paramount Theatre's projector room.

The Paramount was sold and used as a warehouse for Siperstein’s Paint until plans were made to renovate the building in 2005. The plans called for the space to be restored as an 1,800 seat theater, with the buildings surrounding it converted into residential units, art space and retail. As of March 2012, none of the 2005 plans have been realized, and the theater is still abandoned.

When the theater was used as a warehouse, scaffolding was built on the side of the stage to hold various paint and hardware supplies.

The side of the proscenium arch.

A close up of the plasterwork in the Paramount Theatre lobby.

Another view from the balcony level of the theater.