This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

PPAC sits on Weybosset Street in downtown Providence and first opened in 1928 as Loew’s State Theatre. Designed by Rapp & Rapp—basically the go-to architects for movie palaces in the ‘20s—it was built for the Loew’s Theatres chain at the height of the movie palace boom. It opened with Excess Baggage starring William Haines, but the real draw that night was the building itself. Over 14,000 people showed up just to see the chandeliers, marble, and ornamentation.

During the mid-20th century, the theater gradually shifted away from film. From 1950 to 1972, it was known simply as Loew’s Theatre and focused more on live entertainment. In 1972, it was renamed the Palace Concert Theater and became a major rock venue. Between 1973 and 1975, it hosted acts like The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, The Bee Gees, Queen, Lou Reed, and Jackson Browne. King Crimson recorded their song “Providence” live here in 1974 for their Red album.

By the mid-1970s, the building had deteriorated, and in 1977 it was nearly demolished. According to then-mayor Buddy Cianci, the owner submitted a demolition permit—but Cianci and the city stepped in with over $1 million in emergency funding to save it. Local businesses, the state of Rhode Island, and private donors also joined the effort. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places that same year and reopened in 1978 as the Ocean State Theatre.

In 1982, the name was changed to Providence Performing Arts Center, and in 1996 it became the centerpiece of Cianci’s Arts and Entertainment District—a revitalization effort that used tax incentives to attract artists and creative businesses back to downtown Providence. A major restoration project began in 1999, returning much of the building to its original 1928 appearance while modernizing the stage and backstage areas to accommodate Broadway-scale productions.

Today, PPAC is one of the best-preserved examples of a 1920s movie palace still in active use. It hosts national Broadway tours, concerts, and community events—still doing exactly what it was built to do, nearly 100 years later.

This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

The Maxbilt Theatre originally opened on July 6, 1929. Built by Russian Jewish immigrant and real estate developer Max Silberman, the theater replaced the New Mountain Casino, a multi-purpose venue that had burned earlier that year. The casino, built in 1910, housed a soda fountain, bowling alley, office spaces, and a second-floor theater marked by an oversized Palladian window. After the fire, Silberman purchased the site, demolished the remains, and invested $60,000 to construct a modern entertainment venue with retail spaces. Designed specifically for the new “talkie” films, the Maxbilt was outfitted with cutting-edge Western Electric sound equipment and quickly became a cultural centerpiece in the Catskills, attracting residents and tourists alike.

During construction, Silberman leased the Maxbilt to the Stanley Sobelson Corporation, a prominent theater chain in New York and New Jersey, for $80,000 over fifteen years. The theater’s opening main event was a boxing match, drawing fighters and spectators from across the state. While the boxing events were a major attraction, the primary focus remained on film. The Maxbilt began showing first-run Hollywood films, advertising in the Catskill Mountain News and featuring multiple screenings each weekend, along with weekday matinees. The theater also hosted vaudeville acts, beauty pageants, and community events.

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the theater changed ownership multiple times, eventually coming under the control of T. Whipple, president of the First National Bank, around 1940. Under Whipple’s ownership, the theater was renovated with new seating, a fresh marquee, and improved lighting, and it was renamed the Whipple Theatre. It continued to operate under various leases until 1950, when Sam Davis purchased the property and rebranded it as the Onteora Theatre.

Davis made additional updates, including a neon sign and new seating configurations. His family lived above the theater during the summers and attempted to keep it open on weekends year-round, but low winter attendance made operations difficult. The Onteora Theatre continued to screen movies and host local events, but as the resort economy of the Catskills declined, so too did the theater’s fortunes.

The Maxbilt theater closed in the early 2000s. Several attempts have been made to reopen it, including a recent proposal for a dinner theater, but none have materialized. Recognizing its cultural and architectural importance, the theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. The building’s exterior has been refreshed, and a new vertical sign displaying “Maxbilt” was installed in 2018.

This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

The Alexandria Theatre opened its doors on November 26, 1923, with Douglas MacLean’s “Going Up”. Built at a cost of $350,000 by Oppenheimer and Levin, and designed by the Reid Brothers, it was originally styled in Egyptian Revival—a nod to the famed Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. A 1941 remodel replaced most of the original decor with a sleek Moderne look, although some of the Egyptian elements survived beneath the surface. The theater reopened in 1942, but due to wartime blackouts, its new neon features stayed dark until restrictions lifted.

In 1958, the Alexandria transitioned from a neighborhood second-run house to a first-run, reserved-seat roadshow theater. It opened “South Pacific” on July 1, 1958, kicking off an era of long-running films like “Cleopatra” (56 weeks), “Oliver!” (43 weeks), and “Exodus” (21 weeks). While popular, this model ended its role as a weekly-changing neighborhood cinema. Longtime Richmond District patrons turned to other nearby theaters, though none could match the Alexandria’s wide CinemaScope screen and four-track stereo sound.

Actor Richard Egan reportedly worked as an usher there in the 1940s, but by 1976, the Alexandria had been divided into three screens, with the balcony and loge turned into smaller auditoriums. Rumors persist that behind the modern updates, the original atmospheric ceiling and Egyptian columns remain intact. The theater officially closed in early 2004.

Since then, the building has sat empty. Over the years, multiple redevelopment plans were proposed—including a smaller theater with retail and an indoor pool—but stalled due to funding and logistical challenges. In 2024, the city approved a special use district allowing for a new eight-story development with 75 apartments, including 12% affordable units, while requiring preservation of certain historic features like the marquee and interior murals.

Local leaders, including Supervisor Connie Chan, see the redevelopment as a way to add housing without displacing small businesses. Preservationists like Woody LaBounty argue for retaining the building’s character, while pro-housing advocates express concern over the city’s piecemeal approach. As of now, the future of the Alexandria remains uncertain—but the building continues to stand as a landmark of San Francisco’s architectural and cinematic history.

This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in 2025. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

The Broadway Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the city’s historic theaters, originally designed by local architects Joseph & Joseph. It opened in May 1915 at 816 E. Broadway as a vaudeville house and featured classic Beaux-Arts architecture, ornate plasterwork, and seating for around 800 people. A Wurlitzer 2-manual, 7-rank organ provided accompaniment for silent films and stage acts, making it a key entertainment venue in early 20th-century Louisville.

By the 1930s, the Broadway Theatre had been converted into a movie house. It operated as a neighborhood cinema for several decades, and the original film projectors are still in the building. The theater closed as a movie house around 1959, marking the end of its run as one of Louisville’s early performance spaces.

In 1960, the Catholic Theatre Guild purchased the building and began using it for stage plays and Christian performances. By the early 1970s, it was transformed into The Mad Hatter, a live music venue that became part of Louisville’s rock scene. The theater hosted major 1970s and 1980s rock acts including Pink Floyd, Santana, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne, making it a notable stop for touring bands during that era.

The building was nearly demolished in the 1980s but was instead preserved through adaptive reuse as a furniture showroom. It remained in that role for over 30 years, keeping much of the original structure intact. Decorative plaster details, the balcony-level projection booth, and stage architecture were hidden but survived behind drop ceilings and display walls.

In 2018, the Broadway Theatre was repurposed again—this time into Launch Louisville, a co-working space for local startups and creatives. In 2024, redevelopment plans were announced to restore the space as part of the Epping District. The project’s two-phase plan aims to reopen the historic theater as a venue for events and, eventually, return it to use as a performance space—continuing the building’s legacy of adaptation and creative reuse in Louisville’s evolving cultural landscape. It reopened in 2025 with the lower level restored, but the balcony still separated from the rest of the building.

This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in 2024. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

The Fox West Theatre opened as the West Theatre on March 16, 1908 in Trinidad, Colorado, with a performance of “The Bondman.” It was built by Ed West, a Trinidad businessman, and designed by local architects I.H. and W.M. Rapp, who were related to the founders of Rapp & Rapp—the firm behind major theaters like the Uptown in Chicago and Kings in Brooklyn.

Construction used over 2 million bricks and 12 railcars of Portland cement. The foundation extends 40 feet below street level, and the stage wall is over 115 feet tall. The building includes a 40-foot-deep lobby and a 63-foot-high auditorium with two balconies and an elliptical proscenium arch. Capacity was originally 1,150 seats. A ballroom in the basement opened two months later, on May 20, 1908.

The first film was shown at the West Theatre on November 3, 1908. After Ed West’s death in 1911, the theater was sold in 1920 to Kohn and Fairchild Amusement Co. It changed hands again in 1929, when it was acquired by the Fox West Coast Theatre Company, renamed the West-Fox Theatre, and updated for sound films. A marquee was added in 1935. In 1942, the name was shortened to the Fox Theatre.

On February 17, 1959, ownership transferred to John, Marie, and Salma Sawaya, members of a prominent Lebanese family in Trinidad. The theater was managed by their nephew, Mike Hadad, for many years. It operated as a single-screen movie house and remained active until summer 2013. The City of Trinidad took ownership of the building on January 8, 2019. It was renamed the Fox West Theatre and began hosting virtual performances during the COVID-19 pandemic. The building has not returned to regular programming.

The Fox West Theatre is one of the oldest surviving theaters in Colorado. It retains much of its original interior and exterior architecture, including the proscenium, balconies, and decorative plasterwork. Restoration plans have not been formally announced, but the building remains city-owned and intact.

This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in 2024. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

The Columbia Theatre opened on November 29, 1922, with 1,732 seats and a construction cost of $350,000 (about $6 million today). It was built by the Columbia Amusement Company, which also operated theaters in Warren, Erie, and Salamanca. Architect Arland W. Johnson of New York City designed it as a true vaudeville palace—complete with a marble staircase, full stage, orchestra pit, seven dressing rooms, and elaborate plasterwork throughout the auditorium.

Originally attached to the Morgan Grand Building, the Columbia was technically a three-sided structure built behind it. That building—once an opera house itself—contained the Columbia’s lobby and entryway. In 1981, the Morgan Grand burned down, but a firewall saved the Columbia from total destruction, limiting the damage to smoke and water. The loss of the lobby, however, left the theater functionally decapitated.

The first effort to save the Columbia dates back to 1978, but things really started moving after the 1981 fire. A nonprofit called Columbia Theatre Inc. was formed in 1982 and briefly leased the building to begin cleaning and stabilization. That same year, the original chandelier and other valuable interior elements were removed by the former owner before the property was lost to a tax sale. On the theater’s 62nd anniversary in 1984, Sharon native and Lettermen frontman Tony Butala bought the building for $10,500. He later co-founded the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, which purchased the Columbia again—ironically, for the same price—in 2002.

Between the late ’80s and early 2000s, volunteers and artisans made serious progress. A new roof was installed. A plywood platform was built at ceiling height so the auditorium’s dome and plaster ceiling could be completely restored. Dozens of ornamental castings were recreated by hand. More than 100 tons of debris were removed with help from a local work-release program.

But real public support never materialized. Grant promises fell through. A full-time executive director was hired in the ’90s, but a shift in focus toward children’s programming—often hosted in inadequate off-site venues—led to internal divisions. The board ultimately voted to walk away from the building and shift its attention to producing events rather than restoring the theater itself.

As of now, the Columbia still lacks HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and a functioning stage. Seating was reduced from its original 1,732 to 1,684, and any future renovation would likely bring it down further to around 1,400–1,500. The remaining structure includes the auditorium, a shallow open lobby behind it, and backstage dressing rooms—most of which would need a complete gut renovation to be usable. The entrance hall, lost in the 1981 fire, is now a public park.

In 2004, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame abruptly relocated its entire collection into the unheated Columbia auditorium following a dispute with its landlord. At the time, they suggested reopening in the space, but by then it was estimated that over $1 million would be needed just to bring the building up to code for basic public occupancy.