Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006 - 21

that it is still used by the community confirms
the hopes of the builders that they could create
a structure that would persevere.

3 CASINO THEATRE
The Casino Theatre (currently the Star) was
constructed in 1912 to be the principal center
for entertainment in the community of
Gunnison. It was the first theatre built in town
and like many small towns, was used for both
movies and live performances. The theatre was
built in a highly decorated Beaux Arts style that
is framed with arched pediments sitting atop
engaged Ionic columns. It has a three-bay
front that is adorned with sculptured relief that
makes this building one of the most elaborate
structures in town.
Highly stylized theatres are not unique to
Gunnison. From a design standpoint, it makes
sense for a theatre's exterior to reflect the rich-

ness and spectacle of dramatic productions. In
the geographical landscape that was turn-ofthe-century Utah, it seems to have been more
than just design choices. Often the construction of these buildings reflected competitiveness between neighboring communities-a
kind of rivalry of progressiveness. The size of a
town and its cultural offerings were often
equated with prosperity and a sense of validation. Smaller communities throughout the
state could never aspire to be another Salt
Lake City, but they could elevate their town's
genteel expression by providing their citizens
with the amenities normally associated with
larger cities.
Gunnison, along with many of its neighbors, constructed theatres not only for its own
enjoyment, but as a tangible testimonial to its
transition from pioneer homestead to refined
city.

6
7

MANTI THEATRE

ORPHEUM THEATRE

THEATRE

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY
SUMMER

2006

4 ORPHEUM THEATRE
The Orpheum Theatre in Salt Lake City (currently the Capitol Theatre) opened its doors on
1 August 1913. This was the second theatre
built by the L.L. Orpheum Realty Company in
Salt Lake City, and it displays all of the grandeur one might expect in a large city that had
begun to prove its commitment to the arts. The
building was constructed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style with a façade of polychromatic terra cotta. Theatrical masks,
cartouches, and cherubs add a lively decoration throughout the friezes, cornices, and foliated bands that articulate the exterior.
The building was designed by G. Albert
Lansburgh, a graduate of the prestigious Ecole
des Beaux Arts. Its architectural grandeur is
matched by the new materials and technologies Lansburgh used for the first time in this
part of the country, including terra cotta figurines, moldings, and brackets. Inside the
building, technical accomplishments were
seen in the use of a "water-curtain" to prevent
a fire from spreading into the audience, advanced ventilation systems that both heated
and cooled effectively, and multiple fire exit
doors that opened with ease due to a patented
mechanism. These improvements and advances signified a "coming of age" of sorts for
Salt Lake City and its theatre patrons. Not only
had the city become a major stop in the travels
of professional theatre companies and vaudeville shows, but the venues they were playing in
surpassed other facilities in larger cities.

5 LYRIC THEATRE
The Lyric Theatre in Logan opened on Monday,
22 September 1913, as a combination theatre
and movie house. The local paper, the Logan
Journal, reported in an article, "Opening of
New Play House," 20 September 1913, that it was
"one of the handsomest
and most convenient little
theatres to be found anywhere in America." Although not as ornate as the
Orpheum Theatre, which
opened just two months
prior, there are decorative
similarities. The heavy cornice with ornate bracketing, sculptures on the
façade and a broken pediment topping off the
structure display the craftsmanship and com-

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2006