Ellis Theatre

I love old theatres and this beauty caught my eye down in Philadelphia, Mississippi a few weeks ago.  It is circa 1927 (MDAH/HRI database).  Description in the nomination form for the downtown historic district for the National Register of Historic Places provided some highlights:

…textured brick theater with stepped and shaped parapet…original section and narrow addition to the right…decorative basketweave tan brick…original neon sign and cantilevered marquee…secondary entrance to the left of ticket booth may be former “Colored” entrance. (Jennifer O. Baughn, 2004)

The tan brick area to the right of the photograph would be the addition, and the original is the section in the symmetrical portion of the building.

Baughn speculated that the pink and turquoise tile could be original or a later addition.

While I was photographing, someone entered the theatre and turned on the lights.  It took a number of tries to synchronize to catch the light with all three colors lit at the same time!