Gem Theater (New Orleans)

{{Short description|Historic movie theater building in New Orleans}}

{{Infobox venue

| name = Gem Theater

| logo_image =

| logo_alt =

| logo_caption =

| image = GemTheater.jpg

| image_alt = Large light gray building with metal marquee and two "GEM" signs in blue neon

| caption = Building with restored marquee in 2017

| address = 3940 Thalia Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70125

| owner =

| operator =

| capacity = 1,000

| type = Movie theater

| opened = 1951

| closed = 1960

| reopened = 2016 (Adaptive reuse)

| currentuse = Microbrewery, beer garden, and event space

| website =

{{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| nrhp_type = nrhp

| image =

| caption =

| alt =

| location =

| locmapin = Louisiana#USA

| map_alt = Located in New Orleans near the Mississippi River

| coordinates = {{coord|29|57|08|N|90|05|51|W|display=inline,title}}

| area = Broadmoor, New Orleans

| built =

| added = January 26, 2016

| architect = Felix Julius Dreyfous and Solis Seiferth

| architecture = Modern Movement, Art Moderne, Art Deco

| customarchitect_title = Architectural firm

| customarchitect = Dreyfous and Seiferth

| builder = Bijou Amusement Company

| visitation_num =

| visitation_year =

| refnum = 15001002

}}

The Gem Theater is a historic African American movie theater building in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. The National Register of Historic Places listed the 1951 building which now houses the Zony Mash Beer Project.

History

The Gem was conceived in 1948 by the Bijou Amusement Company of Memphis, Tennessee and opened in 1951. Having a theater specifically for African-American residents in their own neighborhood meant that customers weren't relegated to one section with inferior amenities, like in segregated theaters that were ubiquitous at the time.{{cite web |url=https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojectsVS/NRHP/PublicForms/ViewProperty/1390 |title=National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Gem Theater |last=Ensslen |first=Greg |website=National Register of Historic Places |publisher=National Park Service |publication-place=Washington, D.C. |date=November 2015 |access-date=December 13, 2024 |via=Louisiana Office of Cultural Development}} The business plan especially called for serving tenants of the nearby B.W. Cooper Housing Development.{{cite web |url=https://prcno.org/a-gleaming-gem/ |title=A Gleaming Gem |last=Miller |first=Maryann |date=December 5, 2016 |website=Preservation in Print |publisher=Preservation Resource Center |publication-place=New Orleans |access-date=December 13, 2024}}

The front of the screen included a small stage where a number of prominent African-American performers appeared including jazz trumpeter Avery "Kid" Howard, comedian Onnie "Lollypop" Jones, and jazz singer Alton Purnell. Professional baseball player Roy "Campy" Campanella and his team members competed in a quiz show at the Gem in front of hundreds of African-American children.{{cite web |url=https://countryroadsmagazine.com/cuisine/zony-mash-brewery-gem-theatre/ |title=The Stage is Set at Zony Mash |last=McGunnigle |first=Nora |date=November 22, 2019 |website=Country Roads Magazine |publication-place=St. Francisville, Louisiana |access-date=December 13, 2024}}

As a result of new competition with recently desegregated theaters downtown, the Gem closed in 1960. Radio station WBOK bought it later that year for $65,000 to convert it into a studio, but those plans never materialized. Meyer's Auto Parts later bought the building and added a storefront facing Broad Street, using the theater space as a warehouse. Hurricane Katrina damaged the structure in 2005. The building sat vacant and, by 2014, the city scheduled it for demolition.{{cite web |url=https://nola.eater.com/2016/12/14/13953458/anticipated-brewery-wayward-owl-brewing-opens-new-orleans |title=Inside The Snazzy Historical Renovation of Anticipated Brewery Wayward Owl |last=McGunnigle |first=Nora |date=December 14, 2016 |website=Eater New Orleans |publisher=Vox Media |publication-place= |access-date=December 13, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/restaurants-in-former-cinemas |title=5 Beautiful Restaurants Set in Former Cinemas |last=Fedderly |first=Eva |website=Architectural Digest |publisher=Condé Nast |publication-place=New York City |date=September 3, 2018 |access-date=December 13, 2024}}

In 2011, the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission designated the building as a municipal landmark. Gregory Ensslen, a local developer, later purchased it with a microbrewery and tap room in mind.{{cite web |url=https://www.wwltv.com/article/features/producers-picks/new-craft-brewery-re-powers-historic-gem-theater/289-327713658 |title=New craft brewery re-powers historic Gem Theater |last= |first= |website=WWL-TV |publisher=Tegna Inc. |publication-place=New Orleans |date=September 30, 2016 |access-date=December 13, 2024}} However, at that time, the zoning laws of New Orleans did not allow such a business outside industrial areas; the city made an exception for microbreweries making less than 12,500 barrels a year.{{cite web |url=https://imbibemagazine.com/new-orleans-beer/ |title=How New Orleans Got its Beer-Making Mojo Back |last=Bernstein |first=Joshua M. |website=Imbibe Magazine |publisher=Imbibe Media |publication-place=Portland, Oregon |date=May 29, 2018 |access-date=December 13, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://countryroadsmagazine.com/cuisine/zony-mash-brewery-gem-theatre/ |title=Wayward Owl Brewing Is Heading to Future Epicenter of Hotness Central City |last=Knapp |first=Gwendolyn |date=May 20, 2015 |website=Eater New Orleans |publisher=Vox Media |publication-place= |access-date=December 13, 2024}}

Wayward Owl Brewing opened in 2016, but left the building two years later with plans to brew elsewhere.{{cite web |url=https://nola.eater.com/2018/10/8/17950978/wayward-owl-gem-theater-central-city-new-orleans-nola |title=Wayward Owl Brewing Co. Will Close in the Historic Gem Theater |last=Carter |first=Stephanie |date=October 8, 2018 |website=Eater New Orleans |publisher=Vox Media |publication-place= |access-date=December 13, 2024}} In 2019, the Zony Mash Beer Experience opened in the space also as a microbrewery, with live entertainment, food trucks, beer garden and tap room, which can only sell the beer made on site.{{cite web |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/gambit/new_orleans/food_drink/zony-mash-brewery-to-open-in-former-wayward-owl-spot-in-central-city-in-october/article_26a74dd4-cf4b-11e9-a1eb-2b97c9635219.html |title=Zony Mash brewery to open in former Wayward Owl spot in Central City in October |last=Friedman |first=Rebecca |website=The Advocate |publisher=Georges Media |publication-place=Baton Rouge, Louisiana |date=September 4, 2019 |access-date=December 13, 2024 |url-access=limited}} The business is named after the Zony Mash album by The Meters, a local funk band.{{cite web |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/eat-drink/zony-mash-beer-project-brings-eclectic-brews-events-to-old-new-orleans-cinema/article_80c66942-d8c6-11e9-8f94-bfe128ea5215.html |title=Zony Mash Beer Project brings eclectic brews, events to old New Orleans cinema |last=McNulty |first=Ian |website=NOLA.com |publisher=The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate |date=September 17, 2019 |access-date=December 13, 2024 |url-access=limited}}

Architecture

File:Wayward Owl Brewery.jpg

Prominent local architects Felix Julius Dreyfous and Solis Seiferth designed the building in 1948. They previously worked on designing Charity Hospital and the new Louisiana State Capitol.

The building style has been alternately described as Modern Movement, Art Moderne, and Art Deco. Prior to restoration, the building survived prolonged periods of neglect but survived thanks to sturdy masonry construction and deep foundation pilings.

The two-story brick building sits on a cement foundation with a stucco front. That facade includes yellow and maroon tiles along the base, raised vertical bands on the middle portion, and steps along the roofline. A recessed central bay includes three doors on each side of where a box office once stood. On each side of the entrance are three movie poster openings.

The exterior is dominated by a large polygonal aluminum marquee projecting from the building with two "GEM" neon signs. The original blue signs were lost but were reproduced based on memories of residents since only black and white photographs were available.{{cite web |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/eat-drink/article_8f520a2b-3a74-5a80-82ff-c0e50eb26e2f.html |title=Wayward Owl Brewing looking for new nest, taproom has closed |last=McNulty |first=Ian |website=NOLA.com |publisher=The Times-Picayune |publication-place=New Orleans |date=October 7, 2018 |access-date=December 13, 2024 |url-access=limited}}

In the interior, none of the original seating, flooring, or ceiling remain due to water damage and neglect. Part of what makes the Gem distinctive is the lack of features common in segregated theaters of the period: there is no separate ticket booth with stairs bypassing the main lobby leading to the upper balcony with fewer amenities.

The intact second floor mezzanine, which previously included the projector room, is now rented for private events. While the Wayward Owl ran the brewing equipment prominently down the center of the interior, Zony Mash reconfigured the interior layout to create a large open space for events.