Fox Theatres facts for kids

Moorish architectural details of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta

Fox Theatre in Visalia, California, now a performing arts hall.

Winged lions atop the marquee in Detroit.

Fox Theatre in Oakland

Fox Theatre in Redwood City, California

Fox Theatres were a big group of movie theaters across the United States. They started in the 1920s. Many were built by William Fox, who owned the Fox Film studio. Later, in 1929, his company joined with West Coast Theatres. This created the Fox West Coast Theatres chain.

However, this large company faced tough times. It went into bankruptcy and was sold in 1934. The new owner was The National Theatres Corporation. Later, another company called Mann Theatres bought these movie houses in 1973.

It's important not to mix up this chain with a different company called Fox Theaters. That one was started in 1957 by Richard Allen "Dick" Fox and is mostly on the East Coast.

Amazing Theatre Designs

Many of these grand "movie palaces" were built with a mix of different styles. You could see influences from Chinese, Indian, Persian, and Moorish designs. They were truly spectacular buildings!

Bringing Theatres Back to Life

Over the years, many Fox Theatres faced problems. After World War II, people's movie-going habits changed. Many theatres were in city centers that became less popular. Because of this, many of these beautiful buildings fell into disrepair.

But there's good news! Many groups have worked hard to save and restore these amazing buildings. They are often brought back to life for new uses, especially for live shows and concerts.

• The Detroit Fox Theatre is the biggest of them all. It was fully restored in 1988. Today, it is a busy place for performing arts.
• The Fox Theatre in Spokane, Washington, was also restored. It reopened in 2007 and is now home to the Spokane Symphony.
• The Tucson, Arizona location reopened in 2006 after being closed for 32 years.
• Other restored Fox theatres can be found in St. Louis, Hutchinson, Kansas, Oakland, California, Aurora, Colorado, and Visalia, California.
• The Fox Theatre in Joplin, Missouri, built in 1930, has even been turned into a church.

Tough Times for Fox Theatres

The Great Depression was a very difficult time for businesses. It caused William Fox to declare bankruptcy around 1929. This meant his company had serious money problems. The legal process to sort out the bankruptcy lasted for many years.

A List of Fox Theatres

Here is a list of some of the Fox Theatres. You can find more details about specific ones by clicking their links.

• Amarillo, Texas—Opened 1967, taken down 1993.
• Anaheim—Opened 1968, taken down 1998.
• Atlanta—Opened 1929.
• Aurora, Colorado—Opened 1946.
• Aurora, Illinois—Opened 1935.
• Bakersfield, California—Opened 1930.
• Banning, California—Still open with 3 screens.
• Beverly Hills, California
  • Wilshire—Opened 1930, now being restored.
• Billings, Montana—Opened 1931, now the Alberta Bair Theatre.
• Boulder, Colorado—Opened 1926 as the Rialto Theatre.
• Britt, Iowa—Now office space.
• Brooklyn, New York
  • Alba—Opened 1929, later taken down.
  • Brooklyn—Opened 1928, taken down 1971.
  • Congress—Opened 1927, now empty.
  • Meserole—Opened 1921, now a Rite Aid store.
  • Savoy—Opened 1926, later taken down.
• Burlingame, California.
• Bunkie, Louisiana—Opened 1945, now city hall.
• Centralia, Washington—Opened 1930, being restored.
• Costa Mesa, California—Opened 1968, taken down 2008.
• Detroit—Opened 1928, fully restored 1988.
• El Paso, Texas—Opened 1965, later taken down.
• Forest Hills, New York
  • Kew Gardens—Opened 1929, later taken down.
• Fullerton, California—Opened 1925 as the Alician Court Theatre.
• Green Bay, Wisconsin—Opened 1930.
• Hanford, California—Opened 1929, used for concerts.
• Hutchinson, Kansas—Opened 1931.
• Inglewood, California—Opened 1949, now empty.
• Joplin, Missouri—Opened 1930, now a church.
• Kingsport Tennessee—Opened 1944, now a beauty salon.
• Las Cruces, New Mexico—Opened 1926, restored 2005.
• Las Vegas.
• Long Beach, California—Built 1929.
• Los Angeles
  • Adams—Now a church.
  • Belmont—Taken down in the 1970s.
  • Bruin—Opened 1937, still showing movies.
  • Figueroa—Taken down in the 1960s.
  • Florence—Taken down around 1968.
  • Gentry—Now shops.
  • La Brea—Opened 1949, now a church.
  • Ritz—Taken down 1977.
  • Northridge—Opened 1963, now a thrift shop.
  • Stadium—Opened 1931, now a church.
  • Uptown—Taken down 1965.
  • Westwood—Opened 1931.
• McCook, Nebraska—Opened 1927, now a live theater.
• North Platte, Nebraska—Opened 1929, now a live theater.
• Missoula, Montana—Opened 1949, now taken down.
• New Orleans, Louisiana—Opened 1941, taken down 1975.
• Oakland, California—Opened 1928, restored 2009.
• Paso Robles, California—Still standing but empty.
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—Opened 1923, taken down 1980.
• Phoenix, Arizona
  • Phoenix—Opened 1931, taken down 1975.
  • Chris-Town—Opened 1967.
• Pomona, California—Opened 1931.
• Ponce, Puerto Rico—Opened 1931, now a hotel.
• Portland, Oregon—Opened 1911, taken down 1997.
• Provo, Utah—Opened 1967, taken down.
• Redlands, California—Opened 1928.
• Redwood City, California—Opened 1929, on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Riverside, California—Opened 1929, restored 2008–2009.
• San Bernardino, California—Opened 1929.
• Salina, Kansas—Opened 1932, restored 2003.
• Salinas, California.
• Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Cottonwood Mall 4—Opened 1968, taken down in the 2000s.
• San Antonio, Texas—Opened 1969, taken down 2003.
• San Diego, California
  • Egyptian—Opened 1923, taken down 2003.
  • Fairmount—Opened 1929, taken down shortly after 1959.
  • San Diego—Opened 1929.
  • Valley Circle—Opened 1967, taken down 1998.
• San Francisco
  • Parkside—Opened 1928, now a daycare.
  • Mission Street Showcase—Closed 1957, now a parking lot.
  • San Francisco—Opened 1929, taken down 1963.
• San Jose, California—Opened 1927, reopened 2004.
• Santa Barbara, California—Opened 1930.
• Santa Paula, California—Opened 1950, taken down in the 1980s.
• Seattle, Washington—Opened 1929, renamed Roxy in 1933.
• Spokane, Washington—Opened 1931.
• Springfield, Massachusetts—Opened 1970, now a carpet store.
• Springfield, Missouri—Now a church.
• St. Louis—Opened 1929, fully restored 1982.
• Stockton, California—Opened 1930, renamed the Bob Hope Theatre.
• Toronto, Canada—Opened 1914.
• Tucson, Arizona
  • Buena Vista—Opened 1967, taken down 2008.
  • Lyric—Taken down.
  • Tucson—Opened 1930, reopened 2005.
  • 22nd Street Drive-In—Opened 1954, taken down 1979.
• Taft, California—Opened 1951.
• Venice, California—Opened 1951, now an indoor swap meet.
• Ventura, California—Opened 1969, now a jewelry store.
• Visalia, California—Opened 1930, reopened 1999.
• Watsonville, California—Closed 2009.
• Wichita, Kansas—Opened 1969.

Images for kids

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  The restored art deco interior of Fox Theater in Spokane, Washington