From nrhp.focus.nps.gov website:
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Russell Theatre (MSM-97) is located at 9 East Third Street in downtown Maysville, seat of Mason County in
northeastern Kentucky. The building is near the intersection of Market Street. This major thoroughfare is in the heart
of the central business district. A majority of the downtown buildings were constructed before 1930, giving the city a
strong 19th century urban character. The site for the theater had originally been in the Russell family and was occupied
wholesale grocery warehouses. The property sits within the Maysville Downtown Historic District, which was listed
on the National Register March 1, 1982.
The Russell Theatre is a freestanding, three-story building that is oriented in a general southwest direction. The theater
has a rectangular footprint of 80' by 165' and is approximately 13,000 square feet. The theater building has a concrete
foundation and masonry walls. Steel trusses support a concrete roof that is currently covered with EPDM single ply
membrane. The roof form is a shallow gable that is only visible from the rear fa£ade. Narrow walkways run on either
side of the east and west elevations. A narrow L-shaped, two-story brick masonry annex is attached at the rear of the
building. This building was a portion of the remaining wholesale grocery warehouse that had been left on the site. It
was incorporated into the theater and functioned as an area for additional dressing rooms.
Exterior
The main facade has blond brick with a terra cotta tile decorative roof. The facade is punctuated on the ends by piers
that rise above the roofline. Each pier is capped with Moorish parapet and topped with an ornamental urn. A
projecting marquee and recessed entry are on the street level. The second story is unadorned except for two decorative
terra cotta tiles. The third story is dominated with a seven bay loggia with round arches and ornate columns. The
central bay of the loggia projects slightly from the elevation. A small wrought iron balcony accents the central bay. A
broken pediment with an urn caps the central bay. A series of terra cotta dentils punctuate the eaves.
The ground level of the facade is clad with Rookwood tiles that were produced in Cincinnati. Four large columns with
decorative capitals mark the recessed entrance, creating three bays. The central bay has Moorish arch. The ticket booth
is located in the center of this central bay. The booth is decorated with Rookwood tiles and has polychromatic tiles
covering the floor in the recessed entryway. On either side of the ticket booth are double door entrances into the lobby.
Some of the doors retain decorative wrought iron door handles. To the left and right of the ticket booth, the double
door entrances to the segregated balcony are recessed into the piers. Four Moorish lanterns are suspended from the
ceiling of the recessed entry.
The metal-clad marquee is supported in part by heavy-duty chains symbolically held in terra cotta tiles with faces
embedded in the masonry the facade. Ornate metal pieces, a combination of castings and stamped metal, surmount the
top of the marquee. Neon lighting outlines the heart-shaped logo with the name "Russell Theatre." A stamped metal
ceiling covers the underside surface of the marquee. A single row of incandescent bulbs runs along the perimeter of
the three projecting sides.
The remaining elevations are relatively unornamented. The east and west elevations run the length of the theater. On
both elevations, the blond masonry from the piers wraps partially on to the sides. Terra cotta tiles are at the base df the
piers. The remaining portions of these elevations are red brick. Engaged pilasters serve as structural ribs along both
elevations. The west wall has a pair of metal exit doors. Two small windows on this elevation have been filled with
concrete block. The east wall has no fenestration.
The rear elevation is also unornamented except for a narrow, brick chimneystack and four engaged pilasters. The
annex is also visible from this elevation. It is a six-bay two-story elevation with boarded window openings. There is
no decorative ornamentation and it has a flat roof.
Interior
The interior has a T-shaped lobby area with heavy wooden beams on the ceiling. Stairs on either side of the lobby area
lead to the lower balcony. Decorative niches embedded in the walls mark the stairways. Office space and restrooms
also flank the lobby area. The main auditorium space is accessed directly from the lobby through two sets of double
doors. The decorative Mediterranean elements featuring balconies, loggia, and windows in bas-relief, line the east
and west walls. The curved stage and orchestra pit are on the north wall. The stage is enframed with decorative
Moorish columns on the sides and a loggia that echoes the primary facade on the top. A curved ceiling featured the
changing displays of stars, clouds, and the moon.
The two-tiered balcony is aligned along the south wall. The theater seats on both levels are intact. The decorative wall
ornamentation is found on the first level balcony, as well as plush seats. The top tier balcony was intended for African
Americans who were segregated from the rest of the audience. This balcony level has no ornamentation on the walls
and very basic theater seats. The projection booth is also accessed on the balcony and two original projectors are still
in place.
URL: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/06000216.pdf
URL: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/06000216.pdf
Publisher: National Park Service
Published: 03/31/2006
Access: Public access
Note: 9 E. Third St.
Item No.: 06000216 NRIS (National Register Information System)
Subject: EVENT
Subject: ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION
Subject: MISSION/SPANISH REVIVAL
Subject: BUILDING
Subject: 1950-1974
Subject: 1925-1949
Keywords: Frankel and Curtis;1930
Place: KENTUCKY -- Mason County -- Maysville
Record Number: 322292
Record Owner: National Register of Historic Places