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| Saenger Theatre Mobile, Alabama |
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10 Joachim Street South, Mobile, Alabama |
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| Saenger Theatre Mobile, Alabama |
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10 Joachim Street South, Mobile, Alabama |
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The Saenger organization opened its theatre in Mobile, Alabama on January 19, 1927. Across the street at the Lyric Theatre, Earl Carroll's "Vanities" run had followed one of Burns & Allen. A few blocks away, Clarence Darrow was resting from the Scopes "Monkey Trial" as a guest of the Battle House hotel. Billy Sunday's tent revival was packing them in at the outskirts of the city. Construction of the Mobile Saenger Theatre was begun in 1926. Revisions were made to the blueprints during construction for the installation of Carrier Air Conditioning unit #005 (#003 is in the Jefferson Theatre, Beaumont TX; #001 is in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.). Specifications of the theatre included three-color auditorium lighting,; a 2 manual, 10 rank Robert Morton theatre organ; & full stage facitlities to accommodate large road shows: stage & wardrobe traps, 4 floors of dressing rooms, musicians' & chorus rooms. The theatre's decoration, described as "the motif of a French palace of the Renaissance", was in fact an interesting theme developed on classical Greek mythologies & Mobile's coastal location. Poseidon is cast above the front entrance; interior plaster ornamentation includes: Dionysus above the proscenium, Maenads encircling the chandelier in the lounge, Pan beneath the organ grilles, & various stylized seahorses, shells, & fish throughout the theatre. The color scheme of the interior was primarily sea-green with maroon & gold trim, & trompe l'oeil decoration of the ceiling. The arcade's central lighting fixture is an abstraction of bubbles. At some time, possibly as early as the 1930's, the sea-green decoration scheme was re-done in a brighter & easier-to-maintain white, red & gold. As a result, the Mobile Saenger's interior now somewhat resembles that of the Saenger's Strand Theatre in Shreveport, LA. |
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The stock issue for the Mobile Saenger Theatre dated from 1920,
under the entities "Saenger Theatres of Alabama" &
"Gulf Coast Amusement Co., Inc." Saenger Amusements
general manager E. V. Richards signed the certificates as President
of Gulf Coast Amusement Co.
(Click on the certificate for a larger, printable version in Adobe PDF format . File size: 346 kb) |
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Like many other Saenger theatres, the Mobile Saenger Theatre underwent several changes through the years.
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The original, long sidewalk marquee was removed & replaced with a more modern marquee & a small corner sign. |
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The facade above the main entrance acquired, and later lost, a large vertical sign. |
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The auditorium's opera boxes, located beneath the organ grilles, were later removed to improve sightlines for the larger Vistavision movie screen. The organ console can be seen in the house left side of the orchestra pit. |
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The arcade's concession stand (the Candy Hut) was removed & replaced by a concession stand constructed in the lobby (the Candy Bar). | ||
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Around 1950, the seats on the floor were replaced & re-spaced, reducing the theatre's seating capacity to about 2200. |
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ABC/Paramount closed the theatre & removed the projection equipment in the 1970's.
The theatre was bought from ABC/Paramount on the eve of demolition by the University of South Alabama in Mobile. The theatre was closed for extensive repairs & renovation & was re-opened as a performing arts center under the name of The USA Saenger Theatre. The University's restoration & return to operation of the Mobile Saenger Theatre is credited as having been one of the major forces in the revitalization of downtown Mobile. In 1994, the theatre was again closed by the University of South Alabama for repairs & renovation. The seats on the floor were again re-spaced, & replaced with new seats of the original design from American Seating, the supplier in 1927 of the original seats. Seating capacity of the theatre was then 2028. |
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Movies returned to the Mobile Saenger on April 22, 1995 with a showing of "Singin' in the Rain". The empty projection booth had earlier been converted to a follow spot booth by removing much of the front of the booth & installing a large sheet of glass. Later, 35mm projection equipment & a screen from the closed Capri theatre were donated to the Mobile Saenger. By utilizing a platter system, it was possible to shoulder a single projector between the follow spots in the booth. |
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The USA Saenger Theatre produced its own Saenger Series of touring Broadway shows & summer film series, hosted the Mobile Symphony, & many independent rentals each season. |
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The Mobile Saenger Theatre was sold in October, 1999 to the City of Mobile. It continues in operation under an independent nonprofit foundation, home to the Mobile Symphony, & host for its own & independent productions. |
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Other information:
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Mobile Saenger Theatre, official web site |
| Back to the Saenger Theatres | Next: the Saenger Theatre in Hope, Arkansas |
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