It was by pure chance I found myself standing at the entrance of one of the most famous picture theaters in the US admiring a photograph of the former Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
The building is the historic Paramount Theater in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The theater opened just a few days short of 88 years ago on January 9th, 1927.
The opening of the Paramount Theater on 9th January, 1927. (Photo – www.preservetheparamount.com)
In 1974 the theater was added to the U.S. National Register of Historical Places and eight years later it was designated a Town Landmark by the Town of Palm Beach.
For 83 years the Paramount has survived demolition attempts and numerous hurricanes and today serves as a prime example of ADAPTIVE REUSE, the adaption of a historic building for new uses while retaining its historic features.
The Paramount Building is now home to 30 tenants, including art galleries, clothing stores, jewelry stores, a wine merchant, a beauty salon and offices for real estate companies and 9 non-profit organizations, including the Civic Association, the Citizens Association, the Palm Beach Police Foundation, Hospice Foundation and Johns Hopkins University.
The Paramount Theater as it proudly stands today. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
Fortunately, the long and colorful history of this grand picture palace has been preserved through a Historic Photographic Exhibit open to the public daily without charge.
More than 2,000 first-run-movies were shown at the Paramount between 1927 and 1980, the year the theater closed as a movie house and in that time some of the greatest names in movies, theater and sport attended the theater.
The Duke and Duchess of Windson attending ‘Gone with the Wind’ in January 1948 at Paramount Theater.
Douglas Fairbanks and his wife attending British Relief outing, Paramount Theater. Jan 1941.
Judy Garland and Peter Lawford visit. Paramount Theater, Palm Beach.
The entrance to the historic Paramount Theatre, West Palm Beach, FL.
The Paramount Theater, Palm Beach. (Photo – www.preservetheparamount.com)
