"Working Places/Places that Work"

8th Annual Preservation Week 2006 Photo-Essay Competition

2nd Place: Margaret Ross, 9th Grade, St. Mary High School

Title: The Columbia Theater

When I walk along Broadway in downtown Paducah, Kentucky, I see many old and historic buildings. Although all the buildings are interesting, the Columbia Theater really stands out. Every time I pass it, I have to turn around and take another look. It is such an intriguing place and it has such a great history. For more than fifty years it provided fun entertainment for people of all ages and walks of life.

Mr. Leo Keiler built the Columbia Theater in 1927. It adjoined The Arcade Theater, the first theater in Paducah made specifically for motion pictures. The Columbia was much larger and more elaborate than The Arcade. The Columbia’s front façade was made of blue and white terra cotta tiles. The front of the building also featured many different architectural periods. Some details reflected the 1920’s electric Neo-Classical Movement. They include Byzantine columns urns, friezes and capitals, and bust of Greek goddesses. The building also takes inspiration from another art movement, namely Art Nouveau, which is reflected in the leaves that decorate the inside of the theater. The original Columbia sign contained five thousand light bulbs and was fifty feet tall. It was the largest in the state at that time. Its marquee contained fifteen hundred lights.

The Columbia opened on April 19, 1927. Two-thousand lucky ticket holders arrived that night to watch the movie IT. The Columbia was one of the few theaters at that time to feature “Vitaphone” sound, a process where sound was put onto a record and played on a phonograph along with the movie. This technique was only three months old when The Columbia opened. The Columbia was also “air cooled” so it was usually busy with people trying to escape the heat during the summer.

The Columbia and The Arcade had separate entrances for the white and the “colored” people. The “colored” people sat in the top or second balcony. The Colmbia and the Arcade closed in 1980s. Now they sit as desolate buildings in an otherwise lively downtown area.

Ms. Laura Lambert attended The Columbia Theater many times as a child and teenager. She said that The Columbia was a grand place. She remembered paying twelve cents for a ticket. Ms. Lambert said, “Mr. Keiler would come around to all the schools and give each child a student pass so they could have a discount when they attended the movies.” A graduate of St. Mary Academy, which was located downtown at the time, Ms. Lambert recalled, “St. Mary Academy had a day where we had a private sitting to watch a movie. We walked over from the school to the movie theater.”

 Ms. Lambert told me that people attending movies did not necessarily have to leave at the end of a show. Movie-goers could just sit there all day long. The theater employees would not ask anyone to leave. This is interesting because now, once a movie is over, the attendants practically shoo everyone out of the theater in order to rapidly clean up and be ready for the next showing.

I would love to see the Columbia back in running order as a movie theater. It could even house a business center. In addition to these ideas, people giving presentations at conferences, for example, could use the theater’s screen for their presentation. The Columbia would be a good place for presentations because it seats so many people. It would be a glamorous place for parties and functions such as Project Graduation and prom, too.

On Saturday nights in downtown Paducah, many people go down to the riverfront to have dinner, hang out with friends, listen to live music, and enjoy the beautiful summer nights. This night out on the town is called “Dinner After Dark.” The Columbia could be a special attraction on such nights. Employees could dress up like they were from the 1930’s and The Columbia could run old movies that had once been played there. They could even go as far as charging the same amount as they once did for concessions. The theme nights could even apply to the people attending the theater. They could dress up as if they were from certain era during which the theater was open. The theater could even have a dinner, dance, and a movie night. This night could happen twice a month, once for adults where alcoholic beverages would be available, and one night for teenagers, during which non-alcoholic beverages would be served. During the dance, music could be played from the night’s movie era, which could change each month, along with the music that is currently popular (at least on teen night). The dances from that era could be especially fun if people who knew how to do them would use them. On the adult’s night, live entertainment could be present, such as a jazz pianist or saxophone player. During the teen night, a DJ could be hired.

The Columbia represents a great opportunity to attract people back to Paducah’s downtown area. It is such an amazing historical landmark that should be preserved. I hope that everyone will see the special things that I see in this building, and restore it so many people can enjoy its history. What a magical place it is!

This essay and photograph(s) are the property of Preservation Kentucky, Inc. and Kentucky Heritage Council and that any use of the photo or essay must be approved by PK and KHC.