Atlanta GA The Fox Theatre Movie Palace BW2 Fabulous Fox Landmark Architectural Art
by Reid Callaway
Title
Atlanta GA The Fox Theatre Movie Palace BW2 Fabulous Fox Landmark Architectural Art
Artist
Reid Callaway
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Atlanta GA The Fox Theatre Movie Palace B W2....by Reid Callaway
Fabulous Fox Landmark Architectural Art
The Fox Theatre (often marketed as the Fabulous Fox), a former movie palace, is a performing arts venue located at 660 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is the centerpiece of the Fox Theatre Historic District.
The theater was originally planned as part of a large Shrine Temple as evidenced by its Moorish design. The 4,678 seat auditorium was ultimately developed as a lavish movie theater in the Fox Theatres chain and opened in 1929. It hosts a variety of cultural and artistic events including the Atlanta Ballet, a summer film series, and performances by national touring companies of Broadway shows. The venue also hosts occasional concerts by popular artists.
When the Fox Theatre first opened, the local newspaper described it as having, “a picturesque and almost disturbing grandeur beyond imagination”. It remains a showplace that impresses theatre-goers to this day. The principal architect of the project was Olivier Vinour of the firm Marye, Alger and Vinour.
The original architecture and décor of the Fox can be roughly divided into two architectural styles: Islamic architecture (building exterior, auditorium, Grand Salon, mezzanine Gentlemen’s Lounge and lower Ladies Lounge) and Egyptian architecture (Egyptian Ballroom, mezzanine Ladies Lounge and lower Gentlemen’s Lounge).
The 4,678-seat auditorium, which was designed for movies and live performances, replicates an Arabian courtyard complete with a night sky of 96 embedded crystal "stars" (a third of which flicker) and a projection of clouds that slowly drift across the "sky." A longstanding rumor that one of the stars was a piece of a Coca-Cola bottle was confirmed in June 2010 when two members of the theater's restoration staff conducted a search from within the attic above the auditorium ceiling.[3]
The Egyptian Ballroom is designed after a temple for Ramses II at Karnak while the mezzanine Ladies Lounge features a replica of the throne chair of King Tut and makeup tables that feature tiny Sphinxes. The Islamic sections feature a number of ablution fountains, which are currently kept dry.
Throughout the Fox there is extensive use of trompe l'oeil; "wooden" beams are actually plaster, paint that appears gold leaf is not, areas are painted and lit to appear to receive outside lighting, ornate fireplaces were never designed to have working chimneys, and what appears to be a giant Bedouin canopy in the auditorium is plaster and steel rods designed to help funnel sound to the farthest balcony.
The Fox features a four manual (or keyboard) 42-rank pipe organ nicknamed the "Mighty Mo". It was custom built for the Fox by M. P. Möller, Inc. in 1929 in Hagerstown, Maryland. With 3,622 pipes, it is the second-largest theatre organ in the country, behind the Wurlitzer at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and was the largest theatre instrument built by Möller.
As a true theatre organ, as opposed to a church organ, Mighty Mo's pipes range in size from 32 feet (nearly 10 meters) tall to the size of a small ballpoint pen, and is designed to imitate the sounds of a full orchestra. Besides the pipes, it also contains a marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, drums, sleigh bells, a gong, and even a six-foot (1.8m) grand piano (originally from the Kilgen organ in Chicago's Piccadilly Theatre); plus a large variety of silent movie sound effects (such as various car horns, thunder and rain effects, bird whistles, etc.). The organ is remarkable for a theatre organ because it also includes 12 ranks of pipes for a church organ, known as the "Ethereal" division. Thus the organ can be played as a church organ as well as a theatre organ. It is noteworthy that the Mighty Mo is among the shrinking list of instruments which remain installed in the theatres for which they were designed.
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October 10th, 2022
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Comments (13)
Reid Callaway
Thank you Janis Vaiba for featured my artwork in our group..... Just perfect! 11/9/2022
Reid Callaway
Thank you Spencer McDonald for featuring my artwork in our group....HDR Photography! 10/24/2022
Spencer McDonald
Congratulations! Your beautiful HDR image has been featured on the homepage of the original "HDR photography" group here at Fine Art America.
Reid Callaway
Thank you Frozen In Time for featuring my artwork in our group.... Your Very Best Photography! 10/20/2022
Reid Callaway
Thanks you Lyric Lucas for featuring my artwork in our group... Out Of The Ordinary! 10/19/2022
Lyric Lucas
Congratulations, your Creative and Unique art work is FEATURED on the homepage of the "Out Of The Ordinary 1 A Day" group! Be sure to add this special image to the Feature Archive in the Discussion section! l/f 10/18/22
Reid Callaway
Thank you Calvin Boyer for featuring my artwork in our group.... A Tree or Trees in Black and White! 10/16/2022
Reid Callaway
Thank you Kathi Isserman for featuring my artwork in our group... Showcasing The South! 10/16/2022
Calvin Boyer
In addition to the banner, I am adding this more permanent recognition of its FEATURE on the homepage of A TREE OR TREES IN BLACK AND WHITE. I try mightily to feature only images that would be at home in a juried competition. No doubt that this image fits that bill. CONGRATULATIONS! And consider adding your image to DISCUSSIONS "Please post your featured photograph here" for greater, long-lasting visibility.
Kathi Isserman
CONGRATULATIONS your STUNNING image has been FEATURED on the HOME PAGE of SHOWCASING THE SOUTH GROUP. Please add this to the discussion 2022 “FEATURED IMAGE ARCHIVE THREAD.” L Thank you for participating in the group.