Architect Breaks Down 120 Years Of Movie Theater Design | Architectural Digest

Richard Weiss has been a movie theater architect for over 25 years, designing Alamo Drafthouses across the United States. Today on AD he joins us to break down the evolution of theaters from the dawn of commercial motion pictures to the present day. From the earliest projections featuring Thomas Edison’s Vitascope in converted vaudeville theaters to the contemporary multiplexes we visit now, learn the detailed history of where and how we’ve gone to the cinema for over a century.
Director: Alice Roth
Director of Photography: Ben Dewey
Editor: Lika Kumoi
Producer: Skylar Economy
Associate Producer: Landrie Hatcher
Production Manager: Melissa Heber
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Camera Operator: Claudio Cloud
Audio: Tyson Dai
Production Assistant: Patrick Sargent
Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague
Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
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[@BradThePitts]

I am surprised that "stadium seating" wasn't specifically mentioned. This changed the viewing experience wildly.

[@AtelierWong]

What a fantastic architectural history lesson on movie theaters! Mr. Weiss really knows his stuff and the Alamo Drafthouse Theaters really provide a better cinema experience.

[@kristinak6092]

Except those "pianos" and "drums" that filled the timeperiod between silent and talkies were theater organs. These instruments were little cities inside the theater and some are still being played today.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

A new one recently opened near me in Arlington, VA and they really did a good job of making the architecture good, and it really fits in as part of the city. It’s sort of a callback to those art-deco designs with a large neon-lit blade sign and marquee and art-deco style ornamentation on the outside, and it really works as part of the walkable streetscape. If you take a picture of it and use a black-and-white filter, it literally looks like a photo straight out of the late 1940s.

[@cinemaocd1752]

Another model that seems to work for renovating old theaters is to have a hybrid movie/music/theater programming. The Parkway in Minneapolis does this really successfully. They did a great job with the remodel/restoration leaving a lot of the art deco feel of the place, adding a bar and live music. Seeing a classic film on the big screen the way it was intended is just so glorious. Some movies really don't work outside of this setting and the movies you love will be so much better when you see them this way...

[@MikeyFortune]

As a former film booker/buyer and a theater owner, I enjoyed this immensely. In the 1970’s I purchased a closed former Jerry Lewis Twin which was surprisingly expertly designed. Far superior to the AMC shooting galleries at that time. I added touches to enhance the auditoriums as well as new lamp houses and stereo surround systems. I loved operating it.

[@Schism213]

“Independent theatres can play whatever they want. It’s just up to the theatre owner” As someone in a single screen indie, I wish it was this simple. It’s not a guarantee the studio is gonna wanna do business.

[@rainscratch]

Yep. I ran an independent movie theatre for 33 years that ran repertory (nightly double features) and certain distributors actually treated us with contempt. Most were ok, but we were probably looked at as a nuisance.

[@avsystem3142]

Love this episode. Nearly fifty years ago I was in Los Angeles and went to the Chinese Theater to see the movie "Earthquake" (Charlton Heston, etc.) which was about LA , including the theater, crumbling into ruin. That was definitely the most ornate theater, of any kind, that I have ever seen.

[@risk5riskmks93]

When you next come back to L.A., see if there is a screening at the Los Angeles Theater, downtown. It’s an extremely ornate movie palace, only open for special events. Or…just look at it online. But it still is in one piece. I also saw Earthquake, in Sensoround (the chairs shook during the quake scenes) and I threw up in the car on the way home. 😂

[@MrRezRising]

@@risk5riskmks93 Now _that's_ a great story! I only got to see it on tv as a kid, but man it was fun. My only 'freaky things theater seats can do' experience was seeing a featured run of The Tingler with Vincent Price in SoHo in nyc in the 90s (there's a shot of it at 10:35). It was highly entertaining.

[@LannieLord]

I saw Earthquake in SENSURROUND @@MrRezRising

[@LannieLord]

BUT the BIG one was The Towering Inferno !!!!!

[@thetheatreorgan168]

Unlike most theatres which would put the organ in large arches flanking the stage, the chinese theatre's organ would speak out of the ornate ceiling grates. The grauman egyptian did the same principle, but with a sun-shaped organ grate.

[@GeorgeVenturi]

Love the passion that makes this profession the keystone of our civilisation.

[@jamesgriffin8354]

On your section on Movie Palaces, you gave a slight mention of the silent era when movies were accompanied by live music but you completely skipped over the often massive theatre organs that gave the movies in the silent era their voice and then some. Several of these organs still play in their original homes and have architectural beauty of their own.

[@mikestubbs5242]

TESTIFY!

[@SpanishEclectic]

San Diego had a number of local movie palaces in different neighborhoods. The North Park theater (1929) is one of the few that has been restored. The Loma (1945) ran E.T. for a year, but is now a "Bookstar" bookstore, though the theater features have been preserved. Others are retail space or coffee shops, though the best is the originalDowntown Fox Theater, which is now Symphony Hall; I saw The Jungle Book there as a kid. I have an original 1925 photo taken by my grandmother of the facade of the Pantages Theater in downtown San Diego; it is long gone. Seeing the multi-plexes die makes me feel old.

[@JillWhitcomb1966]

Here in Fargo, North Dakota, there is the Fargo Theatre. Built in 1926 with Art Deco architecture by Minnesota-based architects Charles Buechner & Henry Orth, the theatre is still in use today for movies, small concerts, and film festivals. The Fargo Theatre also boasts a 1926 Style E Wurlitzer organ that is still played today.

[@mdeeaonetwothree5162]

Similarly in Sydney we have a nice Art Deco theatre called the Hayden Orpheum which was saved by television personality Mike Walsh. It also has a Wurlitzer which is played on Special occasions. I saw Star Wars New Hope there, which included a prelude with the original music. Put it on your bucket list but make sure the movie you go to see is in the original theatre.

[@benitavanwinkle8640]

LOVE the FARGO - the interior neon is STUNNING!

[@MrRezRising]

Hi! Lifer new yorker here, 50 years. Had to comment. AMC 25 (onscreen at 9:23). This used to be the Eltinge Burlesque Theater, where Abbott and Costello perfomed their 'Who's on First?' routine in the '30s. I greatly miss going to all the different theaters around nyc. Loews, Odeon, the Zeigfeld and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, all gone. For the last 20 years it's been just AMC 25, which has a nice lobby, but is a bit of a madhouse inside. But they show everything. Do I miss cutting school in the 80s to go to the movies around Times Square, and putting my feet up on the chair in front of me, lest the vermin cruising the theater floor get any ideas? Hell yeah. Molly Ringwald to the right... Pizza Rat to the left... Good video. Wish you would do one based in nyc some time.

[@tiedyesoul384]

I wish we still made beautiful stuff.

[@avsystem3142]

There is plenty of beautiful "stuff" being made every day worldwide. Just not the same stuff as fifty years or three hundred years ago. If you can afford to reproduce Versailles then go for it (assuming you think that is beautiful).

[@genageeraert8039]

I agree. Things are not built by hand anymore

[@lecookie007]

Beauty that could last hundreds of yrs, not just a couple decades.

[@Benham_Design]

Some of us still do, you just have to be intentional in your search to find us.

[@donnyreisch1226]

You can thank the Bauhaus

[@stevenpace1849]

I love the Music Box Theater in Chicago. The entire city supports the theater. During COVID, the management created a drive in theater in a Walmart parking lot. During evening and select matinee performances, we get live organ music before the movie starts. And, of course, the Music Box popcorn. It's the best in Chicago. The theatre just wrapped a weekend Billy Wilder film festival. The theatre just celebrated 90 years in business. Here's to the next 90 years. Long live the Music Box.

[@kencoleman5007]

I still have a nostalgic fondness for the old Circle Theater of Brookline, MA (and I recently heard it referenced in the Bob Saget show "Raising ). It started as single theater in 1940, got twinned in '76, and continued to expand. It was at a landmark spot (by three Green Line Stations, Boston College, Boston proper, and the suburbs) and had distinctly colorful and curcular signs. The Chestnut Hill area now has a Showcase SuperLux which is great, but misses that vintage aesthetic.

[@raisedonfm4106]

What a treat to see Richard doing his thing so eloquently! Kudos!

[@susanavenir]

Alamo! Dude, you have given me some of the most entertaining moments of my life!

[@rtex8563]

I love the Majestic Theater in San Antonio, Texas. It is an atmospheric theater with Moorish/Spanish details. The coolest thing is the blue "sky" ceiling with stars. If you're in the balcony, you feel like you're under a night sky.

[@timbooktu1608]

Another great entry in the series. Very informative hosts. Keep them coming!

[@marissaj2481]

The Paramount movie palace in Abilene, TX is so beautiful.

[@AmosAmerica]

Great post AD. Richard Weiss is really fun and informative!

[@ArtamStudio]

Wonderful. I wouldn't have minded this vid being twice as long! Thanks for your work on New Mission, was excited to watch the transformation on the exterior; I've yet to experience it. And oh yes Save the Castro Theater Seats!

[@lotusbandicoot]

Deco era has always been my favorite for theaters, some of the examples shown were absolutely mind-blowing for me (especially that organ at 3:58)

[@ImekaSF]

Loved this! I live in SF and Alamo is my favorite place to watch movies (along with the Castro). I am so happy you retained the wonderful architecture of the New Mission.

[@bowieboet1321]

In the Netherlands there is still a theater like the old one called Tuschinski

[@JorgeTorres-tl7vo]

Absolutely fantastic! Love this type of video. So much to learn and delivered in such an interesting way.

[@claudiamann7111]

My favorite theater is the Fox Theater in Atlanta, GA. The old theaters just had so much character and beauty. Thanks for a great video - very informative.

[@kvmiko]

So refreshing to watch and understand history 🥺

[@jakealden2517]

What a great, concise history of theaters. Every second of the video has something important. There's no wasted time.

[@phwayne]

Beacon Theater, New York City. When I was a kid in the 1970s, we used to go to watch movies there. At the time big Majestic movie theaters such as this were in decline . It was very empty for every show. Today the theater has been renovated and hosts variety of shows to audiences.

[@greatwuta]

Wait? The Beacon Theater used to be a movie theater?

[@greatwuta]

@@phwayne thank you for the link

[@zedjawater0]

our current project in architecture school is a cinema complex so this is helpful, thank you for this!

[@ninajazzy1840]

Such a great episode!

[@dcseain]

I loved The Uptown on Connecticut Ave in Cleveland Park, Washington, DC. May it rest in peace. Parabolic screen. So many fond memories.

[@TheKayaklover]

The fabulous PANTAGES theater in Hollywood is simply magnificent !

[@tivolidecor]

So great. Thanks!!!

[@Nataleena]

So interesting! Thank you.🎥

[@honoluluwampum]

I'm so bummed they closed the Alamo in my town, one of the few reasons I was excited to move back home. I loved the 'dollar' theater here too, with its crazy postmodern style. We had beautiful art deco theaters before my time but they're long gone now. I hope SO HARD that Alexander Payne actually renovates and reopens King Fong's, despite not being a theater, it is such an amazing Hong Kong 20s era art deco space. My actual favorite building on Earth, theater or no💚

[@AlexanderVan]

What postmodern theater was that?

[@rustinmichael]

Growing up outside of Baltimore, MD it was the Senator. Then living in LA it was the Hollywood Arclight with the Cinerama Dome

[@tacrewgirl]

I enjoy this series. I started with the style of NYC apartments. Thanks!

[@beckyroberts3499]

In San Jose, CA we used to have the Century Theater Domes--they were so amazing! A really special place to watch a film! Many of us were devastated to lose those cool theater domes!

[@emilskraem4752]

Great video!

[@fourthgirl]

I hate that all but one movie theater has closed permanently in Berkeley CA. But I am a classic movie palace gal. The Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, The Alameda Cinema in Alameda. But my overall love is seeing classic movies at Oakland's Paramount Theater. This art deco palace is a wonder to behold.

[@dktk540]

Thank you for bringing the old theater back to life!

[@samanthaelliot4501]

The Arcata theatre in Humboldt County is an absolute gem.

[@ThatVideoGuyTom]

I love watching you. Your brains & knowledge are just really interesting.

[@mattmayo3539]

It’s so fun to learn the names of features that you’ve always admired.

[@tomsouzas]

Amazing! Here in São Paulo, we have a lot of movie theaters that had been reformed or abandoned, like Cine Marabá, Cine Marquise, and Cine Belas Artes.

[@btimec5290]

Favourite theatres- Coolidge in Brooline, MA, and the Mayfair in Ottawa Ont.

[@LannieLord]

I was actually HOPING for this to be LONGER. My favorite theatre CHAIN designs were Century theatres mid to late 1960s. I'm on the East Coast . Not sure how much that matters.

[@matthewsallman1700]

The twin Fox theaters in Detroit and St. Louis are the most elaborate theaters I have ever seen. Both are now used for live shows, but the Detroit Fox still plays movies from time to time.

[@steini6771]

Just great! Thank you -

[@toastnjam7384]

As a kid growing up in 1950's LA I went to a lot of movie palaces with my parents, and I found them fascinating.

[@annetteziegler7944]

@7:06 : Who else caught the horizontal skeleton above the last row of the balcony?

[@EmeraldWoodArchives]

Fascinating history. I love Richard. Wonderful guy.

[@ArneAsada69]

The Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, IL is a classic.

[@Buffaloc]

I remember going to movie palaces in downtown Los Angeles when I was a kid. What a wonderful memory.

[@thisisbossi]

The Garman Opera House in Bellefonte, PA, was my go-to in college: absolutely beautiful and playing a mix of current hits & classics. I was so sad (and astounded considering how busy it always was in the 2000s) of its abandonment, festering with mold, fire, and eventual demolition :(

[@josephbrowniii260]

Fabulous Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia! Classic movie palace with so much more. Worked there for 2 years and there was so much more to this building that very few got to see.

[@JR-ej9up]

My favorite theater is the IMAX in San Francisco's Metreon. Huge, just like the old days. Immersive. Love it. Reminds me of the old Coronet on Geary Street. I miss that one a lot !

[@Bonserak23]

We are currently working a design concept project in class for the Garland theater in Spokane,WA, it an old Art Deco private theater.

[@eriksmith6873]

The Garland Theater in Spokane -- one of my favorites. Spokane is my hometown, and for a time I lived on Garland Avenue, in an apartment on the second floor of a building a half-block away (1017 W. Garland) -- the neon marquee would illuminate my apartment's living room. The thing I wonder, though -- why mess with it? The Garland is a perfect moviehouse, exactly as it stands. If it ain't broke, why fix it? At one point in the '70s I understand there was some talk of truncating the auditorium in the middle, making it a two-screen theater, but it was dismissed as infeasible. I am glad it was never tried. I hope no one is reviving that idea again.

[@JacobCarlson]

I was hoping you'd drive into atmospheric theaters too. Great video!

[@wyster14]

A movie palace in texas is called the Paramount Theater in Abilene Texas. It has a fascinating theater hall made to look like an outdoor courtyard with a starry sky

[@gameloser123]

Love the Mission Alamo Drafthouse!

[@martijnkeisers5900]

Greetings from Amsterdam the Netherlands the city with the most beautiful cinema in the world; Tuschinsky Theater!!

[@leon.s8312]

wonderfull video!

[@sandramiller1988]

The Mann Village in Westwood is my favorite theater! Old world class, art deco architecture, 1,100 seats and pure cinema!!

[@laniersmith1798]

Growing up in Southern California my favorite theaters in the 1960's were the Fox theater, The Golden State and DeAnza in Riverside, The Egyptian and Grauman's Chinese in Hollywood. Later as an adult I moved to San Francisco, there I really loved the Castro Theater, The Coronet and the Alhambra Theater. As you can see I like the old movie Palaces best. I am happy to see the New Mission is at last restored and in use as a cinema palace again.

[@bluekitty3731]

In the late 60's my parents would take us kids to the Douglas drive in, at Kalamazoo Michigan, it had a marquee that had lights that would shift from a car with tail fins to a more modern car. Many years later long after the drive in was gone, my husband and I went to the Henry Ford museum, and the marquee was on display! Boy does it make you feel old to see your childhood in a museum!

[@Jackson-ms8zs]

Gosh, I love all these terms.

[@bonnie.duncan]

the alamo on mission st. in san francisco has some great photos taken during the extensive renovation…and a sweet bar, “bull & bear”

[@paillette2010]

My favorite is still The Egyptian in Seattle. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@alexisknight5827]

this was so interesting!

[@risk5riskmks93]

The Dome…so many great movie experiences there. Please come back Arclight….

[@xvsj-s2x]

The Egyptian theatre in Hollywood

[@kevinsaroz]

My favorite theater is The Majestic, San Antonio, TX

[@richardweiss2992]

This is a great theater and concert venue- I saw the Black Crowes there 30 years ago!

[@davidmilhouscarter8198]

1:25 Exactly what I think of when I hear the word. “Rugrats”, “Doug”, “Angry Beavers”

[@colinswartz6022]

The Neptune theater in Seattle, close to U of W. I'd watch double features there, a different double feature would play every day. I think it's a concert venue now.

[@jayski9410]

I remember when I first saw a Cinerama film, that the theater emphasized the difference between itself and the normal theaters by pulling the curtain back to reveal only the center of the screen (or normal size). Then as the credits were ending they'd pull the curtain all the way back, tripling the size of the screen and even the sound got bigger as the extra speakers kicked in. Impressive but if filmmakers don't shoot in the format, it's got nowhere to go. It reminds me of the Showscan 70mm format that came along 20 years later.

[@CrunchyDonut]

wow i came so early i can pick a seat for my comment

[@knl5330]

I love the movies so I loved this one!!

[@camronwu]

I loved Arclight Hollywood when it was around. Still saddened that it closed during the pandemic 😢

[@michaelmcgee8543]

Yes!

[@Kjleed13]

“Here’s the Brooklyn Theater located at of Course LA.” That got a laugh from me

[@wernerproductions8803]

I would love to see The Alamo Draft House restore The Palace And Majestic Theaters in Bridgeport!

[@marinadela1361]

As much as I dislike Jaws, I am grateful that it revitalized the movie theater industry.

[@theoriginaledi]

Alamo Drafthouse rocks.

[@359339]

I've never heard someone pronounce 'theater' as 'thee-er-der' so this accent is delightful, especially since he must say this all the time in his work.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

Wish to Visit an Alamo Draft house theater. Beautiful places to watch movies.

[@matteoromenghi]

A wonderful megaplex was the original Edwards 21 Cinemas, Irvine Spectrum, Irvine, California. My first IMAX experience, 1997.

[@kathleenweinberg6442]

I think it's big lavishing places

[@matthewoakley2886]

I live near the city , I have to check that out

[@JazzzzAH]

I miss my beloved Sunshine Cinema in nyc. 😭

[@PatrickWattsFamily]

Where did the source image come from for the "Nearer My God to Thee" hymn projection?

[@TWOCOWS1]

I remember when they pulled down the Bijou in Manhattan, although the sane and artful citizens had chained themselves to various parts of that movie palace....

[@OhHel65]

The Avalon Theatre in Washington, DC is a 100-year-old community-supported film center.

[@Gino_567]

When Jack says "I saw that in a Nickelodeon once" in Titanic as he's kissing Rose's hand, now I understand why lol. I feel so dumb. For years I thought it was a self aware joke about the TV network.

[@aygame8297]

Omg i was looking for this comment. Thanks lol same…😐

[@filanfyretracker]

The only movie palace I had ever been in was one called "The Palace" in Danbury, CT. It had been cut up into three theaters, Two on the first floor and then one full width in the old balcony. the lobby looked amazing. Then it closed when the Sony Theaters opened 10 screens in an industrial park. no longer up there but I hear a group restored the Palace back to original and its an independent theater now. Another factor that killed the Movie Palace IMO was the end to the studio system, the big movie companies used to own a huge portion of the theaters and I think it was USA v Paramount ended that.

[@jennifercarlin7081]

The Tampa Theater in downtown Tampa, FL

[@KokomoGreenberg]

Alamo Drafthouse is awesome

[@theshypersistence]

Never really thought about the term "silver screen"; kinda assumed it referred to the light shining on them 😄

[@billtaylor9679]

I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area. The city has vast and popular areas for sports events. AND unlike so many cities in the US, Cleveland decided to save its movie palaces. The city had torn some down, and one was about to be torn down to put up a multilevel garage, when a civic group decided to preserve the remaining theaters. To date they have saved 5 amazing cinema palaces! It was not easy, but they did it! I am from San Francisco, a very cultural city. I can remember when that city tor down the St Francis theater to put up an apartment building. What a loss.