Fox Theatre Institute

A few weeks ago, we started sharing the story of our Plaster Canopy Restoration high above the dress circle here at the Fox. It was a major undertaking since the canopy had not been cohesively cleaned in 90 years! Located high above sloped balcony seating, the canopy was extremely difficult to access. Fox staff and Sunbelt Rentals developed a mix of scaffolded rolling towers and fixed platforms so conservators could reach all areas of the ceiling. The next step at that point... was to survey existing conditions. Surprisingly, the canopy plaster layer was in very solid shape. While the surface was certainly very dirty, only a few areas suffered from plaster loss and a few of the decorative paint elements, such as the gilded fringe which needed stabilization. Next, conservators analyzed the 1929 paint layers to determine chemical makeup and original color palate. We discovered that the canopy’s original appearance was decorated with brightly colored distemper (water-based paint) covered by a raw umber overglaze to produce a three-dimensional affect that made the plaster look as if it was a real canvas tent. Conservators used this analysis to develop a custom cleaning process that effectively cleaned the 1929 paint layers without causing damage. Once the entire surface was cleaned, a conservation varnish was applied to further protect the 1929 paint layers from new dirt and debris. The final step was to fully restore sections that needed further attention with paint and glaze that matched existing colors. The painstaking and delicate work revealed results that were truly breathtaking! Enjoy some of these additional photos. #foxat90 #restoration #fti #atthefox #historicpreservation #lhat

We send congratulations and good wishes to our partners at the Grove Park Community Foundation here in Atlanta. On Friday, November 6th FTI staff, supporters joined numerous supporters of ongoing efforts for the Grove Theatre. The Grove Theatre this past year received a $50,000 grant from FTI and has now received the most grants funds awarded in our 12 year history of grant funding. We look forward to a bigger celebration and ribbon cutting when the Grove Theatre finally opens their doors! Stay tuned for more updates by visiting their website at https://groveparkfoundation.org/ Grove Park Foundation #grants #historicpreservation #fti

#FBF today to the Columbia Theatre in Harlem, Georgia which opened on August 11, 1949. Movies were shown regularly until its closure in 1963 when the building was used as retail space by several businesses. The Theatre was acquired by the City of Harlem in 2005 and received an extensive restoration including a new roof and restored facade. In 2018 a Laurel and Hardy mural was painted to cover much of one side of the theater. Oliver Hardy, of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, w...as born in Harlem in 1892. Presently the building’s layout follows much of its original and consists of an entrance area, 1,800 square feet of exhibition space and a 50-75 seat theatre. To learn more about this unique historic theatre please visit https://harlemga.org/community/page/columbia-theatre #georgiahistorictheatres #harlemgeorgia #exploregeorgia #historicpreservation #fti

Our #FBF takes us to Northwest Georgia and to the Historic Wink Theatre in Dalton in Whitfield County. The Wink Theatre was built by J.C.W. Wink in 1941, is one of the oldest historic structures in downtown Dalton. The Wink was built to be a small-town version of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, and designed to be one of Dalton’s principle attractions. In 1998 the Historic Wink Theatre was rehabilitated through the efforts of Mr. Troy Hall, who had the foresight and desire to preserve one of Dalton’s few remaining historic treasures. We love this image of the Historic Wink Theatre! Hope when you are next in Dalton you will look for yourself! #FBF #georgiahistorictheatres #preservation #historicdalton

We are thrilled to announce a unique donation to the Fox Theatre Archives. This past month we received eleven, rare and exceptional paper marketing folios from the period when films were overseen by Lucas and Jenkins. These special volumes include original advertisements as well as daily promotion sheets from the 1930s and 1940s. We are grateful to Ken and Teri Bryson of Decatur for this important donation to our archives for future research as well as to hopefully become exhibited. Thank you Ken and Teri! #foxat90 #fti #archives #foxhistory

#TBT with a very special historic photo for Election Day! We love this photo of our own legendary preservationist and Board Member Emeritus Mr. Beauchamp Carr with then former Georgia governor and future U.S. president Jimmy Carter during the Save the Fox Campaign! James Earl Carter, Jr. became the 39th president of the United States when he took the oath of office on January 20, 1977. We are sending our good wishes to President and Mrs. Carter down in Plains today on this election day! (Photo by Rick Diamond) #georgiaborn #jimmycarter #savethefox #39 #vote #atthefox #foxat90

The Fox Theatre is known for its opulently decorated architectural plaster elements such as faux wooden beams, faux stone blocks that imitate castle walls, and a suspended canopy engineered to look like a Bedouin tent. To achieve a realistic look and create dimension, painters in the 1920s used a series of base coats and overglazes. This technique is incredibly intricate and time consuming, especially when trying to match a previous color combination. When repairs to such... elements are needed, the Restoration department is careful to select vendors who understand the nature of historic buildings, materials, and painting techniques. When time came to address the balcony’s Canopy ceiling this summer, the Fox Theatre chose John Canning & Co. from Cheshire, CT to fully clean and restore all plaster surfaces including flat plaster and sculpted elements like fringe and tassels. John Canning & Co. has extensive experience in restoring historic plaster ceilings in court houses, churches, theatres, museums, and universities. Their impressive portfolio was a perfect match for this project. They certainly handled our canopy with the best care and consideration throughout the project with fantastic results! Take a look at their crew at work. #foxat90 #restoration #fti See more

The Peachtree Street façade of the Fox Theatre is a well-known sight in Atlanta to all. You’ve seen it in movies, on postcards, and certainly on numerous social media accounts---an ever popular selfie backdrop. But have you ever noticed the decorative metal and glass window boxes on either side of the Peachtree Arcade entrance? These shadowboxes, along with several others in the Arcade, have been at the Fox Theatre since opening day on 1929. They displayed glamourous advertis...ing posters of movies and shows to attract patrons and sell tickets. In the 1940s, a black border was painted directly on the glass and the silver Fox logo was added in Art Deco font at the top and bottom of each glass. Over the years, as you may know, the boxes have stayed the same but posters have given way to digital screens. The style of a black border and distinct Fox logo has persevered through several restorations of the shadowboxes. Archival photos show this style evident in both 1950 and 1976. After 1976, the borders were repainted to have only one logo at the bottom. Recently, Fox Theatre worked with a professional restoration vendor to re-paint four of the shadowboxes; two on the Peachtree Street sidewalk and two at the front entrance of the Arcade. Now they have a crisp border to match new content. Take a look at before and after shots! #atthefox #restoration #fti #foxat90 #weloveatl See more

We are proud to have celebrated the third Fox Theatre Institute grant with the Winterville Auditorium this past week. The previous grants have been for historic preservation and this grant was for planning to help support community visioning and outreach. We look forward to seeing the growth continue in 2021! Congrats to all in Winterville! #georgiahistorictheatres

We have a great historic theatre #ThrowbackTuesday today. The Ritz Theatre, built in 1933 was located on North Bradford Street in downtown Gainesville, Hall County. When it opened on Christmas Day in 1933 the movie feature was Gung Ho starring Randolph Scott, Robert Mitchum, and Rod Cameron. The Ritz had a shorter life than most theatres of that time as it was destroyed by a tornado in 1936. Later rebuilt in 1940 it was converted later in 1961 to a dance hall named Peppermint Lounge. The theatre operated again as a theatre and then abandoned was demolished in the 1970s. #georgiahistorictheatres

The Fox Theatre Institute shared our first Big Check ceremony with the supporters of the Pex Theatre in downtown Eatonton last week. The Pex Theatre is an ongoing project of the Eatonton Downtown Development Authority and was the first acquisitions grant of the Fox Theatre Institute. The project is moving along nicely, and we know the Pex is going to become a unique destination in the heart of Putnam County. Congrats to the Eatonton DDA! #fti #foxat90 #georgiahistorictheatres #exploregeorgia #historicpreservation

We were grateful to have more than twenty-five of our Georgia Presenters join us in person on Monday, October 19th for our Fall Meeting here at the Fox Theatre. Our own Andy Arnold, Manager of Security gave a wonderful presentation about COVID preparedness and security. All our sessions were recorded so those of our presenters who couldn’t join us in person can view the presentations. A big thanks to our partners at South Arts for their generous grant this year to support our outreach efforts with Georgia Presenters! We look forward to our winter meeting at the Elm Street Cultural Arts Village in Woodstock. To learn more about Georgia Presenters please see our website https://www.foxtheatre.org/fox-theatre-i/georgia-presenters #gapresenters #onlyanintermission #georgiahistorictheatres #gaarts

Behind the Scenes: Rehearsal Room Located high in the Dressing Room tower on the sixth floor, is an unassuming, nearly empty room. It has a wooden floor, two-story ceiling, acoustical panels on both the ceiling and the walls, and one wall covered in mirrors. There is a piano in one corner and a cushy sofa with chairs in another. What is it? A Rehearsal Room! Here at the Fox Theatre, we are very lucky to host incredibly talented performers from a wide variety of acts including... Broadway shows, concerts, ballets, comedians, talk shows, and more! Their flawless performances on stage are the result of hard work and dedication off stage, often including long hours of rehearsal. The Fox Theatre’s rehearsal room is a designated space for that use. Ballet companies and Broadway shows with a lot of dance numbers such as Hello Dolly, The King and I, Newsies, and A Chorus Line, can use this room to perfect routines in between shows. While the utilitarian room hasn’t changed much over time, the way people have used it certainly encompasses more than just rehearsals. According to staff lore, the room may have served as recording studio in the 1950s and 60s. More recently, in the early 2000s, staff members used the room at lunchtime for yoga sessions. It has also served as an office, press room, and storage space. The rehearsal room is a great example of the many uses one space can provide at the Fox Theatre over the course of 90-years. Take a look behind the scenes!

Over the past few months, we’ve shared with you some of our exciting restoration projects. One of the most important projects we undertook was to install architectural accent lighting to illuminate details such as our intricate wall stencils and colorful painted alcoves. These new, non-invasive lights have also allowed us to highlight overlooked elements such as the lovely tile fountains in both the Arcade Vestibule as well as our Auditorium Lobby. These original fountains re...ceived a thorough cleaning in a non-invasive approach where conservators carefully removed surface dirt from all tiled and leafed surfaces using a very mild cleanser. The exquisite results are vibrant blues, yellows, and gorgeous red tiles. Our conservators also cleaned the brass lions and decorative grill to restore their original, metallic luster. Lastly, new leaf and glaze were applied to blend repairs for a seamless appearance. We look forward to our patrons seeing these improvements and are eager to share these before and after images with you all here! #atthefox #foxat90 #restoration #historicpreservation

Our #FBF today takes us to Milledgeville to highlight the Colonial Theatre located in downtown Milledgeville on West Hancock Street. The theatre was opened in 1914 and was mentioned in numerous middle Georgia newspaper publications. Some of the original fixtures included a cooling system installed in June of 1926 and the theatre also contained a vast amount of ornamental plaster as well as the most up to date projector systems of the time. Notable films and shows as mentioned in archived newspapers included Wings (1927 film) starring Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Richard Arlen and Gary Cooper.

We have missed seeing so many of our Friends of the Fox here at the theatre these past months. We want to say a big thanks to all of our Friends of the Fox for their ongoing support of our work with FTI always, but especially these past months during our closure. IF you are interested in becoming a Friend of the Fox please see our website to learn more here https://www.foxtheatre.org/support-us/friends-of-the-fox

Now that we have new architectural lighting in the main lobby at the Fox Theatre, staff is working with conservators to carefully restore all the newly illuminated features. The first step was to gently clean various surfaces including walls, ceilings, and decorative elements. Imagine our surprise when cleaning the decorative grid walls in the vestibule revealed that the plaster was not actually brown but a beautiful red created by glaze applied over aluminum leaf. Cleaning also made a huge difference in the appearance of our vestibule walls and the lions on our fountains. Take a look at some of the before and after photos!

If you’ve ever been to a private event at The Fox Theatre like a big wedding, fundraiser, conference, or prom, you probably explored our two ballrooms. The Fox Theatre Egyptian Ballroom is a showstopper, with its ornately decorated ceiling, towering pillars, and dramatic lighting. The Grand Salon is much smaller and intimate. It transports you to a faraway land with intricate mosaics, Moorish arches, a colorfully stenciled ceiling, and an antique stained glass skylight. You... may not know this but the ceiling beams in the Grand Salon aren’t actual wood! They are made of plaster faux-painted to look like wood. Over the past few years, leaks in the Grand Salon roof allowed water to infiltrate the decorative plaster and damage several of the beams around the skylight. This past summer, the Fox Theatre commenced a major repair project to fix the roof above the Grand Salon and repair the damaged plaster. Take a look at the amazing results! See more

A Fox Theatre #FBF for you today! The Save the Fox campaign was in full swing as the fate of our beloved historic theatre was unknown in the 1970s. The threat of the wrecking ball loomed as scrambling efforts were made to draw audiences to the Fox Theatre, efforts such as attracting big-name performers for benefit concerts. One of those notable names was Liberace, who performed at the Fox Theatre in 1975, 1977, 1978, and 1984. Quoted in a February 17, 1975 Atlanta Journal ar...ticle, the performer extraordinaire stated, People won’t miss the Fox until after it is gone, But it should be saved, It’s one of the historic landmarks of the South and I understand it is one of the finest acoustical theatres in town. With refurbishing you would have something to be proud of. The benefit concert with Liberace was of course a huge success and we are grateful to Liberace and countless other performers through this period of our history. Enjoy this article from February 1975 and a few of our favorite photos of Liberace during this period! See more

This month we are featuring both the Tybee Post Theater and Melissa Turner as our Georgia Presenter of the Month. Melissa first joined the Post Theater’s Board of Directors in 2013 at a time when numerous fundraisers were being held to raise money to rehabilitate and reopen the Tybee Theatre. Shuttered for five decades, restoring the Theater had long been a dream of the Tybee community spearheaded by the non-profit Friends of the Tybee Theater. The Friends group was formed wh...en the building was planned to be demolished in 2000. Following years of extensive fundraising and the subsequent rehabilitation---Melissa was asked to be the first, full-time role as Executive Director. In this role she was able to create the operating and programming plan for the new (yet historic) venue while knowing the theater would become an integral part of the Tybee community as well as the greater Savannah arts and cultural community. Melissa enjoys all aspects of programming with concerts from regional and national touring bands, first run and classic movies, and stand-up comedy shows every month. She also supports the presentations of live theatrical productions as well as free community events or local school productions. The Tybee Post Theater has presented more than 900 events since opening and this year celebrates their 5th Anniversary. Melissa’s favorite event so far at the theater was a drag parody of the Golden Girls series called Golden Girls Gone Wild produced by a talented troupe out of Kansas City, Missouri. All six performances sold out and the show brought hundreds of new first-time patrons to the Tybee Post Theater. If Melissa could share advice to other presenters, it would be to seek advice from others in similar markets as well as to continually attend Georgia Presenter meetings! Her background before joining the Tybee Post Theater was a career journalist and she relies on her lifelong professional skills of research and collaboration. She did not have a previous executive director to teach her the ropes and she has enjoyed, creating a programming strategy unique to Tybee Island, and taking a leap of faith to experiment. When not working Melissa loves to read and travel. More than anything we know that Melissa looks forward to welcoming even more audience members back into the Tybee Post Theater soon! Thank you Melissa for sharing with us more about yourself and the Tybee Post Theater. To learn more about this historic gem on the coast of Georgia please visit their website at https://tybeeposttheater.org/