Chateau Theatre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chateau Dodge Theatre
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Chateau Theatre in 2017
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 15 1st Street SW, Rochester, Minnesota |
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| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Ellerbe Architects; Heffron & Fitzgerald, et al. |
| Architectural style | French chateau |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002098 |
| Added to NRHP | July 17, 1980 |
The Chateau Theatre is a famous building in Rochester, Minnesota. It first opened in 1927 as a place for live shows called vaudeville. Inside, it looked like an old medieval village! Later, it became a movie house. For a while, it was even a Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Contents
History of the Chateau Theatre
Building a Unique Theatre
The Chateau Theatre opened its doors on October 26, 1927. Before that, in April 1927, Dr. Charles Mayo helped lay the first stone. The building was first called the Chateau Dodge Theatre. This was because the Dodge Lumber Company used to be on that spot. Building the theatre cost a lot of money back then, about $400,000. Its first movie shown was Spring Fever.
A Cool Place to Visit
The Chateau Theatre was one of the first buildings in Rochester to have air conditioning. It hosted many different kinds of shows. People could watch plays, concerts, operas, and both silent and talking movies. It also had vaudeville acts, which were variety shows.
In 1940, you could get in for just 25 cents! That price included three live acts with music, magic, and juggling. You also got to see newsreels, a comedy show, and a main movie. Many famous performers visited the Chateau Theatre. These included actresses Ethel Barrymore and Tallulah Bankhead. The acting couple Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt also performed there. Even cinema cowboy Tom Mix and Mary, the rhinoceros from Tarzan, made appearances. The famous bandleader Paul Whiteman, known as "The King of Jazz," also played there.
Special Design and Style
The Chateau Theatre is very special. The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota calls it the best example of an "atmospheric theater" in Minnesota. This means its inside was designed to make you feel like you were somewhere else. Its main style is Art Deco. This design became popular in Europe and the U.S. from the mid-1920s to the late 1930s. You can see Art Deco in famous places like Hollywood and Miami.
Inside the Chateau Theatre
What It Looked Like
The theatre used to have a mezzanine and an inner lobby. These areas are now gone. Only the railings and doorways to the restrooms remain. The main floor had "raked seating." This means the rows of seats got higher as they went toward the back. This helped everyone see the stage better. The theatre originally had 1,487 red velvet seats. Today, most movie theaters seat about 200 people.
The original film projection booth is still there. It is above the second-floor balcony. It is hidden behind a large mural. The theatre's side walls look like an old French village from Normandy. Because of this, the floor is only attached at the front and back walls. Pillars on the main floor also support it. The castle part of the theatre has 40 balconies. It also has turrets that are 20 feet (6.1 m) high. It looks like a French castle from the 10th century. Actors used to walk through secret passages. They would appear at the many windows and balconies.
Special Effects and Features
The theatre ceiling is still the same dark blue color as it was originally. There are still constellations on the ceiling. These stars once twinkled as the scenes changed from day to night. It is harder to see them now because of brighter spotlights.
A "moon machine" is still there, but it does not work anymore. There is also a cloud machine. This machine used to project shadows of clouds across the ceiling. A pipe organ used to play music for silent movies. It was located where the children's book section is now. The organ pipes were hidden inside the castle gate.
The proscenium arch is above the escalator. This arch was at the top of the Chateau Theatre's stage. The stage was 33 feet (10 m) wide. Both the stage and the organ could rise to the audience's eye level. Backstage, there were many dressing rooms. Metal stairs climbed five flights high. Showers and toilets were on every other level.
Saving the Theatre
In 1979, a group called "World Wide Friends of the Chateau" was formed. This group helped save the theatre from being torn down. The theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. However, it closed on October 2, 1983. The last movie shown was the 1934 classic It Happened One Night. This movie starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
After almost eleven years of talks and work, the theatre was renovated. It cost $4 million to fix it up. Then, Barnes & Noble reopened the Chateau Theatre on July 1, 1994. The building was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. On January 2, 2015, the Barnes & Noble bookstore inside the Chateau Theatre closed its doors.
