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Commodore Theatre

Coordinates: 36°50′5″N 76°18′8″W / 36.83472°N 76.30222°W / 36.83472; -76.30222
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Commodore Theatre
Commodore Theatre
Commodore Theatre is located in Virginia
Commodore Theatre
Commodore Theatre is located in the United States
Commodore Theatre
Location421 High St., Portsmouth, Virginia
Coordinates36°50′5″N 76°18′8″W / 36.83472°N 76.30222°W / 36.83472; -76.30222
Arealess than one acre
Built1945 (1945)
ArchitectZink, John J.
Architectural styleArt Deco
NRHP reference No.97000203[1]
VLR No.124-0101
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 27, 1997
Designated VLRDecember 4, 1996[2]

Commodore Theatre is an historic movie theater located at Portsmouth, Virginia. It was built in 1945 in the Streamline Art Deco style, and originally sat 1,000 people.[3] The theater closed in 1975 and sat empty until a change in ownership and extensive renovation beginning in 1987.[3] It reopened two years later, and as of 2023 was in operation displaying first-run films accompanied by a full kitchen.[4]

History

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The Commodore was built in 1945 by William Stanley Wilder, a Portsmouth native who owned and operated several theaters in Virginia's Tidewater region from the 1920s through the 1940s.[3] The theater was named after Commodore James Barron, an officer on the frigate USS Chesapeake involved in the ChesapeakeLeopard affair and who is buried in a churchyard next to the theater.[3] It is rumored that the construction supplies for the building – which ordinarily would have been unavailable due to wartime shortages – were allocated to the project due to the entertainment it would provide to the large number of soldiers stationed in Portsmouth.[3]

The theater's design has been described as "an excellent example of the Streamline Art Deco style."[3] Its two-story façade features a plain mass of yellow pressed brick decorated with horizontal stripes of brown brick on the upper level with a central pavilion of curved-top vertical pylons of Indiana limestone and decorative strips of glass block.[3] The lower level of the façade is composed of Indiana limestone ashlar veneer with a base of black marble. A dominant element of the auditorium is the pair of restored murals on the side walls representing the progress of America and the commerce and industry of Hampton Roads.[3]

After a period of declining attendance and conversion to an adult theater, the Commodore closed in 1975.[3] It sat empty until being purchased by the current owner who performed a two-year renovation.[3] The exterior's marquee and ticket booth were retained, as were the majority of interior fixtures.[3] The original seating was removed from the main auditorium floor and replaced with dinner theater-style seating; a balcony uses traditional auditorium-style seating.[3]

The theater currently offers first-run films on a nightly basis, featuring Dolby Digital and THX sound, accompanied by a dining experience serviced by a full kitchen in the main building.[5]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[1] It is located in the Downtown Portsmouth Historic District.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mary Ruffin Viles/Calder Loth (October 1996). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Commodore Theatre" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
  4. ^ "Historic theatre in Portsmouth adjusts for social distancing". News 3 WTKR Norfolk. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  5. ^ "The Commodore Theatre Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  6. ^ David, Kimble A. (June 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Downtown Portsmouth Historic District" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
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