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 website paiken:classes
Note: these web pages were developed by a class of students in my BUS 491 Independent Study class during the Summer of 1996. They were developed in conjunction with the staff of Richmond's Landmark Theater and in particular Milo Hunter and Audrey Booth. The attempt was to see what type of functionality mght be used by the Theater if they decided to develop a presence on the world wide web. However, this page does not represent an official Richmond Landmark Theater web page or any official statement by the City of Richmond.
History of the Landmark Theater
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond's Landmark Theater
Lavish and luxurious is Richmond's most bizarre building, Richmond's Landmark Theater (formerly known as the Mosque). The construction started in February, 1926, and took two years to finish. It was formally opened on October 28, 1927 by ACCA Temple of the Mystic Shrine and became the property of the city in 1940. The building has an exotic splendor. Into the dome alone went 75,000 square feet of gold leaf, and another 35,000 square feet of aluminum leaf was used. The Auditorium decorations include Saracenic decorations and five paintings bordering the proscenium arch of the stage. Ornamental tile used in the interior was imported for Spain, Italy and Tunis, along with lush carpets, silken curtains and paintings which suggest the rich tents and equipment of a Saracenic nobleman.
Richmond bought the building May 16, 1940. Besides the auditorium which seats nearly 5,000, the city acquired 24,300 square feet of office space, an 18,000 square foot ballroom and a 20 by 70 foot swimming pool which has been used for various types of training programs.
The South's Greatest Pipe Organ
The greatest pipe organ in the South, a replica of the one in the Paramount Theater in New York, was manufactured. Arched grilles on either side of the stage cover 17 unit ranks of pipes. The smallest of the 1,384 single pipes is about as big as a soda straw while the largest measures 16 feet and is 14 inches across the top. The heart of the organ is on the sixth floor in the blower and drier room where the 10-horsepower blower has its own generator. Miles of threadlike wires carry current from the keyboards, enabling the organist not only to interpret musical scores, but to imitate an auto horn or a boat whistle blast, the sound of surf or the call of a bird.
The Story of the Lake
The lake that is said to be under the Theater is indeed a spring on the site which affected the stability of the foundation earth and delayed construction. To overcome the problem, 963 reinforced concrete piles were driven down to bedrock, so now it can be said that the builders obeyed the Biblical injunction, if rather indirectly, and certainly the hard way.
 Back to Richmond's Landmark Theater Homepage
For more information not found on these pages please contact:
Richmond's Landmark Theater
6 North Laurel Street
Richmond, Virginia
(804) 780-8226 (Administration)
(804) 780-4213 (Box Office)
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