Posted February 7, 201015 yr Embassy Theatre Fort Wayne, Indiana All Photos Copyright © 2004 – 2010 by Robert E Pence The Emboyd Theatre and Indiana Hotel opened in 1928. The theatre, designed by John Eberson, prolific creator of movie palaces across the country, was built for movies and vaudeville shows. The building housing the theatre and hotel was the work of noted local architect A.M. Strauss, whose commercial and residential designs across the city are still much admired. In 1951 the theatre and hotel were sold to the Alliance Amusement Company, and the name was changed to the Embassy. The Grande Page Organ fell into disrepair and a small group of local enthusiasts stepped in to restore and preserve it and present occasional concerts. In 1972 the theatre was faced with demolition, presumably to create a parking lot for senior apartments that were proposed for the hotel. A preservation fund-raising effort kicked into gear, and dedicated volunteers put many hours of their own labor and sometimes considerable amounts of their own money into saving and restoring the facility. Now the theatre hosts concerts by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic along with numerous travling shows and entertainers. The magnificent Grand Paige Organ rises to stage level on its platform to add its presence on many occasions. The theatre marquee has been updated with digital reader boards. Winter night scenes from February, 2008. The interior photos were taken in 2006 and 2009 during the annual Festival of Trees, one of several events during Fort Wayne's downtown holiday fest. Trees are sponsored by businesses, organizations, and individuals, and the festival visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorites. An admission fee is charged and the decorated trees are auctioned, with festival proceeds going toward the preservation and operation of the theatre. The first floor of the Indiana Hotel lobby. The hotel currently is not used, although various possibilities for its use continue to be explored. The lobby is available for receptions and other private events. Mezzanine level of the hotel lobby. The theatre lobby seen from the mezzanine level. The theatre lobby may be hired for receptions and other private events. The theatre auditorium originally seated 2,800, if I remember correctly. Several years ago the seatng was redone using the original decorative cast-iron stanchions but with wider cushions to accomodate the steadily-increasing girth of patrons. The change resulted in some loss of seating capacity. Steps from the theatre lobby mezzanine up to the balcony During the festival, nearly continuous entertainment by various arts groups takes place on the Embassy stage. On this day youth-oriented groups were featured. A lighting sconce in the balcony Stairway down from the hotel lobby mezzanine to the main floor ... ... and out the door ... ... onto Jefferson Boulevard. Looking south on Harrison Street. The Courtyard by Marriott Hotel is under construction on the right. The hotel and the Embassy will be connected by a skybridge, which along with the existing skybridge over Jefferson Boulevard, will provide hotel guests a sheltered connection with the Grand Wayne Center.
February 7, 201015 yr Awesome theater! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 7, 201015 yr Great to have such a wonderful theatre downtown in Ft Wayne. Looks very lovingly maintained. The ceiling plasterwork is magnificent, as are the floor tiles.
February 7, 201015 yr Imagine if they built theatres like that today... What a gorgeous place. It's awesome that it was saved from demolition because it is definitely a gem.
February 7, 201015 yr Is this one of the stops Broadway companies will often make between Cleveland and Chicago?
February 8, 201015 yr Imagine if they built theatres like that today... What a gorgeous place. It's awesome that it was saved from demolition because it is definitely a gem. The acoustics are wonderful, too. I got a free ticket for one of the Philharmonic concerts, and the seat turned out to be clear in one corner at the top of the balcony. Even there, I could clearly hear the most delicate sounds. Is this one of the stops Broadway companies will often make between Cleveland and Chicago? Here's the schedule for the remainder of the 2009-2010 season.
February 8, 201015 yr Thanks, Bob. Your posts always make me homesick for my years in Fort Wayne. I remember going to see Rear Window at the Embassy in early 1990, after I had just moved to town.
February 8, 201015 yr Rob have you ever been in the fly gallery of that place? I'm wondering how high it is since the rest of the building seems pretty tall. I always love going backstage in old theatres like that and just exploring the maze of corridors, ladders, doors, and of course the fly gallery. And I also love the contrast between the "public" section of the theatre and the "private" section. In the public section, it's what you pictured; gorgeous and ornate details and luxurious amenities. But then backstage it's dark and almost cavernous.
February 8, 201015 yr Just after the volunteers started work in the mid seventies, I had a complete tour one night from projection booth to fly gallery to the basement where resided a row of hand-fired, coal-burning boilers, a giant, archaic-looking (but beautiful to me) belt-driven reciprocating compressor that drove the carbon dioxide-refrigerated air conditioning, and the dressing rooms, small, badly-lighted and musty-smelling, long-unused and with institutional-green paint peeling from the walls. All that has been re-done; a new gas-fired boiler system was installed and good modern air-conditioning compressors and evaporator coils were donated from a nearby hotel that was to be razed. The dressing rooms were brought up to date, and several years ago a major construction project extended the stage back into the attached Indiana Hotel building to make it deep enough to accomodate Broadway shows. Major structural issues were addressed, like a very expensive roof replacement, including an annex that supports a walkway over Jefferson Boulevard connecting with the Grand Wayne Center. The annex has handicapped-accessible restrooms; the original ones, ornate and still functioning, are accessible only via a long, wide stairway down from the lobby. I haven't had a nooks-and-crannies tour since all the work was done.
February 9, 201015 yr gorgeous -- i *heart* old theaters! well preserved too. thx rob. say, what's going up across the street?
February 10, 201015 yr gorgeous -- i *heart* old theaters! well preserved too. thx rob. say, what's going up across the street? That's a Courtyard by Marriott. It will be connected with the Embassy via a skywalk over Harrison Street, and the Embassy already connects with the Grand Wayne Center and Hilton Hotel via a skywalk over Jefferson Boulevard. On the opposite side of the hotel is Parkview Field, our downtown ballpark.
February 14, 201015 yr Excellent pics rob. I'm glad this one was saved. I just can't imagine people wanting to demolish something like this. Unfortunately I feel we still haven't learned from our mistakes or even our successes like this one. Word to the post about exploring old theaters. They are interesting buildings, particularly because of the way they are constructed, they have all these oddly placed rooms. I remember exploring the abandoned Detroit United Artists (currently being renovated). It had all these different levels and rooms attached to it. The coolest part was the catwalks above the collapsing plaster ceiling. So much more interesting than the 20 something story attached office tower.
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