Unspecified/General

The Fabulous Fox, as Atlanta affectionately calls it, is among the most lavish surviving movie palaces in the United States, a riot of Moorish and Egyptian fantasy on Peachtree Street in the city's Midtown. The building began life in the late 1920s as an ambitious headquarters for a local Shriners organisation, but the extravagant cost outran their means, and the auditorium was leased to the film magnate William Fox. It opened on Christmas Day of 1929, just weeks after the stock-market crash that ushered in the Great Depression. Its interior remains the great spectacle. The auditorium, seating some 4,665 people, is styled as an open-air Arabian courtyard, ringed by minarets and trompe-l'oeil balconies beneath a deep-blue ceiling studded with twinkling stars and drifting projected clouds. A mighty theatre organ, lovingly maintained, still rises to accompany films and events, and the adjoining ballrooms carry an elaborate Egyptian motif inspired by the era's fascination with ancient tombs. The theatre's survival was far from assured. By the 1970s, changing tastes and financial trouble left it shuttered and threatened with demolition, prompting a grassroots "Save the Fox" campaign that rallied the city to raise the funds needed to rescue it. Restored and reopened, it has since been operated by a non-profit dedicated to its preservation. Today the Fox hosts a packed annual calendar that spans touring Broadway productions, concerts by major artists, comedy, dance and a beloved summer film series that revives its original purpose. Guided tours reveal the craftsmanship behind the fantasy, from hand-painted detail to the engineering of its night-sky ceiling. More than a venue, the Fox is a cultural landmark and a symbol of successful historic preservation. For visitors, catching a show beneath its star-filled dome, or simply touring its opulent halls, offers a memorable encounter with the golden age of American picture palaces. Its survival helped spark a wider preservation movement, and the venue now lends its name to a designated historic district along Peachtree Street. Beyond performances, the Fox supports community and education initiatives across the region, extending its influence well past its own ornate walls and cementing its place as one of the country's premier surviving movie palaces.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: 660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA, United States

Telephone: 404-881-2100

Website: foxtheatre.org

Capacity: 4665

Opening Date: 25/12/1929