Snapshot: Metropolitan Opera House

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Post 2 in 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 of the auditorium from the side of the upper balcony.

View of the auditorium from the side of the upper balcony.

Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Opera House opened on November 17, 1908 as the Philadelphia Opera House. The 3,482 seat theater was built by architect William H. McElfatrick for Oscar Hammerstein, the grandfather of Oscar Hammerstein II, the famous musical theater lyricist. However, Hammerstein fell into debt and was forced to sell the opera house to one of his competitors, the Metropolitan Opera of New York City, after only two years.

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And Now for Something (kind of) Different

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B&W Image from the Loew’s Collection, American Theatre Architecture Archive, Theatre Historical Society of America

B&W Image from the Loew’s Collection, American Theatre Architecture Archive, Theatre Historical Society of America

I’m currently working on something I’m very excited about, but can’t announce just yet. I still want to give you all a hint though! 

The photos in the triptych above are of the Loew’s Kings Theatre lobby when the theater was open, 30 years after it had been closed, and six months into the restoration.

Keep an eye out for more details soon!

 

 

 

© Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

End of Summer Print Sale

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Embassy Theatre Port Chester, NY

Embassy Theatre Port Chester, NY

Summer is coming to an end, and since I spent quite a bit of my summer photographing more theaters for After the Final Curtain, it’s time for another “From the Balcony” print sale. The following prints will be $10 – $25 dollars off from now until September 21. If you buy all five, you’ll receive an additional 10% discount!

Loew's State Theatre New Orleans, LA

Loew’s State Theatre New Orleans, LA

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

The available sizes are:

8″×12″ – $50.00

12″x18″ – $75.00

16″x24″ – $100.00

20″x30″ – $150.00

24″x36″ – $200.00

In addition all the images on the Prints page will be 25% off until September 21.

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.

Uptown Theatre Philadelphia, PA

Uptown Theatre Philadelphia, PA

Jayhawk Theatre, Topeka, KS

Jayhawk Theatre, Topeka, KS

Lyric Fine Arts Theatre Birmingham, AL

Lyric Fine Arts Theatre Birmingham, AL

The Jayhawk State Theatre of Kansas

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The Jayhawk is one of the 22 theaters in my new book “After the Final Curtain: The Fall of the American Movie Theater.” Find out more here.

View of the auditorium from the balcony.

View of the auditorium from the balcony.

The Jayhawk Theatre opened in August of 1926 in Topeka, Kansas.  It was built by local architect Thomas W. Williamson, and designed by the Boller Brothers. The Boller Bros. were known for designing hundreds of theaters across the country, using the Jayhawk design as a prototype. In addition to the theater, the building contained a hotel and a commercial arcade that connected the two sections.

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Grand Theatre Steubenville, Ohio

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The Grand is one of the 22 theaters in my new book “After the Final Curtain: The Fall of the American Movie Theater.” Find out more here.

All of the seats have been recently removed due to the upcoming restoration.

All of the seats have been recently removed due to the upcoming restoration.

The Grand Theatre building was built in 1885 by German immigrant Jacob Griesinger, Sr. in Steubenville, Ohio.  It originally housed a saloon, restaurant and livery stables. In 1924, the building was taken over by Charles, Edward, Howard and William Biggio. The four brothers had the stables torn down and constructed the Grand Theatre auditorium in its place.

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Embassy Theatre

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The Embassy is one of the 22 theaters in my new book “After the Final Curtain: The Fall of the American Movie Theater.” Find out more here.

auditorium from balcony level.

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.

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Road Trip 2013 Day 7

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Stage, Paramount Theatre Marshall, Texas

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.

 

© Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Road Trip 2013 Day 6

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View from the balcony of the Berry Theatre.

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.

 

 

© Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Road Trip 2013 Day 5

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View of the auditorium from the balcony.

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/

 

© Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Road Trip 2013 Day 4

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

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

 

 

© Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Matthew Lambros and After the Final Curtain with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.