Chase's Theater and Riggs Building

Chase's Theater and Riggs Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Chase's Theater and Riggs Building in 2011
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Location	1426 G Street and 615-627 15th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°53′53.2″N 77°1′59.9″W
Built	1912
Architect	Jules Henri de Sibour
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.	78003053 [1]
Added to NRHP	September 7, 1978

The Chase's Theater and Riggs Building, also known as the Keith-Albee Theater and the Keith-Albee Building, was a historic building located at 1426 G Street and 615-627 15th Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the city's Downtown area.

History

Keith theater in 1979

The Beaux-Arts theater was originally designed by Jules Henri de Sibour, and built in 1912, for Plimpston B. Chase. He sold the theater to B.F. Keith in 1913.[2] It was a part of the B.F. Keith vaudeville circuit, which became a part of the Keith-Albee-Orpheum chain, and then RKO Pictures. William Howard Taft attended the opening in 1912, and Woodrow Wilson regularly attended. Entertainers included: Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor, Rudy Vallée, Laurel and Hardy, and ZaSu Pitts.

In 1956, RKO sold the building, to Morris Cafritz for $1.55 million. In 1959, he offered to sell the building to the city as a performing arts center, but the city would not assume the $1.5 million mortgage. The movie theater closed in 1978; it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In March 1978, the United States Commission of Fine Arts recommended saving the facade of the Keith-Albee Theater and National Metropolitan Bank.[3][4][5]

In 1979, the D.C. Superior Court halted demolition of the Keith Albee building,[6] but then allowed demolition of the interior.[7] The developer said he would preserve the historic facade of the Keith-Albee theater building, if he could demolish Rhodes' Tavern.[8]

It is now the Metropolitan Square office building.[9]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in the District of Columbia
• Theater in Washington D.C.

References

plaque

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/78003053_text
3. "The Battle to Save Rhodes Tavern: A Chronology." The Washington Post September 11, 1984.
4. Gerard Martin Moeller; Christopher Weeks (2006). AIA guide to the architecture of Washington, Part 3. JHU Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8468-9.
5. Perl, Peter. "Panel Approves Rhodes Demolition, Calls for Delay Pending Vote in Fall." Washington Post. May 11, 1983
6. "Court Order Temporarily Halts Demolition of Albee-Keith Facade." The Washington Post C4. April 24, 1979
7. Wheeler, Linda. "Solomon-Like Court Order Is Slicing District's Historic Keith-Albee Building." Washington Post. June 15, 1979
8. Oman, Anne H. "Developer Has New Plan For Historic Buildings." Washington Post. August 2, 1979.
9. "Boston Properties: Washington DC: Metropolitan Square". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2011.

External links

• http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2010/05/vaudeville-and-other-high-drama-at-15th.html
• http://www.wikimapia.org/4468154/Metropolitan-Square