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The News
The Fox Theater building was purchased by the Columbia Film Society/Nickelodeon Theatre in June of 2005.
The capital campaign steering committee and leadership teams, led by Bobbi Wheless, campaign director, will begin the silent phase of the campaign in July 2008. The City of Columbia was instrumental in helping the organization purchase the building and continues to support the project, along with private citizens, corporations and others.
4.8 million dollars will be raised to convert the space into two theatres with ample stages for events, the Helen Hill Media Education Center, offices, a large lobby and other spaces which can be used by the entire community. When renovated, the facility will be a Southeast desination.
A History of the Fox Theater
The State Theater, the original theater at 1607 Main Street, opened to critical acclaim on July 2, 1936 with the film “Red Salute.” The Art Deco style building was a stylistic departure from most of the downtown buildings but was typical of grand Southern movie palaces. It had all the modern comforts such as air conditioning, a men’s lounge and a women’s parlor. The exterior façade is similar as it is today with the tall pilasters and face masks however, on the bottom level was a rectangular marquee and a centered box office made of glass and tile. The interior continued the Art Deco theme with red plush seats, silver iron work, sunset pillars and modern wall sconces.
When the theater opened in 1936, it joined four other movie theaters on Main Street. All four theaters were owned and operated by Palmetto Amusements, a subsidiary of Publix, making the State Theater the only independently owned and operated theater in the downtown area. Silent motion picture theaters had been on Main Street since 1916 and by the time of the opening of The State Theater, all four prior theaters had been remodeled to show “talkies.”
The State Theater was considered a second tier theater that typically showed movies that had previously played at another theater a year prior. Occasionally it showed first runs, but they were typically science fiction, B-rate movies, or adult films.
The State Theater continued to operate as a second tier theater until 1961 when it closed its doors. The building was vacant for one year before the Fox Theater opened in 1962. Although the theater has been renovated in 1961, it again went renovation in the 1970s in an effort to compete with urban flight and the competition of the Richland Mall. This time a second screen was added on the second floor which enclosed the balcony. The intent was to double the capacity in the hopes that more options would attract more customers, but this tactic failed and the second floor area was closed off from the main theater and used as a residence instead.
The Fox Theater continued to serve the community until it closed in 1987. It was then converted into Solid Gold Beauty Supply on the ground level. By 1990, all theaters on Main Street had been closed, some being demolished. Today, the Fox Theater is the only surviving theater in the downtown Main Street area. While the building has some signs of neglect, many of the elements of the original movie theater are still in place or available and the building is structurally sound.
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