The Alhambra
Theatre was originally a 350 seat community theatre built in 1913. At a cost of
$18,000 (about $400,000 in today’s dollars), it was designed by architect Frank
J. Schlotter to reflect the Moorish style of La Alhambra, a Muslim mosque in
Granada, Spain. The Moorish and Middle Eastern theme became popular in theatre
architecture across the U.S.
around the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th
century, and Evansville’s Alhambra is one of the lucky examples that
has dodged the wrecking ball.
The
building’s designer was a prominent local architect who designed many of the
larger Victorian houses in the area of Washington Avenue, now known as the arts
district, then a major thoroughfare linking the eastside of Evansville to
downtown. In addition to the Alhambra, he also designed the landmark Germania
Männerchor building on North Fulton Ave, and the building at 223 Main St.,
which is on the National Register of Historical Places.
At
the time of the theatre’s construction, the area around Washington Avenue was drawing people from
across the economic spectrum. While most of the wealthier families made their homes
in the adjacent Riverside district, the Washington Avenue area afforded blue
collar working families and store owners a place to settle down in comparable
comfort, and it was the business of this burgeoning middle class population
that the Alhambra
was built to attract.
When
the theatre first opened in September, 1913, patrons could buy confectionary
and cigars from the shop situated inside in the lower level. A soprano or other
entertainment act would entertain them between movies, and the price of admission
to see films all day long was 5 cents, or 12 Spur soda bottle caps. That’s only
about $1.06 in today’s money! When’s the last time you got an all day pass to
do anything for $1.06?
In
its heyday, the theatre was a center of neighborhood activity and a
technologically cutting edge facility. It is reputed as being the first theatre
in the area with the equipment to show the new talking films, or “talkies,” of
the 1920s and 1930s. Today, it is the hope of Alhambra Theatre Inc., a
non-profit local organization charged with the task of restoring the facility,
that the sounds of “talkies,” and other community activities can again reverberate
inside the historic structure, and it can reclaim its status as a center of
activity in the new Haynie’s Corner Arts District.
Before
that can happen, much work needs to be done on the interior of the structure. A
casual drive by the building reveals nothing out of place. The exterior
restoration of the past couple decades has helped keep the rain out and restore,
roughly, the original appearance of the building’s facade, but the interior of
the theatre is gutted. The floors are bare concrete, the walls are bare brick,
and the ceiling, besides the structural rafters, is non-existent. Only the
skeleton of a new stage and the stacks of building materials give a sense of
things to come. While the Alhambra
organization accepts any and all donations from individuals interested in
seeing the theatre returned to its former glory, major renovations will
probably have to wait until a $200,000 federal grant comes in. Even with the
money in hand, the work will take a while to complete, but in the meantime, the
public is invited every 4th Friday of the month to see movies
projected onto the west side of the building.
Called
the “4th Friday Film Series,” upcoming films include a July 25th
screening of The Philadelphia Story, starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn
and Jimmy Stewart, and August 22nd screening of Mildred Pierce starring
Joan Crawford. September’s film will be Alfred
Hitchcock's Vertigo, starring
Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, and October’s Fourth Friday Film will be Abbott
and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The best part about all of this…the
films won’t cost you a nickel…not even 12 bottle caps of Spur Soda…they’re
FREE.
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