Print Size: 24" x 36" (Frame Size: 24" x 36") Architect: Walter E. Stephens Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1920
With Comedy, Tragedy and the three graces in its tympanum, the cast-stone Greek Revival frontal of Columbia Theater was aptly suited to its role as “the most complete temple for silent drama to be found in the Southern States.” Built in 1920 by MIT graduate Walter E. Stephens, who served as both architect and contractor, it introduced such significant safety features as complete fireproofing and, for the first time ever, floor lighting along the aisles. The cinema was remodeled and renamed the Paramount Theater in 1930, after which an illuminated Art Deco marquee was added (1937). This blueprint is a living record of change in what was once celebrated as the South’s “most thoroughly equipped and scientifically built motion picture play house.” The theater was demolished in 1979.
