Saenger Theatre - New Orleans, LA
Posted by: 
JimmyEv
N 29° 57.376 W 090° 04.382
15R E 782484 N 3317544
The flagship of the Saenger Theater empire, an early chain of movie houses throughout the American South and the Carribean.
Waymark Code: WM1C4B
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 03/31/2007
Views: 37
Saenger Amusement Company built their first vaudeville theater in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1911. Shortly after, the company began moving from vaudeville to motion pictures, opening the first motion picture houses in Texarkana, Monroe and Alexandria.
In 1927, reorganized as Saenger Theaters, Inc., the chain moved their corporate offices to New Orleans and built this theater, their flagship, the largest and most elaborate of all their theaters with 3400 seats, and the only one with a lifting orchestra pit. By the time the Saenger chain was sold to Paramount in 1929, it owned 320 theaters in 11 southern states, Cuba, Jamaica, Panama and Puerto Rico.
Saenger wanted their New Orleans theater to front Canal Street, but couldn’t find an available block. The company solved this problem by purchasing Canal Street frontage in the middle of a block. The company’s architect, Emile Weil, created a system of grand entry hallways forming a ‘T’ leading to the theater, with the main hallway emanating from the Canal Street entrance. Inside is an original Robert Morgan theater organ, purchased for over $100,000 and built with 2000 pipes and 7 percussion instruments. The faux curved sky ceiling is surrounded by a series of false building facades. Day, night and sunrise effects are produced with the use of lighting equipment, including 120 ‘stars.’ This ‘atmospheric’ style was used for most of the grand movie palaces of the early 20th century, and the Saenger is one of only 30 left in the United States.
