Commodore Theatre

Commodore Theatre
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Virginia Landmarks Register
Commodore Theatre
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Location	421 High St., Portsmouth, Virginia
Coordinates	36°50′5″N 76°18′8″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1945 (1945)
Architect	Zink, John J.
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP reference No.	97000203[1]
VLR No.	124-0101
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 27, 1997
Designated VLR	December 4, 1996[2]

Commodore Theatre is an historic movie theater located at Portsmouth, Virginia. It was built in 1945 in the Streamline Art Deco style, and originally sat 1,000 people.[3] The theater closed in 1975 and sat empty until a change in ownership and extensive renovation beginning in 1987.[3] It reopened two years later, and as of 2023^[update] was in operation displaying first-run films accompanied by a full kitchen.[4]

History

The Commodore was built in 1945 by William Stanley Wilder, a Portsmouth native who owned and operated several theaters in Virginia's Tidewater region from the 1920s through the 1940s.[3] The theater was named after Commodore James Barron, an officer on the frigate USS Chesapeake involved in the Chesapeake–Leopard affair and who is buried in a churchyard next to the theater.[3] It is rumored that the construction supplies for the building – which ordinarily would have been unavailable due to wartime shortages – were allocated to the project due to the entertainment it would provide to the large number of soldiers stationed in Portsmouth.[3]

The theater's design has been described as "an excellent example of the Streamline Art Deco style."[3] Its two-story façade features a plain mass of yellow pressed brick decorated with horizontal stripes of brown brick on the upper level with a central pavilion of curved-top vertical pylons of Indiana limestone and decorative strips of glass block.[3] The lower level of the façade is composed of Indiana limestone ashlar veneer with a base of black marble. A dominant element of the auditorium is the pair of restored murals on the side walls representing the progress of America and the commerce and industry of Hampton Roads.[3]

After a period of declining attendance and conversion to an adult theater, the Commodore closed in 1975.[3] It sat empty until being purchased by the current owner who performed a two-year renovation.[3] The exterior's marquee and ticket booth were retained, as were the majority of interior fixtures.[3] The original seating was removed from the main auditorium floor and replaced with dinner theater-style seating; a balcony uses traditional auditorium-style seating.[3]

The theater currently offers first-run films on a nightly basis, featuring Dolby Digital and THX sound, accompanied by a dining experience serviced by a full kitchen in the main building.[5]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[1] It is located in the Downtown Portsmouth Historic District.[6]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
3. Mary Ruffin Viles/Calder Loth (October 1996). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Commodore Theatre" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
4. "Historic theatre in Portsmouth adjusts for social distancing". News 3 WTKR Norfolk. March 26, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
5. "The Commodore Theatre Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
6. David, Kimble A. (June 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Downtown Portsmouth Historic District" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

External links

• Commodore Theatre website