Photo courtesy of Blake Herzog. The Paramount Theatre decorated for a special event held in July.
by Blake Herzog
Back in 1928 Casa Grande’s population was about 1,300 people, and growth hadn’t expanded much past the railroad tracks just south of Main Street. Phoenix was approaching 50,000 residents and construction of its elaborate Orpheum Theater was underway.
Angela Hutchinson Hammer, founder of the Casa Grande Dispatch, had a piece of property four blocks north of the tracks, surrounded by fields. She heard about the Orpheum and made an offer through her son Louis to sell the land to the Orpheum developers for $10 for a theater of the town’s own.
The 500-seat Paramount Theatre opened on Christmas Eve 1929 with state-of-the-art “talkie” technology.
“And guess what, the city grew to the theater. She was a smart lady, wasn’t she?” says Debby Martin, who bought the theater at auction in 1993 after a series of owners had remodeled the theater beyond recognition. It fell into disrepair as the last owner declared bankruptcy.
Martin was another smart lady who saw the potential of the theater at 420 N. Florence St., but it took 10 years to bring it back to its original glory by repairing the roof, reconstructing the box office and marquee and uncovering its Egyptian-themed murals, among other upgrades.
The restoration won it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Then she made changes to the interior that ensured the theater’s survival into the 21st century. It was converted from a single-screen film theater into a multifunctional space with a stage, becoming a template for reinvigorating historic movie palaces in California and elsewhere.
The Paramount has followed Martin’s vision since reopening in 2003 by offering movies, shows, dinner theater, children’s events, concerts, fundraisers, holiday pageants, private events and more, drawing new life to downtown.
The tradition will continue into this fall and winter, with several shows already scheduled:
• Echoes of the Platters with Tony C and Tracy Sanders, 1:30 and 7 p.m., Oct. 22
• Paramount Theatre Holiday Festival Concert featuring Bob Villa, 5:30 p.m., Nov. 4
• Kreative Culture Holiday Extravaganza Concert, 5 p.m., Nov. 11
More information:
520.836.4200,
www.paramountfoundation.org or
info@paramountfoundation.org.
