A Night at the Theatre in St. Louis Missouri!

Now you might think that it’s a long drive to go all the way from East Tennessee to St. Louis Missouri to see a play…and you are right!  However, for her birthday Laurie’s sister Bonnie wanted tickets to see the musical play Hamilton and the timing also tied into our 39^th wedding anniversary and 40 years since the day we met!

The Fox Theatre was built in 1929 by movie pioneer William Fox as a showcase for his company, the Fox Film Corporation.  This former movie palace is located in the arts district of Midtown St. Louis, just one block north of St. Louis University.  As you read on, remember this peaceful scene in front of the theatre...

The Fabulous Fox, as it’s sometimes called, was restored in 1982 at a cost of more than $3,000,000.  It cost $6,000,000 to build back in 1929.  That’s about $84,000,000 in today’s dollars!  In today’s dollars, the restoration in 1982 cost about $7,500,000.

It was one of a group of five spectacular Fox Theatres built by the Fox Film Corporation in the late 1920s.  The other examples were built in Brooklyn, Atlanta, Detroit and San Francisco.

What a mob scene!  Given the need for security in this era and the potential significance of this soft ‘target’, all handbags had to be inspected by security personnel as we entered the building.  The lines of theater goers stacked up on the sidewalk in both directions with people cutting in at the middle.  Theatre staff worked to keep people out of the street and St. Louis Police handled traffic control.

This is a view of the lobby ceiling after we cleared through security.  The lighting and my camera didn’t do it justice… It was over the top spectacular!

The Fox Theatre features an eclectic blend of Asian decorative designs and motifs that have been referred to as Siamese Byzantine.

In 1929, reporters described the Fox Theatre as “awe-inspiringly fashioned after Hindu Mosques of Old India, bewildering in their richness and dazzling in their appointments.  William Fox’s wife decorated the interior with furnishings, paintings and sculptures that she purchased on her overseas trips.

Taking into account the crowds outside, the previous photo showing the inside of the main floor and then adding in the expansive balcony shown in this photo…the question arises…just how big is the Fox Theatre?  When it was first opened, it was the second largest theatre in the USA, with a seating capacity of 5,060 patrons!  In today’s format, it seats 4,426 theatre goers…

This photo obviously shows the stage at the Fox Theatre.  Interestingly, other than a few hand held movable props, the entire performance of Hamilton was effectively presented with no changes in the scenery as shown in this photo.

Here are Laurie, Bonnie and Bill in our seats before the show.  I really appreciated the aisle seat!  There was a 15 minute intermission but with a crowd of this size, I’d suggest that the ladies drink as little liquid as possible prior to the show.  The line to both the men’s and ladies restrooms went on forever!

So…how did we enjoy Hamilton?  Both Laurie and Bonnie loved it!  Laurie had read a lot of history related to this era in US history and that helped a lot.   The performance was imaginative, clever and energetic!  There were some funny bits built into the rap that had everyone laughing.  As for my opinion beyond the comments offered above, I just don’t ‘get’ or like hip hop or rap music… Call me old fashioned or just out of touch.

The best news of all was “Happy Wives, Happy Lives”!

 

The Fox Theatre is listed in the United States National Register of Historic Places.  It’s located at 527 North Grand Boulevard in St. Louis Missouri.  The theatre’s website can be found at www.fabulousfox.com.     

The impressive St. Francis Xavier College Church is about a block away from the Fox Theatre so I had to take a photo...

 

In 1836, the local bishop gave the Jesuits permission to create a parish for their newly founded college.  It was the first English-speaking parish in the city and initially it primarily served the growing Irish population in the city.

 

Construction on that church commenced in April of 1840.  However as the city moved west, the University decided to move as well.  Plans for this church were drawn up and construction on this ‘new’ structure began in June of 1884. 

The final addition to the College Church were its stained-glass windows.  They were designed, made and installed by Emil Frei, Jr. from 1929 – 1938 and they are considered to be among the finest stained glass windows in the USA. 

This is DuBourg Hall, also part of the St. Louis University.  Construction this amazing structure began in 1888.  DuBourg Hall now serves as St. Louis University’s Administration Building.

FYI, Saint Louis University is a private Roman Catholic 4-year research university with its expansive St. Louis campus as well as another in Madrid, Spain.  The university was founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin DuBourg.  It is the oldest US University west of the Mississippi River.  Today St. Louis University has about 14,000 students. 

Note: Despite the obvious architectural differences, both the “College Church” aka. St. Francis Xavier College Church and DuBourg Hall were designed by the same person, Thomas Warying Walsh. (1826 – 1890) They are situated side by side on the campus…

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave