Community Theater (New York)
The Community Theater or Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC), originally called the Broadway Theater , is located on Broadway in Kingston , New York in the United States. Built in 1926, the neoclassical building is the only pre- World War II theater left in town that has not been altered and one of three such structures from that period in the Hudson Valley . With 1500 seats it is the largest theater with a proscenium between Manhattan and Albany .
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, two years after it closed due to declining profitability. It remained vacant until it was extensively renovated in the late 20th century, allowing it to reopen in 2002. Today it is operated by the Bardavon Theater in nearby Poughkeepsie . In its earlier existence the theater building served mainly as a cinema . Today mainly musical events take place here, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra is based here because of the high-quality acoustics and many musicians perform in the UPAC during their concert tours .
Building
The theater building is located on a 0.5 acre (2000 square meters) large parcel on the south side of Broadway in the city center, halfway between Uptown and Downtown . Broadway is mainly built up for commercial purposes, the streets behind the theater are residential areas.
Exterior
Towards Broadway, the northeast facade is two stories high and includes eleven bays . The rear of the theater is three to four stories high and dominates the street block on which the theater stands. The entire building is made of bricks , on the front eaves there is a granite- covered parapet with Aztec motifs. Smooth granite pilasters form the corners of the building. The portico consists of four Corinthian columns and has a classic entablature . Further decorations of the building are the protruding composite rows of stone, the granite rectangles between the windows, the vertically placed trusses above and the granite plinths below.
interior
The interior of the building is arranged around the auditorium. This is semicircular and has an orchestra pit below the stage . The rows of chairs and the boxes have 1500 seats. The stage itself is 23 m wide and 10 m deep. The proscenium arch rises to a height of 12 m above the stage floor and is decorated with alternating octagons, leafy candelabra and other motifs. The stage is framed on both sides by fluted Corinthian columns, the surrounding walls are adorned with stone carvings. Above it is a very detailed gable triangle, the cornice of which is provided with lion heads, an anthemion, as well as molded egg and leaf rods. Bull skulls , candelabra, shields and garlands sit on the frieze .
The flat ceiling dome is designed similarly. It has coffered and simple latticework as well as solid, recessed corbels, anthemions and other leaf motif parts. Rosettes mark the joints. Around the central recess is a wide band with urns, rosettes and decorative frames. The edge has lion heads and an anthemium frieze. The plastered walls are less elaborately decorated; only simple rectangles were used here. The interior lobby has a decoration that takes up the themes of the auditorium as well as the Aztec motifs of the facade. This mixture continues in the hall on the second floor, where the open fireplace is surrounded by chiseled stones. Other rooms, such as the outer lobby, the toilets and cloakrooms, are kept simple.
history
The history of the theater begins in 1925 when a Kingston couple and an Albany man started a company with registered capital of US $ 5,300 (today's prices: 77,000). The following year, they bought the property and started selling bonds to raise more money. They commissioned the well-known New York architect Douglas P. Hall and in October 1926 construction of the building began, which was also carried out by the general contractor Sinner & Cook from New York City.
Construction continued through the winter and the state's largest derrick was used to assemble the steel framework for the auditorium and proscenium. At the grand opening in June 1927 under the name Broadway Theater, the Daily Freeman called the theater "one of the most beautiful theaters in the Hudson River Valley". The 1703 premiere guests were shown five vaudeville pieces as well as the comedy The Cradle Snatchers by Howard Hawks . The following day the regular program began with three film screenings a day.
By 1947 the owner of the theater had changed three times. The Walter Reade organization bought it that year and renamed it Community Theater . The front portico was built in 1951. Inside the rows of seats have been replaced; the capacity fell to 1560 places.
The theater continued to be an important part of the city's cultural life. Bette Davis and Lillian Gish were among the actors who appeared here, Isaac Stern and Victor Borges praised the theater for its acoustics . The decline of Kingston's Lower Town began with increasing suburbanization in the 1970s. Reade closed the theater in 1977 and was primarily responsible for the competition with the shopping malls with their multi-screen cinemas. To prevent the possible demolition of the theater, a non-profit organization was founded. This was called the Ulster Performing Arts Center and then bought the theater.
In 1995, the organization had raised sufficient funds to invest $ 1.7 million in the renovation, which was completed in time for the theater's 75th birthday in 2002. The Bardavon Theater began operating the UPAC in 2006 and a year later the two organizations were merged.
See also
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Townley McElhiney Sharp: National Register of Historic Places nomination, Community Theater ( English ) New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . April 3, 1979. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ A b The History of the Broadway Theater ( English ) Bardavon Theater. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ↑ National Register Information System ( English ) In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
Web links
Coordinates: 41 ° 55 ′ 45 ″ N , 74 ° 0 ′ 16 ″ W.