Victory Theatre

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Victory Theater and Hotel Sonntag
Victory theatre.jpg
Front and side of the theater
USA Indiana location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location600–614 Main St., Evansville, Indiana
Coordinates 37°58′22″N87°34′8″W / 37.97278°N 87.56889°W / 37.97278; -87.56889
AreaLess than 1 acre (4,000 m2)
Built1921
Architect J.E.O. Pridmore
MPS Downtown Evansville MRA
NRHP reference No. 82000124 [1]
Added to NRHPJuly 1, 1982

The Victory Theatre is a 1,950-seat venue in Evansville, Indiana. It is home to the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and also hosts local ballet and modern dance companies, theatre companies, and touring productions. [2]

Opened on June 16, 1921, and originally seating 2,500 patrons, the theater was part of the Sonntag Hotel–Victory Theater complex. [3] In 1928, it featured Tenderloin, the first sound film to be played in Evansville. [4] The Loews's Victory Theatre closed in 1971, and reopened in 1998 after a $15 million renovation. [5]

The Victory was designed by architect John Pridmore of Chicago. The exterior is in the restrained style characteristic of commercial buildings of the era, but the auditorium is more ornate. The stage, 68 feet (21 m) wide and 82 feet (25 m) deep, was at the time it was built one of the largest in the Midwest. [6] In 1982 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. [7]

It is owned by the City of Evansville and is co-managed with The Ford Center by VenuWorks.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "The Victory Theatre". SMG Evansville. Archived from the original on October 28, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
  3. "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved August 1, 2016.Note: This includes Douglas L. Stern and Joan Marchand (October 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Downtown Evansville MRA" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2016., Douglas L. Stern and Joan Marchand (October 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Downtown Evansville MRA" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2016., and Accompanying photographs
  4. Topper, Todd. In the Limelight – Historic Theaters of Evansville. Evansville: The Evansville Museum of Arts and Science, 1994, p. 6.
  5. "Loew's Victory Theater; Victory History". TW Hughes. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  6. "The Victory Theater; Evansville, IN". USI art department. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  7. "Victory Theatre". Emporis Buildings. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2006.

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