Paramount Arts Center facts for kids
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Paramount Theatre
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Location | Ashland, Kentucky |
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| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | Rapp and Rapp |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Part of | Ashland Commercial Historic District (ID94000838) |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000736 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 30, 1975 |
| Designated CP | August 5, 1994 |
The Paramount Arts Center is a famous old theater in Ashland, Kentucky, United States. It's officially known as the Paramount Theatre on the National Register of Historic Places. This theater is a really important part of theater in Kentucky. It hosts many exciting shows and events today.
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History of the Paramount Arts Center
The Paramount Arts Center was first called the Paramount Theater. It was one of the first theaters built for "talking pictures." These were movies with sound, which was a new thing back then! The theater was meant to be a model for others across the country. It would show films made by Paramount Pictures.
However, the Great Depression changed everything. Paramount Pictures decided to stop the project. But an Ashland-based company took over the plans. They used Paramount's skilled workers for the inside decorations. The building was then rented to Paramount Publix Corporation. The original design by Rapp and Rapp had to be made smaller because of these changes.
The Paramount first opened its doors on September 5, 1931. It closed forty years later in 1971. In 1972, a group called the Greater Ashland Foundation was created. This group bought the Paramount Theatre. They turned it into a place for performing arts. It reopened that same year as the "Paramount Arts Center."
The theater has been updated many times since 1972. The most recent big update was in 2002. A new stage area was added. New dressing rooms, rehearsal spaces, and a banquet hall were also built. These new areas are in a nearby building bought in 1998. They are connected to the main theater.
Today, the theater is a non-profit organization. This means it uses its money to help the community, not to make a profit. It shows many different performances. You can see symphonies, Broadway plays, and ballets. In 1992, the music video for the song "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus was filmed right here!
Water Damage in 2006
The Paramount Arts Center had a big problem with water in November 2006. This happened when a beauty pageant contestant was getting ready. She hung a dress from a water sprinkler to steam out wrinkles. The heat from the steam accidentally set off the sprinkler system. Water poured from the second floor. It caused almost $30,000 in damage to the building.
The Mystery of the Paramount Ghost
People say that during early work on the Paramount Theatre, someone died there. They say this man's ghost has been haunting the Paramount ever since. The story goes that in the early 1940s, four construction workers were inside the theater. All but one man, named Joe, went to lunch. When the others came back, they found Joe hanging from the curtain ropes, dead.
Since then, strange things have supposedly happened. Sounds have been heard, and things have gone missing. People have felt cold drafts. Sometimes, the image of a man has been seen. But most people who tell the story say Joe is a "good ghost." He seems to watch over the theater and the people in it.
When Billy Ray Cyrus was at the Paramount filming his video for "Achy Breaky Heart," he heard about Paramount Joe. It's a tradition to get signed photos from performers. These photos are hung on the 'Wall of Fame' in the box office. Billy Ray signed large posters for the female employees. He also signed one with a special message for Paramount Joe.
Later, the walls in the box office got too full of photos. The director decided some pictures needed to come down. No one wanted to take down their own signed Billy Ray poster. So, they took down the one he had signed for Paramount Joe. The next day, every photo and poster that had been neatly on the walls was on the floor. Many of their glass frames were broken. Paramount Joe's poster still hangs in the Paramount today. It is in a part of the theater now called The Marquee Room. This room is also home to Paramount Joe's Rising Star Café.
In 2004, the marketing director, Tyson Compton, was giving a tour to high school students. He was telling them the Paramount Joe story. He realized he always talked about Joe, not to him. So, he stopped and asked, "Joe, are you here? Is it okay that I tell your story?" He says he heard a seat squeak right after that.
The most chilling part of this story happened the next day. Compton got a call from a psychic who lived nearby. She asked if someone close to him had recently died. She said she got a message from "the other side." The message was: "I'm supposed to tell you that Joe said he is here."
The Paramount Players
The Paramount Players are a group of local actors. They come together to perform in plays and musicals. These shows are put on by the Paramount Arts Center's Director of Education.
The Paramount Players have won several awards. They won the Kentucky Theatre Association Outstanding Production award for their shows RENT and Cabaret. They also won the IMEA Award for Best Musical for CATS and RENT. They have also won awards for Best Director and Best Choreography.
