Byrd Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Byrd Theatre is a cinema in the Carytown neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia
. It was named after William Byrd II
, the founder of the city. The theater — the first in Virginia to be equipped with a sound system — opened on December 24, 1928 to much excitement and is affectionately referred to as "Richmond’s Movie Palace
".
The Byrd Theatre opened for the first time on December 24, 1928. At the time, adult tickets were 50 cents for evening shows and 25 cents for matinees, while a child’s tickets was only 10 cents. The first movie was the film "Waterfront", a First National
Film. In addition, the manager at the time was Robert Coulter, who remained the manager until his retirement in 1971 (he is rumored to haunt the theatre).
In 1953, the original 35mm Simplex standards were replaced by the current Simplex 35mm projectors, which are still used daily.
and a natural spring which used to supply water to the air conditioning system.
Built during the transition between silent and talking pictures, the designers outfitted the theatre with two sound systems. One of these was Vitaphone
, a relatively new sound synchronization system commercially developed by Warner Brothers. “The Jazz Singer,” generally acknowledged as the first talking film, was recorded using this system. At that time, though, it was uncertain whether “talkies” would continue to be popular, and a significant number of the films distributed were still silent, so the Byrd also had a Wurlitzer Theatre organ.
organ of the Byrd Theatre is housed in four rooms on the fourth floor above the stage. The basement also houses a vacuum blower for the piano and an elevator room which raises the organ console
to stage level for performances. There is an electrical and pneumatic switching system that aids the organist in choosing which pipes and other devices to use (all of the pipe work, bells, drums, and other effects are acoustic and not electronic). As the sound level of the pipes themselves cannot be changed, the sound levels in the actual auditorium are controlled by large slats called swell shades that open and close to control the volume and a tone chute that carries the sound from the fourth floor.
There is a Lyon and Healey harp which is purely ornamental and does not play, along with a marimba that does play from the organ console in the right box. In the left box there is a Wurlitzer grand piano which can be played from the organ console or its own keyboard and a 37 note xylophone that plays from the console.
House organists have been Carl Rhond, Wilma Beck, Waldo S. Newberry, Slim Mathis, Bill Dalton, Harold Warner, Eddie Weaver, Art Brown, James Hughes, Lin Lunde, and Bob Lent. The Wurlitzer is professionally played every Saturday night by current House Organist Bob Gulledge.
. In 2007, the Byrd Theatre was purchased by The Byrd Theatre Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, with the express purpose of restoring and preserving this theatre as a community resource.
Today the theatre still shows movies 365 days a year, and has not been re-modeled (with the exception of repairs and minor changes such as the installment of a larger screen and new equipment including a concession stand), however movies are still played on reel-to-reel projectors which have to be changed mid-movie. All the seat frames are still original, and though some are torn, most of the upstairs patterned mohair-covered upholstery is still original. In 2004, Ray Dolby, who created the Dolby Digital
sound system, toured the Byrd and was so impressed with the theatre that he donated a Dolby Digital sound system, which was installed in 2006.
The Byrd now plays second-run movies for $1.99 per ticket with the exception of certain festivals such as the VCU French Film Festival
that has been held there annually. In 2007 after five years, discontinued the playing of classic movies at midnight shows on Saturday nights due to dwindling attendance. When the Theatre isn’t being used for second-run movies, the Foundation plans to integrate cultural, educational and community aspects into the Theatre’s programming while still offering movies at reasonable prices.
In 2010, a thief stole less than $100 from the front donation box. The break-in caused about $1,200 worth of damage to the front doors. Media coverage following the event, however, helped raise much needed money for the financially struggling landmark.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. It was named after William Byrd II
William Byrd II
Colonel William Byrd II was a planter, slave-owner and author from Charles City County, Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.-Biography:...
, the founder of the city. The theater — the first in Virginia to be equipped with a sound system — opened on December 24, 1928 to much excitement and is affectionately referred to as "Richmond’s 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...
".
History
Built in 1928, the theater cost $900,000 (2009 Adjusted Inflation $11,000,000) to construct. The builder were Charles Somma and Walter Coulter. The original name for the theater was the State Theater, but by the completion of the construction the name was already taken. It was then named after William Byrd, founder of the city of Richmond.The Byrd Theatre opened for the first time on December 24, 1928. At the time, adult tickets were 50 cents for evening shows and 25 cents for matinees, while a child’s tickets was only 10 cents. The first movie was the film "Waterfront", a First National
First National
First National was an association of independent theater owners in the United States that expanded from exhibiting movies to distributing them, and eventually to producing them as a movie studio, called First National Pictures, Inc. It later merged with Warner Bros.-Early history:The First National...
Film. In addition, the manager at the time was Robert Coulter, who remained the manager until his retirement in 1971 (he is rumored to haunt the theatre).
In 1953, the original 35mm Simplex standards were replaced by the current Simplex 35mm projectors, which are still used daily.
Architecture
The theatre’s architect and contractor was Fred Bishop, and is considered to be of a Renaissance Revival design. Inside, the theatre contains orchestra seating (main) for 916 and balcony seating for 476. The balcony is open whenever attendance requires and occasionally at other times by making a donation to the Byrd Theatre Foundation. The interior features a lavish design by the Arthur Brunet Studios of New York. In addition to eleven Czechoslovakian Crystal Chandeliers, including an 18-foot, two-and-a-half ton chandelier suspended over the auditorium (with over 5,000 crystals illuminated by 500 red, blue, green and amber lights), the interior features imported Italian and Turkish marble, hand-sewn velvet drapes, and oil on canvas murals of Greek mythology. More unusual features included a central vacuum systemCentral vacuum cleaner
A central vacuum cleaner is a type of vacuum cleaner appliance, installed into a building as a semi-permanent fixture. Central vacuum systems are designed to remove dirt and debris from homes and buildings, sending dirt particles through tubing installed inside the walls to a collection container...
and a natural spring which used to supply water to the air conditioning system.
Built during the transition between silent and talking pictures, the designers outfitted the theatre with two sound systems. One of these was Vitaphone
Vitaphone
Vitaphone was a sound film process used on feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects produced by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1930. Vitaphone was the last, but most successful, of the sound-on-disc processes...
, a relatively new sound synchronization system commercially developed by Warner Brothers. “The Jazz Singer,” generally acknowledged as the first talking film, was recorded using this system. At that time, though, it was uncertain whether “talkies” would continue to be popular, and a significant number of the films distributed were still silent, so the Byrd also had a Wurlitzer Theatre organ.
The Wurlitzer Organ
The WurlitzerWurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
organ of the Byrd Theatre is housed in four rooms on the fourth floor above the stage. The basement also houses a vacuum blower for the piano and an elevator room which raises the organ console
Organ console
thumb|right|250px|The console of the [[Wanamaker Organ]] in the Macy's department store in [[Philadelphia]], featuring six manuals and colour-coded stop tabs....
to stage level for performances. There is an electrical and pneumatic switching system that aids the organist in choosing which pipes and other devices to use (all of the pipe work, bells, drums, and other effects are acoustic and not electronic). As the sound level of the pipes themselves cannot be changed, the sound levels in the actual auditorium are controlled by large slats called swell shades that open and close to control the volume and a tone chute that carries the sound from the fourth floor.
There is a Lyon and Healey harp which is purely ornamental and does not play, along with a marimba that does play from the organ console in the right box. In the left box there is a Wurlitzer grand piano which can be played from the organ console or its own keyboard and a 37 note xylophone that plays from the console.
House organists have been Carl Rhond, Wilma Beck, Waldo S. Newberry, Slim Mathis, Bill Dalton, Harold Warner, Eddie Weaver, Art Brown, James Hughes, Lin Lunde, and Bob Lent. The Wurlitzer is professionally played every Saturday night by current House Organist Bob Gulledge.
Preservation
As a result of its longevity, the Byrd Theatre was designated as a Virginia Historic Landmark in 1978, followed in 1979 by listing on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational 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 2007, the Byrd Theatre was purchased by The Byrd Theatre Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, with the express purpose of restoring and preserving this theatre as a community resource.
Today the theatre still shows movies 365 days a year, and has not been re-modeled (with the exception of repairs and minor changes such as the installment of a larger screen and new equipment including a concession stand), however movies are still played on reel-to-reel projectors which have to be changed mid-movie. All the seat frames are still original, and though some are torn, most of the upstairs patterned mohair-covered upholstery is still original. In 2004, Ray Dolby, who created the Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
sound system, toured the Byrd and was so impressed with the theatre that he donated a Dolby Digital sound system, which was installed in 2006.
The Byrd now plays second-run movies for $1.99 per ticket with the exception of certain festivals such as the VCU French Film Festival
VCU French Film Festival
The VCU French Film Festival, an annual film festival held in Richmond, Virginia, focused on recently-produced French-language films.It was created at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1993. It is billed as the largest festival of French film in the United States...
that has been held there annually. In 2007 after five years, discontinued the playing of classic movies at midnight shows on Saturday nights due to dwindling attendance. When the Theatre isn’t being used for second-run movies, the Foundation plans to integrate cultural, educational and community aspects into the Theatre’s programming while still offering movies at reasonable prices.
In 2010, a thief stole less than $100 from the front donation box. The break-in caused about $1,200 worth of damage to the front doors. Media coverage following the event, however, helped raise much needed money for the financially struggling landmark.
External links
- Byrd Theatre official website
- http://members.tripod.com/~g_cowardin/byrd/ archive of earlier official website
- Some photographs inside The Byrd posted on Flickr.
- Richmond, Virginia, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary