Warnors Theatre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Pantages, Alexander, Theater
|
|
 |
|
| Location | 1400 Fulton Street Fresno, California |
|---|---|
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | B. Marcus Priteca |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000663 |
| Added to NRHP | February 23, 1978 |
The Warnors Theatre is a very old and special movie theater in downtown Fresno, California. It first opened its doors in 1928. This amazing building has 2,100 seats, which means lots of people can watch shows there!
When it first opened, it was called the Pantages Theater. This was named after its owner, Alexander Pantages. In 1929, a company called Warner Brothers bought the theater. They changed its name to the Warner Theater. Later, in the 1960s, the name was changed again to "Warnors" to avoid any legal problems with the Warner Brothers company.
A famous architect named B. Marcus Priteca designed the theater. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important historical building in the United States.
The Amazing Pipe Organ
The Warnors Theatre has a very special musical instrument inside it. It's called a unit orchestra, which is a type of pipe organ. This organ is so big and clever that it can make sounds like a whole orchestra! It has many different features and instruments built into it. This means just one organ player can create all the music.
The Robert Morton Organ Company built this organ in 1928. It was meant to play music for silent films. Back then, movies didn't have sound built into them. Live music was played during the movie to set the mood.
However, right around the time the organ was being installed, movies started to include sound! The theater tried to cancel their order for the organ. But it was too late, and the organ was installed anyway.
Organ Details
This incredible organ has 14 "ranks" of pipes. A rank is a set of pipes that make a certain sound. In total, it has 1,035 pipes! The part where the organist sits is called the console. It has four keyboards, called manuals, and 720 keys, pedals, and buttons.
The organ was mainly used for movies until 1973. Before unit orchestras, theaters had to pay many musicians for a full orchestra. The unit orchestra was a much cheaper way to have live music.
Famous Concerts
On November 15, 1956, a very famous group called the Berlin Philharmonic played a concert at the theater. Their new music director, Herbert von Karajan, led the performance.
