{"id":21794,"date":"2017-03-03T07:42:04","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T12:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=21794"},"modified":"2019-11-26T07:24:27","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T12:24:27","slug":"looking-south-the-royal-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2017\/03\/03\/looking-south-the-royal-theater\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking South – The Royal Theater"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo by Wenzel J. Hess<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u00a0am mournful\u00a0to report\u00a0the obliteration of another piece of Philadelphia’s past. The Royal Theater on 15th and South was built in 1919, and showcased African American entertainers. While it may not be\u00a0as historically significant as the city’s other gems, it was an important part of the city’s musical history – giants of the 20th century performed here – Fats Waller, Bessie Smith, Cab Calloway, and Billie Holiday. The Royal closed in 1970, and after years of neglect, and the appearance of a willing buyer – The Royal Theater met the wrecking ball.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u00a0am mournful\u00a0to report\u00a0the obliteration of another piece of Philadelphia’s past. The Royal Theater on 15th and South was built in 1919, and showcased African American entertainers. While it may not be\u00a0as historically significant as the city’s other gems, it was … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4079,4,104,2093],"tags":[56,105,2920,4080],"class_list":["post-21794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-looking-south","category-news","category-philadelphia","category-photography-2","tag-music","tag-south-philly","tag-south-street","tag-the-royal-theater"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-5Fw","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22120,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2017\/04\/12\/looking-south-the-royal-theater-part-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":21794,"position":0},"title":"Looking South – The Royal Theater Part II","author":"Tina Garceau","date":"April 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The back wall has been obliterated, the chain link fence removed.\u00a0I've written about the demolition of The Royal Theater before, this is all that remains. It will soon be gone and sadly forgotten. One more photo behind the cut.\u00a0 \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Royal2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Royal2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Royal2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35380,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2020\/11\/28\/the-last-picture-show\/","url_meta":{"origin":21794,"position":1},"title":"The Last Picture Show","author":"Joe","date":"November 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The United Artist Theater on Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia has closed permanently. The theater was part of a transformation of a decrepit industrial area into a shopping mecca that started about 30 years ago. It wasn't a great movie theater. I haven't been in a great movie theater since\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Last Picture Show","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/50656876152_33b7b82694_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/50656876152_33b7b82694_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/50656876152_33b7b82694_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17837,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2014\/12\/03\/the-photo-elective-steve-eydie\/","url_meta":{"origin":21794,"position":2},"title":"The Photo Elective – Steve & Eydie","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"December 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's another Photo Elective shot by Tina Garceau taken in 1981. Her camera was aimed toward the South on Broad Street just a couple of doors from Anderson Hall which is now The Atlantic Building. She was probably in front of The Academy of Music. At the time, the shot\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/steve-and-eydie.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/steve-and-eydie.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/steve-and-eydie.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/steve-and-eydie.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/steve-and-eydie.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/steve-and-eydie.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8693,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2012\/07\/04\/our-town\/","url_meta":{"origin":21794,"position":3},"title":"Our Town","author":"Tina Garceau","date":"July 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"While walking up Carpenter Street in South Philadelphia, I spotted this tiny toy kingdom on the sidewalk. It was created by the kids of the Hawthorne Cultural Center day camp. It was made of popsicle sticks, cardboard and bits and pieces that would have ordinarily been destined for the recycling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Crafts"","block_context":{"text":"Crafts","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/crafts-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/phonepole1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/phonepole1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/phonepole1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15810,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2014\/03\/12\/the-best-place-to-satisfy-the-inner-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":21794,"position":4},"title":"The Best Place To Satisfy The Inner Man","author":"Tina Garceau","date":"March 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This is an advertisement for Hotel Bornot from the program\/souvenir booklet for the play L' Aiglon\u00a0starring Maude Adams which played in Philadelphia at The Broad Street Theater back in 1901. A good midday lunch for two bits? Sign me up! This is an 1899 photo of the Hotel Bornot which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Bornot1965.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Bornot1965.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Bornot1965.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25607,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2019\/07\/24\/backstage-at-the-walnut-street-theater\/","url_meta":{"origin":21794,"position":5},"title":"Backstage at The Walnut Street Theater","author":"Tina Garceau","date":"July 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Walking home from an appointment yesterday, the side doors of The Walnut Street Theater were open, and I snapped this photo. The Walnut Street Theater is one of Philadelphia's long standing gems. It was founded in 1809, originally going by the name of The New Circus, then switching to it's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blast from the Past"","block_context":{"text":"Blast from the Past","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/blast-from-the-past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Walnut.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Walnut.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Walnut.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21794\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}