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455:—a motif also displayed in two prominent New York skyscrapers of the period. Gazing across the rooftops, the griffins were well-placed as traditional guardians of treasure in antiquity. The planar quality of the cornice and flattened treatment of the griffins suggest the influence of modernist trends. The cornice marked a departure from older style. more elaborated cornices of high relief, often punctuated by lion heads.
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was grandly realized in 1926 when the $ 5.5 million
Ambassador Theatre Building opened on prime real estate at the northwest corner of Locust and Seventh streets. The 17-story structure which housed the luxurious cinema also added an impressive tall office block to the city's skyline. Less than two
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mentioned plans for a 22-story office building containing a
Skouras Brothers theater. The entire structure was to cost $ 2.5 million. What was eventually constructed was a 17-story building, with a 3,000-seat theater—designed by Rapp & Rapp—occupying the first six stories. The theater cost $ 5
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The
Skourases chose Rapp & Rapp, Chicago's famed theater architects, to design the 3,000-seat Ambassador. The firm's local debut, the St. Louis Theater (now
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designed a monumental arcade of giant windows along Locust Street, wrapping the corner of
Seventh. Thirty feet high, these windows were richly embellished with
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million and the organ alone cost $ 115,000. The grand opening was held on August 26, 1926, and the
Ambassador welcomed 2.6 million patrons in its first year.
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panels. The three floors of theater offices fronting
Seventh Street were appropriately distinguished by terra cotta spandrel panels featuring regal pairs of
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in
Renaissance style. Highly modeled theater masks of comedy and tragedy were featured on cartouche pier and
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The theater closed in 1997 and was demolished. Some important architectural elements were preserved by the
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motifs for which they were best-known. The architects crowned the
Ambassador with a distinctive
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theaters, the brothers C. W. and George Rapp drew up plans in the 1920s for notable theater-
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332:. A landmark of rococo 1920s theater design, it opened in 1926 and was demolished in 1997.
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To announce the theatre portion of the tall
Ambassador Building,
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In the
Ambassador, Rapp & Rapp expanded the firm's typical
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Ambassador Theater, 411 N. 7th and Locust St., St. Louis, MO
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decades earlier the three Skouras brothers arrived in
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393:. In addition to Windy City achievements such as the
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853:Buildings and structures demolished in 1997
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117:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
848:Skyscraper office buildings in St. Louis
373:to become the results of rags to riches
328:, designed by the architectural firm of
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833:Cinemas and movie theaters in Missouri
547:Spyros P. Skouras, Memoirs (1893-1953)
508:"National Register Information System"
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513:National Register of Historic Places
277:Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
863:1997 disestablishments in Missouri
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569:St. Louis Building Art Foundation
16:Former movie theater in St. Louis
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579:University of Missouri–St. Louis
575:"Ambassador Theater photographs"
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858:1926 establishments in Missouri
586:Page for the Ambassador at the
436:Sun King style, a rendition of
340:As early as January 1925, the
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531:Jerry's Brokendown Palaces -
488:National Building Arts Center
425:whose top stories housed the
183:Show map of the United States
544:Ilias Chrissochoidis (ed.),
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464:finely detailed terra cotta
109:Ambassador Theater Building
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417:(1922); and the 22-story
348:The Skouras Brothers Co,
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290:NRHP reference
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274:Architectural style
342:St. Louis Post-Dispatch
843:Landmarks of St. Louis
828:Theatres in St. Louis
550:(Stanford, 2013), 80.
518:National Park Service
225:38.62917°N 90.19139°W
387:Powell Symphony Hall
158:Show map of Missouri
326:St. Louis, Missouri
230:38.62917; -90.19139
221: /
198:St. Louis, Missouri
44:St. Louis, Missouri
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478:symbols of power.
438:French Renaissance
369:from their native
318:Ambassador Theatre
244:less than one acre
126:St. Louis Landmark
20:Ambassador Theatre
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675:Board of Alderman
644:Greater St. Louis
633:City of St. Louis
397:, Southtown, and
377:success stories.
324:-type theater in
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41:411 N. 7th Street
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520:. July 9, 2010.
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787:Transportation
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354:George Skouras
350:Spyros Skouras
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303:Added to NRHP
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413:'s 21-story
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322:movie palace
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73:Construction
772:Skyscrapers
564:Cinema Tour
228: /
204:Coordinates
65:Current use
822:Categories
767:Public art
494:References
403:skyscraper
282:Demolished
216:90°11′29″W
213:38°37′45″N
742:Landmarks
737:Hospitals
720:Geography
705:Education
680:City Hall
434:Louis XIV
411:Cleveland
407:Paramount
375:Hollywood
367:St. Louis
362:St. Louis
264:Architect
94:Architect
806:Category
730:Timeline
649:Missouri
476:Egyptian
472:sphinxes
468:spandrel
453:griffins
419:Oriental
409:(1926);
297:83001039
193:Location
56:Capacity
725:History
700:Economy
695:Cuisine
685:Culture
670:Airport
590:website
446:cornice
442:Baroque
429:halls.
423:Chicago
395:Chicago
336:Origins
254: (
38:Address
777:Sports
762:Police
757:People
482:Demise
449:frieze
415:Palace
399:Uptown
381:Design
371:Greece
86:Closed
78:Opened
752:Parks
690:Crime
249:Built
68:Razed
60:3,000
46:63101
715:Flag
710:Fire
356:and
316:The
285:1997
256:1925
252:1925
241:Area
89:1997
81:1926
421:in
292:No.
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