For those of you entrepreneurs out there who want to get started in the Exhibition biz, consider this cheap alternative to finding an existing theater...
ALL-ALUMINUM PREFAB THEATRE BUILT FOR $60 A SEAT
From BoxOffice Magazine, The Modern Theatre, April 2, 1949
The 600-seat Rose Theatre, which recently opened in Franklin Park, Ill., industrialized Chicago suburb, is an all-aluminum prefabricated building adapted to theatre use.
Of greater significance, however, is the fat that the theatre was built at a cost of only $60 a seat. This compares with the price of $150 to $200 a seat for the conventional type of construction, according to T. J. Theodore, chief engineer of the Fairfield Enterprises, Inc., designers and builders of the Rose.
Although construction time on the Rose Theatre was less than three months, actually more than a year of intensive investigations and studies of the special requirements and problems of theatre construction preceded building activities.
The field of prefabricated buildings was searched carefully by Fairfield Enterprises before the all-aluminum arch type prefab manufactured by the Reynolds Metal Co. under the trade name of Alumi-Drome was selected. This building proved to be ideal for adapting to theatre use.
Aluminum does not rust or corrode and requires no painting or tarring. It combines structural strength with lightness which speeds construction and cuts building costs. Important too, according to Theodore, are its insulating properties. Aluminum is said to reflect 95 percent of all radiant heat striking its surface. In the winter inside heat is reflected back into the interior of the building. The heavy-gauge sheets of embossed aluminum are firmly grasped by rigid aluminum framing members on all sides so there are no loose edges to catch the wind. A patented, all-bolt method of assembly is used.
Theodore points out that obtaining an appropriate prefab building in just one phase in the complex job of designing and building a theatre. Without competent and experienced planning and engineering savings made in purchasing a prefab building can be wiped out by the succeeding phases of construction.
According to Theodore, expensive frills are dispensable since patrons soon overlook these but never forget poor screening, uncomfortable seating or inadequate ventilation. These functional considerations were paramount in planning and constructing the Rose. Yet, appearance was not forgotten as is attested by comments of visitors that have inspected the building.
The auditorium of the Rose is finished in Nuwood, insulation is Fiberglas throughout. The lobby is laid out for efficient handling of patron traffic. A glass enclosed cry-room is provided on the second floor adjacent to the projection booth. Heating is furnished by an automatic oil-burning forced air heating system. The front of the building is dressed up by using red face brick with lannonstone and glass block trim.
C R E D I T S:
- Prefab Building: Reynolds Metal Co.
- Adapted by: Fairfield Enterprises, Inc.
- Insulation: Fiberglas
- Seating: RCA International
- Projection & Sound: Simplex
Captions
1. Auditorium of the Rose, a 600-seat prefab theatre in Franklin Park, Chicago suburb, The front of the house was dressed up by using red face brick with lannonstone and glass black trim.
2. Auditorium of the Rose is finished in Nuwood, and is insulated with Fiberglas.
3. Above. View of the cry room showing the seating, plate glass window in front and the loudspeaker above the window which provides the sound. Below. Lobby of the Rose Theatre. Note that the candy bar and popcorn machine are at the end of the lobby where they are readily accessible yet do not interfere with handing of lobby traffic.
EPILOGUE/MY THOUGHTS
It is interesting to note that in the '40s during and particularly post-War there was a interest in structural recycling in the US. Buildings that were previously used as war manufacturing facilities quickly became renovated into the most commonplace of business places.
So it is not so surprising that enterprising exhibitors would turn to these "Quonset Hut" locations in creating a functional movie theater, as shown above.
The Rose Cinema, which was constructed in 1941 (same year as the Central in Passaic), survived until 1981. It saw its last days (as many theaters did) as with triple-x/grindhouse programming.
For more information about Quonset Hut style theaters, check out
Cinema Treasure's listing of Quonset Hut Theatres.
