About this property
The Fox Tucson Theatre is located in downtown Tucson, Arizona, United States. The theater opened on April 11, 1930 as a performance space in downtown Tucson. It hosts a wide spectrum of events and concerts featuring a variety of performing talent, ranging from ballets, to jazz, contemporary pop, world music and rock acts. The Fox, originally to be called "The Tower", was built in 1929 by The Diamos Family for their Southern Arizona "Lyric Amusement" chain of theaters. Other theaters owned by the Diamos family included the Plaza Theater in Tucson and the Grand Theatre in Douglas. Before the Tower's completion, Fox offered to buy the theater, threatening to build a larger theatre and make its films exclusive to that theatre if the Diamos's did not sell. Diamos sold the theatre but was given a contract to manage it. The Fox Tucson Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Tucson, Arizona. The theater, a 1,200 seat 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) structure, is the only known example of a Southwestern Art Deco movie palace. The Fox Theatre was originally designed to be a dual vaudeville/movie house that would include a stage, a full fly loft, and dressing rooms underneath the stage. Due to the Great Depression and the up-and-coming "talkies", there were limited opportunities to hold live plays and performances, and as such, the dressing rooms were never completed. By the time the Fox Theatre's construction was completed, the overall budget increased from $200,000 to $300,000, including the furnishings. It opened on April 11, 1930, and closed on June 18, 1974. Original programming at the theater included; movies, community events, vaudeville performances and the Tucson chapter of the Mickey Mouse Club. Although the popular Mickey Mouse Club was open to all children of Tucson, all other theater programming was segregated and African American theatergoers were required to sit in the back balcony, as recalled by Tucsonian Flyod Thompson. The building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a "Nationally Significant Structure" is so listed due to its unique decor and special acoustical treatment, 'Acoustone', designed due to the advent of "Talkie" movies, and is the only known example of the material in existence. Opening night, April 11, 1930, proved to be the biggest party the small community of Tucson had ever seen. With Congress Street closed and waxed for dancing, four live bands, a live radio broadcast and free trolley rides downtown, the party was one not to be missed. Those lucky enough to have bought tickets in advance—3,000 or so people—enjoyed the show inside as well as out. The film Chasing Rainbows, a Movietone short, and a Mickey Mouse cartoon were well received by both audiences that evening, and the Fox Theatre began its 40-year life as the center of Tucson's entertainment world.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
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Questions about this property
When was Fox Theatre listed on the National Register?
Fox Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 11, 2003.
What type of historic resource is Fox Theatre?
Fox Theatre is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Fox Theatre?
The period of significance for Fox Theatre is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1930.
Can I research the history near Fox Theatre?
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