Jump to menu at bottom of page.Jump to menu at bottom of page.The Al. Ringling Theatre is one of the first examples of palatial design applied to the moving picture theatre in the United States, the earliest that can accurately be called a "movie palace." In a day when American theatre design was based on the 19th-century New York playhouses, this theatre, its design derived with comparative stylistic accuracy from the Opera House of the Petit Trianon in the Palace of Versailles, pointed the way to the great palatial theatres of the following decade. It was in complete contrast to the small nickelodeons typical of the times. A touch of France in the Midwest, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The building, 81 feet wide by 136 feet deep, is rectangular in shape, virtually filling the site. The front portion is occupied by stores, offices, and the theatre entrance. Behind them is the auditorium, with the stage at the very rear. The elliptical wall of the auditorium block rises through the surrounding roof and abuts the front of the stage loft. The block containing the projection booth is located on the roof of the office section abutting the front end of the auditorium upper wall.
The center of the rectangular building mass is occupied by the auditorium, elliptical in form, with its north end cut flat by the straight proscenium wall. The auditorium is surrounded at both first and second-floor levels by a horseshoe-shaped passageway which serves as a small foyer at the rear, narrowing as it nears the front of the auditorium. Behind the foyer, opening to the street are three stores. In the easternmost bay, in place of a store, is the small elliptical entrance lobby. Above this is the ladies' waiting room, now furnished as an office. The main stairway is located in the southeast corner of the foyer, immediately inside the lobby doors. There is a small curving secondary stairway at the far end of the right arm of the horseshoe which gives direct access to the proscenium box at stage left.
The street facade is four bays wide, finished in gray terra cotta over a dado of polished granite. The wooden trim is painted white. The left three bays, identical in design, contain storefronts with office windows above. The right bay is the theatre entrance. The office section of the building is two stories high, while the auditorium rises considerably higher. It was said that Mr. Ringling's original intent was to duplicate the storefront bays to the right of the theatre entrance, placing the entrance at the center of a seven-bay building, but the necessary land was unavailable.
The three left bays are defined by paneled piers which support a continuous entablature. The piers are set on polished granite bases. The panels are outlined by bell-flower moldings, and at the top of each is a pendant bell-flower motif. The friezeless entablature consists of a threebanded architrave, ornamented at intervals with raised disks. Above the architrave are a cyma reverse and a row of dentils. A wooden trellis resting on slim projecting brackets takes the place of a cornice.
The entrance bay to the theatre is treated with great elaboration. To either side, a pair of rusticated Renaissance Ionic pilasters is set on a high polished granite base. The volutes of the capitals are connected by small floral festoons. In the span between the pilaster pairs, the cornice and low parapet break upward to form a semi-circular arch. To either side of the arch, over each pilaster pair, is a heavy block pedestal, its outer edge in the form of a volute. Pedestal fronts show bound floral garlands and C-scrolls, and on each pedestal, an elaborate tetrapod supports a plain stone sphere.
Within the bay, the original theatre entrance consisted of three pairs of glazed wooden doors. Later, the left pair of doors was replaced by a ticket booth. The doors were topped by a tripart segmental arched transom, glazed with mirrors. Projecting above the transom, the marquee was originally a slim canopy of iron and glass in the form of a segmental curve The present marquee contains illuminated lettering and attraction panels in a high metal and glass parapet.
Above the marquee, at the second-story level, is a wide four-part window, the inner sections being a pair of French windows. To each side of the second-floor window opening, and continuing upward under the curve of the cornice, is a plain band with the inscription, " AL RINGLING THEATRE." following the curve. In the tympanum between the high semicircular arch and the lower arch of the window there is a large, egg-shaped cartouche, unornamented except for a small bell-flower pendant at its top.
The lobby is a small elliptical room, approximately 14' x 16' in
size, with its long axis parallel to the street. The floor is
alternating black and white composition tiles. The circumference
of the room is divided into eight bays, the three at either end
being of equal width, those on the sides somewhat longer. Each of
the two wide bays has sets of paired glazed wooden doors opening
to the street or to the auditorium foyer, respectively. The
intermediate "corner bays" contain bronze-framed
display panels. The walls are of cream-colored plaster above a
white veined marble base. The lobby is surrounded by a wide
decorative terra cotta frieze.
The lowest element of this frieze is a series of bay-wide horizontal rinceau panels separated at each pilaster by a recessed panel with a central rosette. The major part of the frieze is a repeated series of segments, copied from the frieze sculpted by Luca della Robbia for the choir gallery of the Old Sacristy of the Cathedral of Florence, now located in the Cathedral Museum. This section of the frieze, too, is interrupted at the pilasters by sections containing recessed egg-and-dart bordered panels.
Each of the pilaster panels is draped with a floral garland in delicately and naturalistically tinted terra cotta. Above the relief panels is a leaf molding, again broken at the pilaster points, above this an egg-and-dart molding, and above that a wave molding which forms the bottom of the ceiling cove.
The wide cove which rings the ceiling is divided into panels reflecting the bay divisions of the walls. Superimposed upon the end bay panels are flower baskets in high relief, the flowers naturalistically polychromed. Surrounding the central panel of the ceiling is a molding of polychromed flowers and within it a wide reticulated band. The field of the painted ceiling represents sky with cherubs floating among the clouds. One of the cherubs carries a cartouche bearing the AR monogram.
At the center of the ceiling, hanging from a plaster rosette, is a bronze and glass light fixture, an inverted truncated cone in form with a translucent white bowled bottom. An inverted, curved conical interior reflector provided the room with concealed indirect lighting.
A small ornamental fountain originally occupied the west end of the lobby, but this was replaced by a candy counter. The small sculpture that stood at the center of the fountain survives, visible on the landing of the stairs to the mezzanine. The horseshoe-shaped foyers which surround the auditorium at both the main floor and mezzanine levels are decorated in a rather restrained manner.
The auditorium is a truncated ellipse in plan with a gently sloping floor and a flat, level ceiling surrounded by a wide cove. The sides and rear are surrounded by a 15-bay oval engaged Corinthian colonnade. In lieu of a balcony there are 17 boxes projecting between the columns. The columns are set on paneled pedestals, and the lower portions of the columns have enriched stopped fluting. The entablature, which completely surrounds the auditorium, is composed of architrave, frieze with draped disk ornament above each column, and enriched denticulated modillion cornice.
From each of the wall segments within the intercolumniations projects a semi-elliptical box. The boxes are stepped down to follow the main floor slope. Each box front is decorated with a rinceau and a central cartouche with a molded figure on either side. The rectangular opening to the main floor beneath each box is surrounded by rope molding. The openings are draped in dark red with gold trim, and on either side is a single, silk-shaded candle sconce.
The openings to the boxes are more rich in treatment. Like the lower openings, they have surrounding rope molding and a horizontal bay leaf panel above the opening. Above this there is a hood ornamented with egg-and-dart and bead-and-reel moldings and fluting, and supported by two enriched consoles. Above each of the door hoods is a cartouche garlanded with polychromed plaster flowers.
The proscenium boxes flanking the stage are treated with exceptional grandeur. They are narrower and have gilded balustrades in place of the ornamented parapet walls which front the other boxes. The main entablature of the room is broken forward over the proscenium boxes. Above this portion of the entablature, in front of the ceiling cove, is a broken pediment with an elaborately carved cartouche. Each of the 17 boxes in the room is lighted by a vasiform etched glass light ornamented with a metal pendant tassel, and suspended from a plush-sheathed chain.
The main entablature continues across the front wall
of the auditorium forming the top of the proscenium opening. It
is supported at either side of the stage by a cluster of supports
which fills the space between the stage and the side wall of the
auditorium. Above the entablature is a deeply recessed panel
framed by a very low, wide three-centered arch. The panel within
the arch contains a large disk with the AR monogram. The fascia
of the arch is composed of an architrave, a flat band ornamented
with an applied series of polychromed floral swags, and a bound
leaf molding at the line of juncture with the ceiling. The
architrave is broken by a series of panels containing bearded
faces in high relief.
The ceiling is surrounded by a wide cove of mural panels separated by ribs decorated with molded polychrome flowers, the ribs corresponding with the columns below. The murals depict cherubs sporting among the clouds, representing "joy, pleasure, delight, and varying pleasurable emotions." Over the proscenium boxes the ribs continue to follow the column placement creating a tri-part panel arrangement. Over the left box the panels continue the cloud treatment, while over the right box they contain plasterornamented grilles concealing the organ chamber behind.
The ceiling itself is flat and level, composed of two large concentric elliptical bands with a circular central element. The outer band was originally painted as the sky, and the inner field was painted dull gold. The circular centerpiece contains a radial grille ornamented with polychrome floral swags. Near it, in the field of the ceiling, are four very small floral medallions. The centerpiece supports a chandelier with 24 candle fixtures on brackets, surrounding a shallow central bowl of silk panels in a metal and gesso frame.
The auditorium seating has been altered but preserves the character of the original. In the original arrangement the seats had wooden backs, and the first 14 rows held cushions of red plush with the AR monogram in a laurel wreath embroidered in gold. The rear ten rows were upholstered in a plainer material. The ends of the rows had armrests on cast-iron panels decorated with female busts and the AR monogram. These chair stands have been retained in the present seating, which is more heavily cushioned and commodious in size than the original. The capacity of the theatre is now 802, including the 102 individual gilded opera chairs in the boxes.
The original gold-trimmed drapery remains throughout the auditorium at the entrances to the boxes and the main floor and over the stage. In order to accommodate the present large projection screen the proscenium drape has been folded back on itself, but has not been permanently altered.
The Sosman and Landes Company of Chicago painted the theatre's asbestos fire curtain. It bears, in a wide "gesso" frame, a full-color painting titled "Serenade Au Petit Trianon," in which three small boats are shown arriving at what purports to be Marie Antoinette's Hameau, or rustic hamlet, near the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Two boats carry courtiers, and a third contains musicians who serenade two young ladies on the balcony of a building meant to be "Marlborough's Tower" at the French queen's Diary.
The DecorationsThe decoration of the interior of the theatre is unusually beautiful and effective. This work was in the charge of the G.A. Brand Co. of Chicago, W. Wilk of the firm acting as foreman of a large number of painters and decorators. The mural decorations consist of a number of panels typifying joy, pleasure, delight, and varying human emotions. They are from the brushes of Mr. Brand.
The boxes which extend around the sides and rear of the auditorium are separated by massive pillars. These pillars are covered with Dutch gold leaf in floral designs. Above the boxes are floral garlands in plaster tinted in delicate majolica coloring. The ceilings throughout the building are in ivory. The woodwork aside from that in the auditorium which is entirely in gold leaf, is in ivory finish, the work having been done by C.L. Kleckner of Baraboo. The ladies reception room which opens from the mezzanine floor is artistically decorated in rose and grey and is approached by a white marble staircase. The plaster decoration in the lobby is especially effective, the floral designs being tinted in soft marionette colors. This ceiling is also used in the halls. The inviting appearance of the lobby was enhanced by a fountain of artistic design being placed against the west wall.
The scenic curtains are the work of Sosman and Landes, scenic artists of Chicago. The draperies are all in deep rose color which harmonizes well with the delicate coloring of walls and woodwork. The French style has been followed in the entire scheme of interior decoration being in harmony with the architecture of the building.
From the Baraboo Daily News of November 18,1915:
The lighting fixtures that have been installed in the new A1. Ringling Theatre are as beautiful as found anywhere. The central chandelier in the auditorium has forty-eight lights, trimmed in silk and verre de sole glass engraved panels. Each of the seventeen boxes has a Pearlman antique provost finished light with a silk tassel on the stem. There are silk light fixtures in the ladies rest room and through the foyer are candelabra bracket fixtures trimmed with silk shades.
In the stairwell is a Pearlman design, cathedral glass panel. There are six tubular candelabra lamps inside. Many of the fixtures mentioned have gold wreaths on the outside design.
The lobby fixture is antique gold, finished with soft highlights. There is a calcite cut glass bowl, inverted top, and three large lamps in the bottom. About the fixture is a laurel band of cast bronze, hand done.
The fixtures are finer than in most theatres, seldom being so rich in design, quality, and finish. Victor S. Pearlman, 75 Adams Street, Chicago, designed the fixtures and they have been installed under the direction of Leslie C. Milner of the same city.
(The gas lighting fixtures which alternate with the electric ones in the foyer are said to be additions, fabricated in a foundry near Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, to match closely the original electric fixtures.)
