Peery's Egyptian Theatre
Encyclopedia
Peery's Egyptian Theater is a movie palace
located at 2439 Washington Blvd., in Ogden, Utah
in the United States of America. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978.
landmarks, was hired for the task. They took cues from many of the most famous western theaters, including Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, and settled upon an Egyptian-themed showhouse.
Construction began in 1923 on the cleared area left from the Arlington Hotel, and incidentally, the location of the Peery's first Ogden home. Ten months passed, and on July 3, 1924, the Egyptian opened. The first feature played at the new theater was Zane Grey's Wanderers of the Wasteland. This "natural color" silent film was accompanied by the Mighty Wurlitzer, the Egyptian's famous pipe organ.
The first "talking picture" was In Old Arizona, shown in 1929. This downgraded the role of the house pipe organ, which was occasionally used during intermissions and other programs. In 1960, the organ was removed and put into storage.
Twentieth Century-Fox, the chain which the Egyptian was part of, incorporated in 1935. Both of the Peery's theaters, the Egyptian and the Ogden, were leased by Fox Inter-Mountain Theaters as a result. A renovation of the theater's entrance increased the marquee size by fourfold and added new box office and a new ceiling to the lobby. In 1951, Fox refurbished the Egyptian, adding many new and more splendid details to the theater.
1953 saw the arrival of two new and important events for the theater. The 3-D movie It Came from Outer Space was shown, a first of that type for the house, and then The Robe, a CinemaScope
film, debuted. The format of CinemaScope, of more than two-to-one ratio in width versus height, necessitated the removal of two of the inner-proscenium columns. A four-channel high-fidelity system was also installed to accommodate the increasing significance of stereophonic sound in movies.
The subsequent remodeling in 1961 was met with mixed reactions. Many of the details of the original theater were painted over or removed. Pink curtains were accompanied by pink auditorium walls. A new, wider and larger screen was installed in front of the proscenuim. Seating was also reconfigured, reducing capacity from 1,200 to 850 in an effort to increase the legroom and comfort of patrons. A reconditioning of the seats also occurred, further updating the standards.
In the following years, many different iterations of what was known as the Fox Inter-Mountain corporation would keep the Egyptian at the forefront of the local theater scene. It showed first-run movies well into the early 1980s, when management passed to a smaller local chain. Lacking the presence and funding needed for first-run movies, the theater progressed to a second-run theater shortly before it was closed in 1984, due to a health code violation.
Many thought that the glory days of the Egyptian were over, and that there was no future for a classic, single-screen theater in Ogden. The theater was threatened on many occasions with demolition, as it sat, boarded up and unused. Rumors abounded until the theater was finally purchased, in the eleventh hour, for the original 1924 construction price of $250,000. Facilitated by the Weber County Heritage Foundation, the building was handed over to the Egyptian Theater Foundation, which was created as a means to facilitate the refurbishment of the classic showhouse. First Ogden City, then Weber County were given ownership of the building.
A complete restoration was accomplished with the partnership of Weber County, Ogden City, Weber State University
, the Egyptian Theater Foundation, and the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce. Major donations and contributions from Dr. Louis S. and Jan Peery, the George S. and Delores Dore Eccles Foundation, and the Utah State Legislature were received among hundreds of other smaller gifts. The adjoining David Eccles Conference Center and the Weber County government office, located in a renovated department store, were built and completed during this period.
The rescued Egyptian Theater reopened on January 17, 1997. Its role was expanded from a movie house to that of a community theater/performing arts house. A Wurlitzer pipe organ was reinstalled in 2004, completing the historic atmosphere of the theater.
The Sundance Film Festival
, famous for its independent and innovative films, has premiered movies at the Egyptian as a recognition of its importance. The theater is ideally suited to meet the task.
The Egyptian is one of a few theaters to incorporate an "atmospheric" ceiling, where a daytime or dusk ambiance can be smoothly changed into one of a star-filled nighttime sky. This effect remains in operation at the present, and is indeed a fascinating sight. The terra cotta facade, with its intricate colors and details intact, remains in excellent condition after over 80 years.
The seating area comprises one level, steeply raked for a nearly ideal viewing angle without resorting to steps. The seats are split into three parts, with a wide center and two smaller side seating areas to either side. Foot and knee room are comfortable, and the seats are comfortably reclined. The seating area also clings to its roots by using wood-backed seats and no modern-era cupholders.
The theater is one of fewer than fifty Egyptian-style theaters that were constructed in the country; only a dozen or so still stand. The "atmospheric" ceiling is likely one of two that currently exist in use throughout the United States. The Egyptian remains Utah's only bona fide "movie palace."
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
located at 2439 Washington Blvd., in Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
in the United States of America. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978.
History
Peery's Egyptian Theater was built after the fiery demise of the Arlington Hotel in 1923. Harman and Louis Peery devised a plan to build a grand theater, "The Showplace of the West". The architectural firm of Hodgson & McClenahan, notable for many important Wasatch FrontWasatch Front
The Wasatch Front is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Santaquin in the south to Brigham City in the north...
landmarks, was hired for the task. They took cues from many of the most famous western theaters, including Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, and settled upon an Egyptian-themed showhouse.
Construction began in 1923 on the cleared area left from the Arlington Hotel, and incidentally, the location of the Peery's first Ogden home. Ten months passed, and on July 3, 1924, the Egyptian opened. The first feature played at the new theater was Zane Grey's Wanderers of the Wasteland. This "natural color" silent film was accompanied by the Mighty Wurlitzer, the Egyptian's famous pipe organ.
The first "talking picture" was In Old Arizona, shown in 1929. This downgraded the role of the house pipe organ, which was occasionally used during intermissions and other programs. In 1960, the organ was removed and put into storage.
Twentieth Century-Fox, the chain which the Egyptian was part of, incorporated in 1935. Both of the Peery's theaters, the Egyptian and the Ogden, were leased by Fox Inter-Mountain Theaters as a result. A renovation of the theater's entrance increased the marquee size by fourfold and added new box office and a new ceiling to the lobby. In 1951, Fox refurbished the Egyptian, adding many new and more splendid details to the theater.
1953 saw the arrival of two new and important events for the theater. The 3-D movie It Came from Outer Space was shown, a first of that type for the house, and then The Robe, a CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
film, debuted. The format of CinemaScope, of more than two-to-one ratio in width versus height, necessitated the removal of two of the inner-proscenium columns. A four-channel high-fidelity system was also installed to accommodate the increasing significance of stereophonic sound in movies.
The subsequent remodeling in 1961 was met with mixed reactions. Many of the details of the original theater were painted over or removed. Pink curtains were accompanied by pink auditorium walls. A new, wider and larger screen was installed in front of the proscenuim. Seating was also reconfigured, reducing capacity from 1,200 to 850 in an effort to increase the legroom and comfort of patrons. A reconditioning of the seats also occurred, further updating the standards.
In the following years, many different iterations of what was known as the Fox Inter-Mountain corporation would keep the Egyptian at the forefront of the local theater scene. It showed first-run movies well into the early 1980s, when management passed to a smaller local chain. Lacking the presence and funding needed for first-run movies, the theater progressed to a second-run theater shortly before it was closed in 1984, due to a health code violation.
Many thought that the glory days of the Egyptian were over, and that there was no future for a classic, single-screen theater in Ogden. The theater was threatened on many occasions with demolition, as it sat, boarded up and unused. Rumors abounded until the theater was finally purchased, in the eleventh hour, for the original 1924 construction price of $250,000. Facilitated by the Weber County Heritage Foundation, the building was handed over to the Egyptian Theater Foundation, which was created as a means to facilitate the refurbishment of the classic showhouse. First Ogden City, then Weber County were given ownership of the building.
A complete restoration was accomplished with the partnership of Weber County, Ogden City, Weber State University
Weber State University
Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees...
, the Egyptian Theater Foundation, and the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce. Major donations and contributions from Dr. Louis S. and Jan Peery, the George S. and Delores Dore Eccles Foundation, and the Utah State Legislature were received among hundreds of other smaller gifts. The adjoining David Eccles Conference Center and the Weber County government office, located in a renovated department store, were built and completed during this period.
The rescued Egyptian Theater reopened on January 17, 1997. Its role was expanded from a movie house to that of a community theater/performing arts house. A Wurlitzer pipe organ was reinstalled in 2004, completing the historic atmosphere of the theater.
The Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, famous for its independent and innovative films, has premiered movies at the Egyptian as a recognition of its importance. The theater is ideally suited to meet the task.
Significance
The 800-seat showhouse used a solid, poured concrete construction. This measure was meant to increase the safety of the occupants, and resist fire, which has been a historically efficient killer of theaters and their patrons. In a test of the building's strength, over 70,000 lbs. of gravel were put onto the top of the auditorium. Such a load barely flexed the strong roof, and is a testament to the construction quality. So proud of the safety of the theater were the owners that they informed the public that the Egyptian was "Ogden's Only Fireproof Theater ... A Safe Place for the Kiddies," in large letters on the rear of the building.The Egyptian is one of a few theaters to incorporate an "atmospheric" ceiling, where a daytime or dusk ambiance can be smoothly changed into one of a star-filled nighttime sky. This effect remains in operation at the present, and is indeed a fascinating sight. The terra cotta facade, with its intricate colors and details intact, remains in excellent condition after over 80 years.
The seating area comprises one level, steeply raked for a nearly ideal viewing angle without resorting to steps. The seats are split into three parts, with a wide center and two smaller side seating areas to either side. Foot and knee room are comfortable, and the seats are comfortably reclined. The seating area also clings to its roots by using wood-backed seats and no modern-era cupholders.
The theater is one of fewer than fifty Egyptian-style theaters that were constructed in the country; only a dozen or so still stand. The "atmospheric" ceiling is likely one of two that currently exist in use throughout the United States. The Egyptian remains Utah's only bona fide "movie palace."
See also
- Egyptian Theatre (Coos Bay, Oregon)Egyptian Theatre (Coos Bay, Oregon)The Egyptian Theatre is an historic movie theatre in Coos Bay, Oregon, United States. It was originally built as a garage, and was converted to a theatre in 1925...
- Grauman's Egyptian TheatreGrauman's Egyptian TheatreGrauman's Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, is one of the world's most famous movie theatres. Opened in 1922, it was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere.- History :...
- Mary G. Steiner Egyptian TheatreMary G. Steiner Egyptian TheatreThe Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theatre is located at 328 Main Street in Park City, Utah in the United States of America. It has also been referred to as the Mary J. Steiner Egyptian Theatre or The Egyptian Theatre in Park City.-History:...
- The Egyptian Theatre (Boise, Idaho)The Egyptian Theatre (Boise, Idaho)The Egyptian Theatre, also known as the Ada Theater, at 700 West Main Street in Boise, Idaho is a movie theater that opened in 1927.- History :...
- Egyptian Theatre (DeKalb, Illinois)Egyptian Theatre (DeKalb, Illinois)The Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois, United States, is an Egyptian Revival theatre that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The theatre was built in 1928 and 1929 as part of a much larger wave of national fascination with Ancient Egypt throughout the United States, due,...