Elegant, eye-catching decor was the hallmark of the Schine Theater; a Schine theater was always a wonder to behold. One of the grand masters of theater architecture was Austrian born John Eberson. In their quest to always be the biggest and the best, Schine Theaters tapped this "Frank Lloyd Wright of theater design" for many projects.

Born in Romania in 1875, Eberson came to this country in the early 1900s and settled in St. Louis, MO. While employed by the Johnston Realty and Construction Company, Eberson began to experiment with the design standards he would be most remembered for. His first recorded theater project was The Jewel in Hamilton, Ohio in 1909. By 1910 he was living in Chicago, an important center for theater architecture at the time, and receiving steady work as a theater architect. In 1926 Eberson moved his base of operations to New York City, where he remained until his death in 1965.

John Eberson, later in partnership with his son Drew, created some of America’s most magnificent and unique movie theaters. Many of Eberson’s greatest works are in the atmospheric style. This genre of theater architecture sought to transport the patron into another time and place, to give the illusion of sitting in an exotic setting. The most delightful atmospherics were of the outdoor variety. Peaceful garden settings were created using by twilight skies and twinkling stars. Grottos with waterfalls and stuffed birds perched among statuary were favorite touches of "Papa John", as he was affectionately called. Although not the actual creator of the atmospheric style, he was the one to popularize and market this idea on a wide scale basis.

His early designs were reminiscent of the grand palatial opera houses of his homeland. Symmetry was very important in these early designs; delicate rosette strewn urns and elaborate cartouches were crafted out of fine plaster in exact duplicate on each side of the house. Prosceniums of unusual beauty and detail framed his stage presentations, again crafted in delicate plasterwork. His later designs took the French inspired - but uniquely Americanized - Art Deco themes to new and, at times, outrageous heights. At the top of his game, Eberson was sought out by the Schine brothers to work on not only their biggest but at times their smaller theaters.

Eberson either built or redesigned the interiors of many Schine theaters. Documentation exists to verify his work on the Schine circuit’s theaters in Ashland Ohio, Norwalk, Ohio, Lockport NY, Auburn NY, Norwich NY, Glens Falls, NY and the home office Glove Theater in Gloversville, NY. The style and design of many other Schine theaters certainly suggest his influence, if not outright direction.

Eberson’s creations for Schine were all over the spectrum of design. He segued effortlessly, and almost seamlessly from the beautiful outdoor garden atmospherics and classic palace designs to show stopping art deco delights. Eberson whipped up some frothy, eye-catching art deco extravaganzas, making delicious use of silver and chrome swirls, teal and plum, peach and turquoise combinations. He loved geometric designs and in this design period, did a turn around to favor asymmetrical ornamentation.

At the Schine Auburn, Eberson melded the atmospheric theater into the art deco period by creating a thoroughly unique outerspace atmospheric. The foyer and lobby light fixtures were shaped like shooting stars and comets. The lobby area itself was quite futuristic, in the classic 1930s viewpoint. The concession stand was low and sleek, accented with loads of chrome. Eberson made abundant use of vivid colors: the requisite Schine red mixed with canary yellow, mauve, chartreuse, turquoise in running bands and stripes on the ceiling. In the auditorium, stars and planets floated in the deep space sky. In fact, all the walls had a three dimensional appearance due to the use of a mottling technique, which layered, then rag rolled, midnight blue and deep purple to achieve the desired effect. The ceiling was uniquely shaped in a scalloped shell design that moved in tiers to the balcony area. The matching chandeliers on either side of the auditorium were an impressive sight. Opal multicolored glass formed the huge star shape from which double comet tails arched gracefully from each side of the star. The tails were actually deep coves in the plaster sky, softly back lit for a dramatic effect. When this theater opened on September 16, 1938 it caused a great deal of excitement.

Sadly, too few of these landmark theaters still stand. Many of those that do have been chopped up into multiplexes or stripped of much of their ornamentation. A few are in danger of being demolished by entities oblivious to the great architectural and historical treasure an Eberson house represents.

About the author:

Karen Colizzi Noonan fell in love with vintage movie palaces as a child, attending movies at the Schine's Geneva NY theater. Since 1988, she has been involved in theater restoration and preservation, and serves on the executive committee of the Theatre Historical Society of America. Considered an authority on the Schine brothers and their theater circuit, Karen has researched and writen extensively on the subject. For further information, Karen may be reached by Email.