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8.A. - Page 236 LDWOOD CITY HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY
<br /> Continuation of "Description" and "Significance" Categories
<br /> 7. DESCRIPTION: (continued)
<br /> roofline, are a line of corbels with pointed arches. A balustrade is ornamented with stylized cartouches. The alternating thick
<br /> and thin shafts, which separate the windows below, continue to the roofline, creating a medieval crenellated effect.
<br /> The other storefront flanking the theatre at 2211 Broadway has a composition similar to that of 2219 -2225. The plate glass
<br /> windows of its first floor have been enlarged recently, and its central doorway widened to accommodate two doors. No grand
<br /> arch adorns the entryway as on the opposite side. (This may have been destroyed when the first floor storefront was
<br /> redone.) Upper floor fenestration is identical to those of 2219 -2225 Broadway
<br /> The tall central section, housing the lobby, comprises three stories; rising behind the lobby, is the even taller auditorium. The
<br /> first floor has been remodeled c. 1950. Two projecting display windows, with thick metal casings, flank the main lobby
<br /> entrance, which is deeply inset. Inside the lobby entrance, a series of four, angled, display windows on each side funnel the
<br /> patron into the theater. Ceramic tile covers the lower walls. The floor is a swirling pattern of multi - colored terrazzo. The
<br /> soffitt, too, features swirling motifs. A series of wooden doors, each with two round portholes, open the lobby. A broad
<br /> marquee covers the entrance; this wide horizontal signage replaced a thin vertical sign, which often stood outside movie
<br /> 19. SIGNIFICANCE AND EVALUATION: (continued)
<br /> palaces of the 1920s. Above the marquee, are a series of four windows with pointed arches. Two larger windows, with three
<br /> over one lights, flank a smaller pair with two over one lights. Spandrels above the windows are filled with foliate ornamental
<br /> fill. A row of tall thin lancet windows, set in a sequence of three, two, two, and three, line the next row of the fenestration.
<br /> The lancet windows have diamond paned windows. Above the lancet row, is more ornamental fill. At the parapet line, the
<br /> column shafts separating the windows extend, creating a crenellated effect, just as on the side storefronts. Another two
<br /> crenellated screens are set back behind the main parapet, adding height and drama to the facade, while shielding unadorned
<br /> parts of the auditorium roof from the street -level viewer.
<br /> Redwood City's Fox Theater opened to great fanfare on January 5, 1929 as the New Sequoia in order to avoid confusion with
<br /> the original Sequoia down the street. The Redwood City Tribune called the theater "a Monument of Man's Enterprise" when
<br /> it opened with the movie "Three Weekends ", starring Clara Bow. The first night fans also saw the Eddie Harkness Bank and
<br /> the Curral Twins dancers. The theater had a stage and loft for vaudeville performances and a pipe -organ made by Robert
<br /> Morton Organ Company of Van Nuys that was considered the second best in the nation. A machine was able to project
<br /> moving clouds and twinkling stars across the ceiling, thrilling an opening night crowd estimated at 3,000 that heard Mayor
<br /> Henry Beeger give the welcoming address.
<br /> The showhouse opened under Manager Otway Gosgrave. Construction started on March 29, 1928, with the cost of the
<br /> building estimated at $200,000 and the investment in the entire office- theater complex on the block pegged at $300,000. The
<br /> theater was purchased by the Fox West Coast chain in October of 1929. The Fox settled into a history similar to most of the
<br /> nation's other suburban movie houses until it burst back into the headlnes when a section of the plaster ceiling collapsed on
<br /> June 21, 1950, injuring 27 people, three seriously.
<br /> The crowd was watching Gregory Peck star in "The Gunfighter ", when the balcony ceiling suddenly gave way and ended up
<br /> in the loge. Newspaper articles say 300 people were in the showhouse at the time, with 100 in the balcony and loge. One
<br /> woman fell from the balcony to the main floor and was badly injured. An investigation showed that plaster nails had given
<br /> way from years of pounding by trains passing nearby. The theater was closed for about three months and much remodeling
<br /> was done, including a neon light ceiling and tile work in the foyer. The Fox reopened on September 15, 1950, with the movie
<br /> "My Blue Heaven ". The show was a benefit for the Korean War effort and one had to buy a bond to get in. Goerge Jessel
<br /> was Master of Ceremonies.
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