Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore)

Last updated

Hippodrome Theatre
Hippodrome Baltimore.JPG
Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore)
Address12 N. Eutaw St.
Baltimore, Maryland
Public transit Baltimore Arena
Owner Maryland Stadium Authority
Operator Key Brand Entertainment
Capacity 2,300
Construction
Opened1914 (1914)
Rebuilt2004
Architect Thomas W. Lamb
Website
www.baltimorehippodrome.com
Hippodrome Theatre
Coordinates 39°17′23″N76°37′17″W / 39.28972°N 76.62139°W / 39.28972; -76.62139
Area0.4 acres (0.16 ha)
Built1914 (1914)
ArchitectLamb, Thomas White; Singer-Pentz Construction Co.
Architectural styleBeaux Arts
NRHP reference No. 99001670 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 14, 2000

The Hippodrome Theatre is a theater in Baltimore, Maryland.

Contents

History

Interior of the theater after its renovation in 2004 Hippodrome Theater Baltimore interior.jpg
Interior of the theater after its renovation in 2004

Built in 1914 for impresarios Marion Scott Pearce and Scheck, the 2300-seat theater was the foremost vaudeville house in Baltimore, as well as a movie theater. When the movie palace opened, it was the largest theatre in the United States south of Philadelphia. [2] The Hippodrome was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, one of the foremost theater architects of his time. Lamb gave the theater an unusually strong presence on Eutaw Street through the use of brick and terra cotta on a massive façade. The Hippodrome was renovated in 2004 for use as a performing arts theater, and is part of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. [3]

The site had previously been occupied by the five story House Hotel, built in 1835 and destroyed by fire on May 25, 1912. [4] The new theater had an original capacity of 3,000 seats and boasted a Moller organ, as well as a house orchestra that survived into the 1950s. The Loew's chain operated the Hippodrome from 1917 to 1924, then Keith-Albee-Orpheum assumed stewardship. In 1920 the average weekly attendance was 30,000. During the 1930s the Hippodrome featured such performers as Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Martha Raye, Dinah Shore, Red Skelton, The Three Stooges, the Andrews Sisters, Morey Amsterdam, and Benny Goodman. Frank Sinatra first performed with Harry James at the Hippodrome. Live performances ceased in 1959, but movies remained strong through the 1960s. The Hippodrome finally closed in 1990 as the last movie theater in downtown Baltimore. [5]

In the period before it was renovated, it served as a filming location in the 2000 John Waters film Cecil B. Demented . The theater served as a hideout for the SprocketHoles, a gang of terrorist filmmakers. [6]

Renovations

The most recent renovation combined three contiguous existing buildings and a new structure: the Western National Bank Building (1887), the Eutaw Savings Bank Building (1888) and the Hippodrome into a major performing arts complex, designed by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates. The Maryland Stadium Authority led the renovation. [7] Clear Channel Entertainment (now Live Nation) became the theatre operator after project completion. [8] In 2008, Live Nation sold most of its theatrical assets, including the Hippodrome, to Key Brand Entertainment. [9]

Related Research Articles

Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances".

<i>Cecil B. Demented</i> 2000 film by John Waters

Cecil B. Demented is a 2000 black comedy film written and directed by John Waters. The film stars Melanie Griffith as a snobby A-list Hollywood actress who is kidnapped by a band of terrorist filmmakers; they force her to star in their underground film. Stephen Dorff stars as the eponymous character and leader of the group, with Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon co-starring as the rest of his gang of filmmakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas W. Lamb</span> Scottish-American architect (1871–1942)

Thomas White Lamb was a Scottish-born, American architect. He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas of the 20th century.

Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain founded in 1974 in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films. Landmark consists of 34 theatres with 176 screens in 24 markets. It is known for both its historic and newer, more modern theatres. Helmed by its President, Kevin Holloway, Landmark Theatres is part of Cohen Media Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Theater and former movie theater in Columbus, Ohio

The Ohio Theatre is a performing arts center and former movie palace on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. Known as the "Official Theatre of the State of Ohio", the 1928 building was saved from demolition in 1969 and was later completely restored. The theater was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedum Center</span> Theater and concert hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts is a theater and concert hall located at 237 7th Street in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm Hoffman-Henon, it was built in 1928 as the Stanley Theatre. The former movie palace was renovated and reopened as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyric Baltimore</span> Music venue in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

The Lyric Baltimore is a music venue in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, located close to the University of Baltimore law school. The building was modeled after the Concertgebouw concert hall in Amsterdam, and it was inaugurated on October 31, 1894, with a performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Australian opera singer Nellie Melba as the featured soloist. Beginning in 1904, it was also used for touring performances by the Metropolitan Opera, and from 1950, it was the home of the Baltimore Opera Company until that company's liquidation in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hippodrome State Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Hippodrome Theatre is a regional professional theatre in downtown Gainesville, Florida, United States. It was founded in 1973 by local actors and was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houston Theater District</span> Neighborhood in Harris County, Texas, United States

The Houston Theater District, a 17-block area in the heart of Downtown Houston, Texas, United States, is home to Houston's nine professional performing arts organizations, the 130,000-square-foot (12,000 m2) Bayou Place entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. More than two million people visit the Houston Theater District annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Theatre</span> Movie theater in Baltimore, Maryland, US

The Charles Theatre, often referred to as simply The Charles, or, even more simply, The Chuck, is the oldest movie theatre in Baltimore. The theatre is a Beaux-Arts building designed as a streetcar barn in 1892 by Jackson C. Gott, located in what is now the Station North arts and entertainment district. The theater was renamed the Charles circa 1959 and became a calendar revival house in 1979. Many of John Waters's early films premiered at this theatre; this honor has since shifted to the Senator Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Theatre (Hagerstown)</span> United States historic place

The Maryland Theatre is a music and entertainment venue located in the Arts and Entertainment District of downtown Hagerstown, Maryland. It was built in 1915, partially destroyed by fire in 1974, reopened in 1978, and expanded into a full performing arts complex in 2019. The theatre's seating capacity is 1,279 people, and it hosts performances of symphony orchestras, country artists, comedians, children's shows, pop stars, recitals, stage shows, and others. Over 81,000 patrons attended performances at the Maryland Theatre in 2005, making it one of Maryland's premier venues for the performing arts. The Maryland Symphony Orchestra performs there regularly and has been headquartered in the building since 2019. The theater features a fully restored Wurlitzer theatre organ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senator Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Senator Theatre is a historic Art Deco movie theater on York Road in the Govans section of Baltimore, Maryland. It is the oldest operating movie theater in central Maryland and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated Baltimore City Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everyman Theatre, Baltimore</span> Regional theatre in Baltimore, Maryland, US

Everyman Theatre is a regional theatre with a professional repertory company of artists in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. Everyman's mission is to bring accessible and affordable theatre to the city of Baltimore. Everyman Theatre is located in downtown Baltimore in the Bromo Arts and Entertainment District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Eberson</span> Austrian-American architect (1875–1954)

John Adolph Emil Eberson was an Austrian-American architect best known for the development and promotion of movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre style. He designed over 500 theatres in his lifetime, earning the nickname "Opera House John". His most notable surviving theatres in the United States include the Tampa Theatre (1926), Palace Theatre Marion (1928), Palace Theatre Louisville (1928), Majestic Theatre (1929), Akron Civic Theatre (1929), the Paramount Theatre (1929), the State Theater 1927, and the Lewis J. Warner Memorial Theater (1932) at Worcester Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts. Remaining international examples in the atmospheric style include both the Capitol Theatre (1928) and State Theatre (1929) in Sydney, Australia, The Forum and Le Grand Rex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eutaw Street</span>

Eutaw Street is a major street in Baltimore, Maryland, mostly within the downtown area. Outside of downtown, it is mostly known as Eutaw Place.

Broadway Across America (BAA) is a presenter and producer of live theatrical events in the United States and Canada since 1982. It is currently owned by the John Gore Organization, which purchased it from Live Nation in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre is an apartment building and theater complex located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places by its original name, the Hotel Mississippi and RKO Orpheum Theater. The Hotel Mississippi was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 2005. In 2020 the complex was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westside, Baltimore</span> Neighborhood of Baltimore in Maryland, United States

Westside Baltimore is the western portion of downtown Baltimore that includes Market Center and many of the newest developments in downtown Baltimore. It has increasingly become the preferred residential section of downtown. It is also home to the site of the "Superblock" project that will include hundreds of condos and apartments as well as a variety of retail and commercial space. The former home of Baltimore's many and famed department stores, Westside Baltimore is now anchored by the University of Maryland, Baltimore consisting of the University of Maryland Health System, University of Maryland School of Law and the University of Maryland Biopark. The Westside is also home to several performing arts centers, including the Hippodrome Theatre, Royal Farms Arena and the future home of the Everyman Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkway Theatre (Baltimore)</span> Movie theater in Baltimore, Maryland, US

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway, or simply the Parkway, is a movie theater located at 5 West North Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. The Parkway is open as of May 3, 2017, and is the new permanent home of MdFF. The Maryland Film Festival, a 5-day annual festival created and operated by MdFF, is housed in and around the Parkway and throughout the Station North Arts and Entertainment District.

Bromo Arts District is one of four designated arts district in Baltimore, MD and is centered around the Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower, which houses artist studios. The district is roughly bounded by Park Avenue on the east, Lombard Street on the south, Paca Street on the west and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Read Street on the north and is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Mount Vernon and downtown Baltimore. It is home to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Lexington Market, Westminster Hall and Edgar Allan Poe's gravesite, the former Martick's Restaurant Francais and many cultural institutions including the Hippodrome Theatre, the Everyman Theatre, the Eubie Blake National Jazz and Cultural Center. It is also home to A.T. Jones and Sons, the oldest costume company in the United States.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Theresa Donnelly, “Hippodrome Theatre,” Explore Baltimore Heritage. Retrieved December 26, 2015
  3. Michael V. Murphy (September 1999). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: The Hippodrome" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  4. Laura Rice. Maryland History In Prints 1743-1900. p. 96.
  5. "History". The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  6. Hornaday, Ann. "Movie review: John Waters takes hilarious, deadly aim at mainstream movie-makers in 'Cecil B. Demented'". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  7. "Hippodrome Performing Arts Center". Maryland Stadium Authority. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  8. Dash, Julekha (January 20, 2004). "Clear Channel ready to take over Hippodrome". Baltimore Business Journal . Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  9. Robertson, Campbell (January 25, 2008). "Live Nation Finds a Buyer for Its Theater Business". The New York Times . Retrieved February 25, 2014.
Preceded by Miss USA Venue
2005-2006
Succeeded by