Russell Theatre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Russell Theatre
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 Location in Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Location | 9 E. Third St. |
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| Nearest city | Maysville, Ky |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Frankel and Curtis |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival, Moorish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000216 |
| Added to NRHP | March 31, 2006 |
The Russell Theatre is a special building in Maysville, Kentucky. It was first built to be a movie theater, a place where people could watch films. Over time, it has been used for many other things.
A businessman named Col. J. Russell Barbour announced the plan to build the theater in 1928. It cost about $125,000 to build, which was a lot of money back then! The theater opened its doors on December 4, 1930. The very first movie shown there was Whoopee!, starring a famous actor named Eddie Cantor. Before the theater was built, the land was used for big storage buildings for groceries.
Contents
What Does the Russell Theatre Look Like?
Unique Building Style
The Russell Theatre is a large, stand-alone building with three floors. It has a rectangular shape, about 80 feet (24 meters) wide and 165 feet (50 meters) long. This gives it a total area of about 13,000 square feet (1,200 square meters).
The outside of the theater looks very unique. It is built in a style called Spanish Revival and Moorish Revival. This means it has designs that remind you of old Spanish and North African buildings. There is a tall tower on each side of the front of the building. The ticket booth, where you would buy your movie tickets, is decorated with special Rookwood tiles.
Inside the Theater
Even though it was built mainly for movies, the Russell Theatre also had special rooms for live performers. There was even a pit for an orchestra, a group of musicians who would play music during shows. The main movie room, called the auditorium, was designed to look like a beautiful Mediterranean garden. It had fake Lombardy poplar trees and statues of famous writers placed in special spots on the walls. After a movie finished, a special light effect would make a rainbow appear over the stage!
The Russell Theatre's Story
Early Years and Famous Visitors
Col. Russell, who built the theater, ran it until 1935. Then, a company called the Schine group took over.
A very exciting event happened in 1953. The Russell Theatre hosted the world premiere of a movie called The Stars Are Singing. This movie starred Rosemary Clooney, who was a famous singer and actress from Maysville itself! It was a big deal for the town.
Changes Over Time
In the early 1970s, a new group called the Panther Group started running the theater. They decided to repaint many of the beautiful, deep colors inside with bright, primary colors. The Panther Group continued to operate the theater until 1983.
After that, the building was used for many different things. It became a restaurant, then a used furniture store, and even a used clothing store. For a while, it was used by a newspaper company for storage. Eventually, the building closed down completely.
Restoring a Landmark
After the theater was left empty, a big storm caused a lot of damage. Strong winds ripped off part of the roof. The damage was not fixed right away, and rain got inside. This ruined much of the beautiful plaster work on the walls and ceilings.
In 1995, a group of people decided they wanted to save the Russell Theatre. They formed a committee to restore the building. They fixed the roof and made the outside of the building look good again. However, the work to restore the inside of the theater is still not finished. People are still working hard to bring this historic building back to its original glory!
