America's Hometown Movie Theaters
Please Remain Standing
- This significant architectural history documents hundreds of buildings that were constructed for film exhibition prior to 1965, when the multiplex began to dominate the landscape. Many still screen movies, while others have been repurposed for live theater or other functions, like music venues, bars, and even a dentist’s office
- Among the many architects whose work is represented are Roy A. Benjamin, the Boller Brothers, John A. E. Eberson, Emory, Roth & Sons, Charles S. Lee, B. Marcus Priteca, Rapp & Rapp, and Louis Skidmore
- Theaters in each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia are represented
- Engaging captions recount the history of every theater in the book
- The book includes three indexes: by movie theater name, by state where the movie theaters are located, and by architect
- While a number of the photographs have been exhibited, they are being published for the first time here and at a scale that demonstrates the scope of VanWinkle’s documentary project
- The architectural range of America’s movie houses is on full display: from the humble Washington Theater in Shelby, North Carolina, built from a Quonset hut, to the grand Ohio Theatre in Columbus, with its dazzling chandelier; from the Art Deco splendor of the Ramona Theatre in Ramona, California, to the Washoe Theatre in Anaconda, Montana, a masterpiece that blends Art Nouveau and Art Deco design elements
- The photographs (all but 13 in color) present the movie theaters from the outside—often with ticket booths, elaborate marquees, and towering blade signs. In many cases, readers are invited inside, with generous interior shots of lobbies and auditoriums
- The images will take readers back to the days when movie palaces boasted decorative schemes employed to enhance the make-believe world of cinema, often evoking great civilizations of the past with facades recalling ancient Egyptian tombs, murals depicting Italian Renaissance cityscapes, and auditoriums designed to invoke a Spanish courtyard, among other fanciful motifs
- The book underscores the heyday of the American movie theater from the late 1920s into the 1940s when most of those represented were built, many showcasing bold Art Deco detailing
- The book includes a preface by Henry B. Aldridge, movie theater historian and author of The Michigan Theater
- The author’s essays in the book illuminate the story of the drive-in and single-screen movie theater in the United States as well as the origin of VanWinkle’s continuing mission to photograph as many of these historic structures as possible
- This book is the perfect gift for film lovers and aficionados of America’s esoteric architectural legacy, especially upon its release in 2026, during America’s 250th birthday celebration
For more than 40 years, Benita VanWinkle has traveled the country photographing hometown movie theaters and drive-ins built before 1965 as part of her ongoing documentary project Please Remain Standing—a visual appeal to preserve these historic treasures. VanWinkle has recorded the astonishing range of these iconic structures, from repurposed Quonset huts to grand movie palaces. Her photographs depict magnificent Art Deco detailing and Mayan-style ornamentation, neon-lit theater marquees as well as the whimsical road signs that still entice moviegoers to once ubiquitous drive-ins. An impressive 512 full-page photographs, selected from the thousands VanWinkle has made to date, document 395 present and former movie theaters and drive-ins and conjure a time when Americans embraced the communal experience of going out to the movies—a few hours in which shared laughter and tears unite strangers. The book honors this beloved national pastime and highlights the continuing importance of movie theaters in preserving a town’s sense of community.
- Publisher
- Bauer and Dean Publishers
- ISBN
- 9781735600147
- Publish date
- 1st Sep 2026
- Binding
- Hardback
- Territory
- USA & Canada
- Size
- 9.5 in x 8.25 in
- Pages
- 608 Pages
- Illustrations
- 200 color, 13 b&w
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