"Jones takes us back to the heyday of the silver screen, when
going downtown to an extravagant movie palace was the highlight of
the week. Then she shows how contemporary visionaries have
preserved and reinterpreted these grand old theaters for a modern
'going downtown' experience."--Thomas Graham, Flagler College, St.
Augustine
Focusing on the restoration of movie theaters in Atlanta,
Biloxi, Birmingham, Durham, Memphis, and Tampa, Janna Jones
provides a record of the architectural history and preservation of
the opulent urban picture palace. Reflecting our fascination with
the past, she re-creates the magic of the early years of theaters
throughout the southern United States, their demise in the mid-20th
century, and their renaissance in the 1970s as the preservation
movement swept across the country.
From the 1920s through the 1950s, the magnificent movie theaters
of the South beckoned to millions of urban patrons. By the 1960s,
however, many downtown districts had experienced profound cultural
and economic crises and the wrecking ball destroyed scores of the
grand old structures. Others barely survived by showing
pornographic or racially exploitative movies. Those remaining today
are often a critical component of downtown revitalization.
Jones discusses attempts to save, restore, and reuse the movie
houses. She explores how and why people attempt to resurrect the
past and reveals the complex layers of cultural memory. Based on
her interviews with preservationists, she offers a cultural
analysis of architectural preservation in the late 20th century by
examining the practices, philosophies, and politics of preservation
today, shedding light on the ways that nostalgia often guides--and
misguides--their work.
Illustrated with black-and-white photos that evoke an era of
glamour and fantasy and utilizing first-hand accounts from past and
present employees and patrons of the theaters, this book is the
first to detail both the decline and the revival of the urban
picture palace.
Janna Jones is assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies
at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
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