John Eberson

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John Eberson (born January 2, 1875 in Chernivtsi , † March 6, 1954 in New York City ) was an architect who mainly worked in the USA and designed mainly large cinemas with illusionistic interior design. The company, which was founded together with his son Drew Eberson (1904–1989) and continued to run by him, is said to have designed around 1,200 movie theaters.

Life

Eberson attended grammar school in Dresden and studied electrical engineering at the technical university in Vienna . In 1901 he emigrated to the USA. His first employer was the Johnston Realty and Construction Company in St. Louis, Missouri . Eberson went self-employed in 1904 and moved his company to Chicago in 1910. Eberson specialized in the design of cinemas, initially in the classical style based on the model of theaters. The Orpheum in Wichita is the first example of his innovative "atmospheric" design . His big breakthrough was the renovation of the Hoblitzelle Majestic Cinema in Houston (1923). Eberson created a deep blue, electrically illuminated "starry sky" with projected cloud formations here. The backdrop-like side walls simulated a Mediterranean courtyard or small square. This type of cinema became very popular in the 1920s, and Eberson set up his office in New York City in 1926 .

Eberson was famous for its richly and illusionistically decorated film palaces with a Renaissance, Moorish or other exotic ambience. Most of its cinemas no longer exist, however - some surviving movie theaters are listed .

Works (selection)

Eberson's Majestic Theater , built in 1929

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wichita Orpheum website ( Memento of the original from February 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wichitaorpheum.com
  2. ↑ Source: http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/2399loews_paradise.pdf .
  3. ↑ a b c d http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/research/
  4. ^ Norval White: The Guide to the Architecture of Paris . Charles Scribner's Sons, 1991, ISBN 0-684-19293-4 , p. 169.

literature

  • David Naylor: Great American Movie Theaters. The Preservation Press, Washington DC, 1987
  • Ross Thorne: Picture Palace Architecture in Australia. Sun Books Pty. Ltd., South Melbourne, Australia, 1976

Web links

Commons : John Eberson  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Eberson, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eberson, John Adolf Emil
BRIEF DESCRIPTION architect
DATE OF BIRTH January 2, 1875
PLACE OF BIRTH Chernivtsi
DATE OF DEATH March 6, 1954
Place of death New York City