Fox Theatre (Visalia, California) facts for kids
Visalia Fox Theatre, 2013
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| Address | 308 West Main Street Visalia, California |
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| Coordinates | 36°19′49″N 119°17′41″W / 36.3302°N 119.2948°W |
| Capacity | 1,275 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | February 27, 1930 |
| Reopened | November 20, 1999 |
| Years active | 1930-1996; 1999-present |
| Architect | Balch and Stanbery |
| Website | |
| www.foxvisalia.org | |
The Visalia Fox Theatre is a famous movie theater in downtown Visalia, California. It opened in 1930 as part of the Fox Theatre family. In 1976, it was changed into a building with three movie screens. After closing for a short time in the late 1990s, people from the community helped fix it up. It reopened in 1999 as a place for live shows, holding up to 1,275 people.
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The Fox Theatre's Story
The Visalia Fox Theatre was built between 1929 and 1930. It was designed by architect Clifford Balch and engineer Floyd E. Stanbery from Los Angeles. The theater was finished just as the era of Silent Films was ending.
It cost about $225,000 to build back then. This theater was one of many built by William Fox and his Fox Film Corporation. This company later became known as 20th Century Fox.
Grand Opening Day
The Fox Theatre first opened its doors on February 27, 1930. The very first night was a big event. It showed a western movie with sound, called a talkie. There was also a newsreel, a Mickey Mouse cartoon, and a Laurel and Hardy comedy.
The theater and the streets nearby were full of people for the opening. This was a huge deal for a town that only had about 7,000 residents. It showed how important the theater would become to the community for many years.
Changes Over Time
For over 45 years, the Fox remained a single-screen theater. But in 1976, many movie theaters were becoming multiplexes. The Fox was bought by the Mann Theater corporation. To compete with two new three-screen movie theaters opening in Visalia, the Fox was also split.
The main floor of the theater was divided into two separate movie rooms. The balcony became the third movie room. The Fox continued to show new movies in this way for 20 years.
In late 1996, Mann built a much larger 12-screen movie theater. This new theater was in the Sequoia Mall on the other side of town. With the new theater open, Mann closed the Fox after 66 years of showing movies. But it wasn't long before the Fox would be brought back to its original beautiful condition.
What the Fox Theatre Looks Like
The Fox is an atmospheric theatre. This means it was designed to make you feel like you are outside in a magical, far-off place. This style of movie theater was popular during the 1920s and 1930s. They were especially loved during the Great Depression as a way to escape from tough times.
A Unique Design
Each atmospheric theater was made with a special theme. The inside of the Visalia Fox looks like a temple garden in India or South Asia. The ceiling has tiny lights that flicker like stars. They glow during movies and shows to look like a clear night sky.
There are fancy "temples" or "pagodas" on both sides of the stage. There are also paintings on the walls next to them. Above the stage, there is a hand-sculpted genie. It's a scary face between two elephants.
Clever Art Tricks
The rich and fancy look of the theater comes from an art trick called trompe-l'œil. This is a French phrase that means "to trick the eye." It makes an object look like something it's not. This trick was common when movies first became popular.
Movie studios wanted to impress their audiences. So, they built many amazing-looking theaters around the world. Architects used cheaper materials like plaster and paint instead of expensive wood, gold leaf, and marble. This made the theaters look grand without costing too much.
Bringing the Fox Theatre Back to Life
The Fox Theatre closed in November 1996. It stayed closed until a group of people who loved the theater decided to save it. They called themselves "Friends of the Fox." They worked to buy and fix up the old theater.
Hard Work and Community Support
The clock tower had been ignored for years and was full of pigeon mess. The huge six-foot clock was hard to keep on time even when it was new. A local engineer and the clock's former keeper carefully put it back together.
Much of the detailed inside of the building was damaged in 1976. This happened when it was quickly changed into a three-screen movie theater. The genie above the stage was carefully re-sculpted by a local volunteer. They used old pictures to guide them. Most of the wall paintings needed to be redone. Many small decorations also needed to be replaced.
After three years, and with lots of help from Visalia and nearby communities, the theater was fully restored. Marvin Hamlisch played at the Grand Re-Opening on November 20, 1999, to a sold-out crowd.
The Fox Today
Today, the theater is still a lively place for performing arts. It is a very important part of the community. Most of the Tulare County Symphony performances happen at the Fox. Movies are also still shown there sometimes. These are often classic films, many of which were shown at the theater years ago when they first came out.
See also
- Fox Theatres
- Hanford Fox Theatre
- Bakersfield Fox Theatre
- Fox Oakland Theatre
- Fullerton Fox Theatre
- Pomona Fox Theater
- San Francisco Fox Theatre (Demolished)
