THE FOX THEATRE

Atlanta, GA

The Fox Theatre is a performing arts venue located at Peachtree and Ponce de Leon, one of the more important intersections in Atlanta. The theater was originally planned as a Shrine Temple, as evidenced by its Morish motif. We noticed the same horizontal stripping here as at Hagia Sophia in Turkey (SWB 3.0, page 21). When the Shriners failed on their payments, it was leased to William, Fox, who converted it into a lavish movie theater in the Fox Theatres chain. It now hosts a variety of cultural and artistic events including the Atlanta Ballet, a summer film series, performances by touring Broadway companies and concerts by popular artists. The design was by Atlanta architect Olivier Vinour.

The original architecture and décor of the Fox can be divided into two architectural styles: Islamic architecture (building exterior, auditorium, Grand Salon, mezzanine Gentlemen's Lounge and lower Ladies Lounge) and Egyptian architecture (Egyptian Ballroom, mezzanine Ladies Lounge and lower Gentlemen's Lounge). The 4,665-seat auditorium, which was designed for movies and live performances, replicates an Arabian courtyard, complete with 96 embedded, flickering crystal "stars" in its ceiling and a projection of clouds that slowly drift across this "night sky". The longstanding rumor that one of the stars was a piece of a Coca-Cola bottle was confirmed in 2010 when the restoration staff searched the attic above the auditorium.

The Fabulous Fox is only a few blocks away from my alma mater, Georgia Tech. While in school there, we frequented the theater for the latest movies. As a fraternity initiation ritual, we also once released a greased pig in the center aisle of the theater. Bad boys . . . The building in the background of this sketch is a dual-brand Marriott hotel, one of Lindsay Pope Brayfield’s more ambitious undertakings.