Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1930)

lay 10, 1930 Exhibitors Herald-World 21 Designing the Theatre Exterior By ROBERT BOLLER NE of the most important and also one of the subtlest phases of the motion picture theatre structure the ornamentation. But before introicing that part of our discussion, perips it would be well to connect it by a ’ief capitulation with those more basic insiderations which were treated of ■eviously. We saw how the modern picture theae grew from the store-type building to its present highly specialized form id magnificence, and how, through asques, statuary, the marquise, signs, c., the structure is designated a motion cture theatre by the very design of its :terior. Among the essentials of good ;terior design pointed out, is the necesty of a dominant feature, which is inlenced by the basic requirements of e building and which, in turn, influices the entire structural frame. Other sentials are the conformity of scale to e general character of the building, e absence of top-heaviness and lopded effects, the attainment of harmony rough adaptation of every architecral element to the function of the hiding, and of rhythm through the retition of line and ornament. As to the use of line, it may be said at each building has three component -rts, which may be likened to the base, aft and cap of a perfectly propormed column. As a general rule, the troduction of pronounced horizontal les, the effect of which was noted, permissible only at these natural visions. If used in over-abundance, horizontal les in a theatre exterior are displeas ing, giving the building a “squatty” appearance, like stripes running ’round and 'round a fat woman’s dress. Perpendicular members should have long lines, carrying the eye to the ground wherever possible, to carry out the idea that they are supporting the weight of the front. Pilasters covering structural steel or concrete columns add to this feeling of strength, solidity and stability. In addition to the use of perpendicular lines, the third dimension, depth, gives strength to the design. An arch or a pilaster, of shallow reveal, appears weak and colorless in comparison with the quiet strength of a deeper recess. The latter gives not only a sense of security, but is an effective addition to the beauty of a building. Every type of architecture has its own kind of archways and grouping, but there are two general rules which any layman may make his own in judging the worth of the design of a theatre exterior. The first is that an arch should in general be twice as high as it is wide; and the second, that spaces between columns, piers, etc., whether they be windows, open spaces, or blank wall space, should be in groups of odd numbers — three, five, seven, etc. — rather than The second and final article on a subject of peculiar importance in an architect u r a I field in which the exterior beautiful has an extremely special commercial significance in even numbers. This rule one may see violated a dozen times on practically every street of any city. When the building contains not only a theatre, but stories devoted to other commercial purposes, the same rule holds good in the spacing and grouping of windows, taking the design out of the box factory class, and (providing other details are worked out in harmony) placing it among the well planned buildings of the community. The last detail of architectural design in relation to theatre exteriors which I feel should be especially emphasized, is that each part of the exterior should be part of a perfect whole. My thought, up to this point, has dwelt more on a design fronting on one street only, where the stage loft is lost among the smoke stacks, ventilators and unsightly walls of surrounding commercial edifices. It is out of sight, and so out of mind. But let us also consider, for a moment, the theatre building on a corner lot, with two street fronts. Here the entrance and foyers, auditorium and stage loft may be picked out as three distinct features at a glance. If the three parts of the building compose a unified work of art, they have stood the first test of the requirement for unity. Too often, the loft section sticks up like a sore thumb at the rear of the plan, as one of those necessary evils which cannot be cured, and therefore, I suppose, must be endured. The fallacy of such a supposition is exposed by numerous buildings now in The Coleman theatre in Miami, Okla. Note how the rear portion is drawn into the design of the forward portion by the “circular system” of composition. This exterior d^Plays a dominant feature offset by contrasting' surfaces of more simple lines, the sketch is of the Majestic in East St. Louis, showing a design employing polychrome terra cotta with concealed colored lighting reflected through fine tracery.