Fox Theater

The historic Fox Theater opened in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929. This historic movie theater was originally intended to be a Shriners Temple before it became part of the Fox Movie Theater chain. The theater features a unique design inspired by Islamic architecture. In the 1970s, the Fox Theater faced demolition when a citywide "Save the Fox" fundraising campaign began to save the Fox Theater. The theater was saved and became a multi-use arts complex. The Fox can seat 4,678 individuals and is used to host a variety of events, including the Atlanta Ballet, Broadway shows, movies, concerts, ice shows, magic shows, the circus, and many other live events. 

In 1928, the Atlanta Yaarab Shriners, a part of the Masonic organization, set out to create a new temple for their organization. They contracted the architecture firm of Marye, Alger, and Vinour to design the building in the Moorish style, an Islamic architectural style. The building's design was heavily influenced by the Alhambra in Spain and Egypt’s Temple of Kharnak. The design featured tall domes, minarets, archways, gold detailing, and textiles. The walls were painted in the trompe l’oeil style, which uses realistic imagery to create optical 3D illusions in a 2D space. During construction, the Shriners realized the cost of the building was too high for their budget and struck a deal with movie mogul William Fox to lease the building. Fox was going around the country looking to build new movie palaces to grow his Fox Theater chain and Fox Films (which would become 20th Century Fox). Fox took over the rest of the construction, which included a 3,622-pipe Möller organ known as “Mighty Mo.” He also added a red-carpet entryway, stained glass windows, and a blue ceiling with sparkles in it to look like the night sky. The total cost for the temple-turned movie theater was over $3 million, the equivalent of over $45 million in 2025. 

The Fox Theater would open on Christmas Day, 1929, to a sold-out showing of Steamboat Willie, the first Disney film with Mickey Mouse. Tickets ranged from fifteen cents to seventy-five cents. During its opening months, the theater would host a performance by the Fox Grand Orchestra, a sing-along, the Sunkist Beauties, Fox Movietone News, the film Salute, and continue to play Steamboat Willie. A portion of the theater was still used by the Shriners as a Yaraab Temple Mosque. The Fox Theater would enjoy popularity in the first several years after its opening, before the Great Depression hit in 1932. The Shriners would default on their payments as William Fox fell into bankruptcy. The mortgage was foreclosed, and the theater was forced to shut down. Ownership of the Fox was transferred to Trust Company Bank of Georgia in November 1932. The following month, the Fox Theater was sold at a public auction on the steps of the Fulton County Courthouse for $75,000 to Theater Holding Company (THC). THC would lease the theater to Southeastern Amusement Enterprises, followed by Robert E. Wilby, and Atlanta Enterprises. In 1935, THC would sell the Fox Theater to the City of Atlanta for $725,000. However, many citizens would take issue with the City’s purchase of the Fox, and after a report which revealed the Fox was to run at a $30,000 a year deficit, a lawsuit was filed against the city. In January 1936, the city gave the theater back to the Shriners but imposed a hefty tax bill on the city. 

Going into the 1940s, the Shriners would separate their ownership of the Fox from the Masonic organization and incorporate into Mosque Inc. Mosque Inc. continued to lease the building to Atlanta Enterprises, run by Arthur M. Lucas and William K. Jenkins. When America joined World War II in 1941, movie theaters across the nation saw a rise in moviegoers, looking to stay informed, but also escape the war. The Fox Theater did very well during this period, selling tickets to new films, live broadcasts from overseas, and war newsreels. The Fox would also promote the sale of War Bonds and host dancing shows for incoming and outgoing troops. In 1946, Lucas and Jenkins embarked on a major renovation project for the Fox Theater to update the interior and exterior of the building. Unfortunately, not enough funds were available to support the major renovation. The Fox ended up with a slightly changed exterior, an updated banquet hall, parking lot, and a new marquee that faced down the street. 

In 1946, the Fox Theater would host the world premiere of the controversial film, Disney’s Song of the South. Walt Disney would be at the premiere, but only before and after the film. He snuck out of the theater during the movie as was his tradition, as he feared sitting with the audience if the movie was a flop. 

In the 1950s, the “Paramount Decree” was passed, which made it illegal for film studios to own stakes in movie theaters. Lucas and Jenkins were partnered with Paramount to finance their lease of the Fox Theater and were forced to relinquish their stake at the Fox. In 1951, the Mosque Inc., which still owned and met at the Fox Theater, would lease the theater to the Wilby-Kincey Service Organization. Wilby previously had a one-year lease at the Fox in the 1930s. Noble Arnold became the new general manager and ran the Fox Theater like a strict business, holding the theater and its employees to restaurant-grade cleanliness. In 1953, the Fox Theater would receive another renovation, this time replacing all the seats and carpet as well as adding a new large concession stand in the middle of the lobby. The renovation also included a new curved "Cinemascope" screen, which was much larger than the old screen, and a new multi-track audio system was installed. These renovations were an attempt to get back dwindling audience numbers as more and more people began watching television at home. 

In the 1960s, Noble Arnold introduced a new policy focused on playing family-friendly films. This policy, in combination with the cleanliness of the theater, brought many families into the Fox Theater, propelling its business through the 60s. In 1963, the theater's “Mighty Mo’” organ was meticulously repaired by local organ enthusiast Joe Patten over a 9 month period. 

In 1970, Arnold Noble retired at the Fox Theater, replaced by George Deavours and then Mike Spirtous. Noble’s policies were quickly dropped, and the Fox stopped showing family-friendly films and was no longer concerned with cleanliness. Movie palaces also began falling out of favor in the 1970s as they lost studio support following the “Paramount Decree.” In the early 1970s, concert promoter Alex Cooley began using the Fox Theater to host a series of late-night rock concerts called "Midnight at the Fox." David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Miller, Frank Zappa, Todd Rundgren, Devo, and more all performed at the “Midnight at the Fox” shows. During the 70s. Despite the success of the concerts, Mosque Inc. had decided they would make more money by selling the Fox Theater for demolition later. In 1974, Mosque Inc. would sell the building to Southern Bell, a part of AT&T, which planned to use the land as the location for their headquarters. On January 2nd, 1975, the Fox would play what was thought to be its last showing. 

After news of the planned demolition of the Fox Theater became widespread, a public outcry began. A group of concerned citizens, including Joe Patten, who had repaired the Mighty Mo’ organ previously, met with Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson to discuss what could be done about saving the Fox Theater. After their meeting, the mayor suspended the demolition permit for six months while Patten and other established Atlanta Landmarks Inc. The aim of Atlanta Landmarks Inc. was to buy the theater and save it through the “Save the Fox” fundraising and marketing campaign. The campaign captured the heart of Atlanta’s residents, whose now older generation had fond memories of seeing films there, while the younger generation wanted to save the "Midnight at the Fox" concerts. In June of 1975, First National Bank of Atlanta, Citizens & Southern, Trust Company Bank of Atlanta, National Bank of Georgia, and Georgia Federal Savings all came together to loan Atlanta Landmarks Inc. the 1.8 million dollars needed to purchase the building. The conditions of the loans entailed that if payment was missed by even one day, the theater would be foreclosed immediately. While the Fox Theater was now owned by Atlanta Landmarks Inc., the “Save the Fox” campaign would continue in order to generate money to pay back the banks. Over $3 million was raised through fundraising efforts, the majority of which were small donations from local citizens. 

The Fox Theater reopened on September 14, 1975, now as a non-profit center for the performing arts. The Fox would now host opera, ballet, theater, concerts, and, of course, movies. In 1976, the theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and became a National Historic Landmark. The first movie to play at the new Fox Theater was “Ben-Hur,” and it was screened in 70mm. In 1978, the Rolling Stones requested to play at the Fox after hearing of its reputation for rock concerts. The Stones would play on June 12, 1978, and tickets sold out in under 45 minutes. In 1981, the Friends of the Fox (FOF) volunteer group was created to assist in the continuing restoration efforts on the Fox Theater.

Many restoration projects took place throughout the 1980s, including redoing the Arcade area, returning all the railings to their original color, restoring the Spanish Ballroom to its original form, restoring the bay front areas, increasing seating capacity, and replacing all of the carpet with a replica of the original 1929 carpet. The Fox would also host many special events in the 1980s, including the world premiere of the musical “Annie”, Judy Chicago's “The Dinner Party” art installation, and the 1983 Democratic Presidential Debate. 

In 1996, a large fire broke out in the southeast corner of the Fox Theater. Firemen arrived quickly and several camped out in the auditorium, ready to stop the fire if it broke through to the auditorium. Luckily, a brick wall prevented the fire from breaking through, but most of the southeast corner was destroyed. An estimated $2 million in damages was caused by the fire. However, construction to repair the damages allowed the Fox to make the Box Office and their restaurant ADA compliant. IN 2016, Atlanta native and rapper, Killer Mike of Run the Jewels, introduced Sen. Bernie Sanders for a presidential campaign rally at the Fox Theater.

Today, the Fox is an award-winning theatre that hosts more than 250 shows a year, including concerts, orchestras, comedy shows, and movies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Theatre_(Atlanta)

Bernie Sanders. Killer Mike Introduces Bernie Sanders in Atlanta, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmtAsnS42_0.

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“Killer Mike Calls Bernie Sanders ‘the next President of the United States.’” Accessed May 3, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/killer-mike-calls-bernie-sanders-the-next-president-of-the-united-states/2015/11/24/5f201c32-92e5-11e5-befa-99ceebcbb272_video.html.

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