Tivoli Theatre (NRHP #73001779) - Downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee

At the time the Tivoli Theater opened on March 19, 1921, it was considered "the finest theater in the entire South". Architecturally, it has changed little since 1921 and today it continues to play an active role in the cultural and entertainment life of Chattanooga (note the name on the marquee for the date this photograph was taken...Gladys Knight!).

The building of the Tivoli started as a project of the Signal Mountain Company. It was designed by Chattanooga architect Reuben H. Hunt in conjunction with Rapp and Rapp, a Chicago architectural firm. Supposedly, the theater was an exact, but smaller replica of the Tivoli in Chicago. At the time it was built, the cost of the Chattanooga Tivoli was $750,000 for a 2300-seat theater. In later years, it was to become the first public building in the South to install an air conditioning system, a Carrier plant which was one of the first five in the United States.

The Tivoli Theater is located in the heart of downtown Chattanooga and it appears to be three stories high with a 1921 interpretation of a Palladian-style window in the center. Partially hidden behind the marquee, which runs the full width of the building, and a large vertical sign is decorative brickwork and terra cotta details. A balustrade defines the flat roof at the top.

The exterior of the Tivoli Theater is considered subdued when compared to the interior. The narrow entrance foyer is gilded and painted on ceiling and walls. The Palladian window form is repeated in the dividing wall between the foyer and the main lobby area, and again at the entrance to the balcony. Beyond the lobby is a low, carpeted area leading into the theater. The theater is typical of the period with its elaborate decoration, especially in the domed ceiling. And, still in the theater is the German pipe organ which was installed in 1931.

Numerous companies have owned the Tivoli over the years. In 1961, when it was being used as a motion picture house, the building was closed and its future was very uncertain. An agreement was reached between the owners, the Wilby-Kincey Service Corporation of Charlotte, North Carolina, and the city of Chattanooga, whereby the latter leased the structure for a fee of $22,000. When the renovated Tivoli reopened as a cultural center on March 5, 1963, it was hailed as the beginning of the "revitalization of Downtown Chattanooga". It was, at one time, also owned by ABC but was later purchased by the City of Chattanooga in 1976 for $300,000 after the theatre sat in disrepair for several years. In 1979, Chattanooga-based Lyndhurst Foundation gave a $25,000 grant to the Chattanooga Arts Council for a feasibility study on restoring the Tivoli. Other grants for renovation included $3.5 million given by the State of Tennessee in 1986, $3.2 million raised by a private campaign by Chattanoogans, and $300,000 given by the city government. After the Tivoli closed on June 5, 1987 for renovations, which were directed by Robert A. Franklin, it reopened on March 29, 1989 with a recital by Marilyn Horne (an American mezzo-soprano opera singer specializing in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages and who is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, and has won four Grammy Awards).

The Tivoli Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on April 11, 1973 for its architectural significance in the downtown area of Chattanooga. All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/5388decf-3d65-486a-887...

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

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Taken in: United States / Tennessee / Chattanooga (show map)

Taken on: September 6, 2023

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Camera: Nikon D7200, f/5.6, 14mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7200
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	14mm
ISO:	200
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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