What was the Roxy Theatre?
The Roxy Theatre was considered “The Cathedral of the Motion Picture.” It had a seating capacity of 6,214 (making it the world’s largest), an orchestra pit which could hold a 110 piece symphony, a fully equipped stage with a 70 foot wide proscenium arch and a 5 manual (keyboard), 34 rank Kimball pipe organ. Construction cost– over ten million dollars. (a little over 117 million in 2006 dollars). Where was it located? At the corner of 50th Street and 7th Avenue in New York City. When did it open? March 11, 1927. The Roxy, New York’s grandest movie palace closed in March 1960, and was torn down that summer. An office building now sits on the site. Most large communities had at least one major “movie palace,” like the Fox in Atlanta, Detroit and St. Louis, the Chicago in Chicago, Grauman’s Chinese in Hollywood, and the Paramount in Brooklyn. Many of these theatres, like New Yorks’ Roxy, were torn down. A few have become performing arts centers (such as the St. Louis Theatre, now known as
