The Preservation Atlanta folks were offering free tours around historical Atlanta and I came to this one-time Shriner's headquarters built in the late 1920s. "It was a beautifully outlandish, opulent, and grandiose monument during the excesses of the jazz age. The mosque-like structure was complete with minarets, onion domes, and an interior decor even more lavish than its facade."
I am standing in the sheltered entrace to the theater in a line with lots of friendly people mostly from Atlanta.
Inside, this is the "secret" room inside the Yaarab Temple Shrine Mosque where non-members or women must never tread.
The lobby. "No space, furniture, or hardware escaped the gilt, tile or geometric designs. Men's and Ladies' Lounges, broom closets, and telephone booths were all emblazoned with intricate plaster, bronze, and painted detail."
"Entering the huge auditorium . . . visitors encounter an indoor Arabian courtyard with a sky full of flickering stars and magically drifting clouds, a striped canopy overhanging the balcony, stage curtains depict moques and Moorish rulers in hand sewn sequins."
It was made to look like a Moorish palace courtyard, and the architect's imagination took flight. Sitting in this auditorium I felt as though I were outside in Granada on a perfect summer night.
Lovely seats with the Fox logo! "Construction costs threatened the mosque from the start, so the Shriners negotiated a deal with movie mogul William Fox who was building movie palaces in Detroit, St. Louis, Brooklyn, and San Francisco."
Check out all the Moorish architectural designs -- very reminiscent of southern Spain where the Moors reigned from several hundred years.
This interesting place was great fun to see. Wish I had seen Elvis perform there!
After reading your post, I read about it at foxtheatre.org - thank goodness people were "fierce" about preserving this beautiful historic landmark!! xo
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