Venues

The Tennessee marquee replicates its original look - with a 1956 twist and new LED lights. Back is the 1928 style, but the marquee retains the trapezoid shape created when the original rectangular was modified in '56.

The 56-foot tall sign reading "Tennessee" on the theater's Burwell Building has high visibility. "You can see it from anywhere on Gay Street," said Allan Cox, project executive for construction manager Denark Construction. The sign with LED lights replicates the original that was removed in 1956 and then "run through the shredder," said Burns.

Inside, five crystal Grand Lobby chandeliers - each valued at $250,000 - and other historic lights are back after being restored by St. Louis (Mo) Antique Lighting Company. The theater also is brighter because of small recessed lights put in the middle of some existing ceiling medallions.

A lighting system around the dome and other areas of the auditorium allows changes in light colors and the theater mood. The system can be operated manually or set to change over times ranging from 60 seconds to 60 minutes, said Becky Hancock, the theater's general manager.

The most unique lights may be replicas of wall sconces removed in 1929 or 1930. Two pairs of the 7-foot, white-globed lights designed like cotton plants hung briefly on auditorium walls. Now two reproductions, totaling $7,800 and created by St. Louis Antique Lighting Company, grace opposite walls. Supports for theatrical lights eliminated the need for a second pair.

The original sconces were taken down 12 to 18 months after the Tennessee opened so sound tiles of the time could be installed. The tiles were needed because the theater was designed in the silent film era but opened just as "talkies" were taking over. The tiles likely hadn't worked in four decades. By the '60s, they had been painted over several times, said Hancock.

Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, A1LabArts is a nonprofit 501c3 organization founded in 1995 by a group of local artists. It is dedicated to multi-disciplinary and experimental exploration of contemporary art issues in all media.
Web site: www.a1labarts.org