Ageless beauty lives on at Fox Theatre

August 16, 9:40 PMFullerton Community ExaminerKimberly Wolfe

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            The outside of the historic Fox Theatre

 If walls could talk, the Fox Theatre would speak volumes.

 It would give a history lesson of vast proportion and also an art lesson with its Italian Renaissance style interior and tromp l'oeil ceilings and fabulous murals that grace the walls of the mezzanine.

  Originally called Chapman's Alician Court Theatre, the Fox Theatre, as it was later named, became a downtown Fullerton icon after being built 84 years ago as a vaudeville theatre. Standing at the corner of Harbor Blvd. and Chapman Ave., it's Mission style courtyard with fabulous detail has ushered movie patrons inside to a time when DVDs did not exist and it truly was a great outing to go to see a vaudeville show and later, a movie.

 The Fox was designed by Raymond Kennedy of  the famed architectural firm of Meyer and Holler, which was the same firm that also designed the Egyptian Theatre and also Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Kennedy designed all three theatres.

 "We're the only theatre like this in Orange County," said Pamela Tice,  administrator of the Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation. "There are just so many neat little nooks and crannies."

 The Fox Theatre closed in 1987 and sat empty for ten years until it was threatened to be demolished. It was then that the Fulleton Historic Theatre Foundation was formed to save the landmark, which is now designated as a city-designated local landmark and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the foundation's Web site. Money was raised and the city of Fullerton matched half of those funds to purchase the building from its previous owner. The building was purchased from the previous owner in 2005 and the cleanup began with the help of volunteers.

 Cleaning of the theatre took one and-a-half years, Tice said. Movie theatre chairs are now covered with plastic.

 "Every square inch (of the theatre) has been cleaned" Tice said, "It was pretty bad."

 The Fox Theatre is now ready to begin the restoration process. Grant money has been received from the state of California in the form of a CCHE grant (California Cultural and Historic Endowment grant)  and the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency recently loaned the Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation $6 million to begin the first phase of restoration. Funds from the loan will be available by the last quarter of 2009, according to the foundation. The foundation has now raised $14 million in cash, grants and historic tax credits.

 Until the theatre is reopened, monthly movie nights in the parking lot behind The Fox are keeping the crowds intrigued as to the progress of the theatre. Vintage movies are shown in the evenings once a month to crowds who bring their own chairs. Movie type concession stand foods are sold to the crowds for a small fee. It was estimated that 1,000 people came to the Aug. 13 showing of Jurassic Park.

 The next Fox Theatre movie night will be Sept. 10.