Saenger Theatre

History of the Saenger Theatre in Pine Bluff

Saenger Company was a franchise that had theatres all across Arkansas. When Pine Bluff had lost its theater to fire in November 1922 Saenger Company got together with the Simmons estate (now known for Simmons Bank) and several other business owners in Pine Bluff to build a modern theater.

The new proposed theatre was estimated to cost ~$100,000. Saenger had agreed to spend around $30,000 to fully equip the building for performances. The Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce also helped with the funding of the stage by selling 1,000 tickets at $10 each for the first performance.

On the project was architect Emil Weil, who had constructed other Saenger Theatres in the Southeast. It had a total of 1,500 seats installed on the lower floor and the balcony. The theatre was segregated and had a separate side entrance for African Americans to enter through. Upon entering the theatre White patrons sat in front of the balcony, and African Americans sat at the very top of the balcony. It featured marble floors and a crystal and prism chandelier with a full-sized Broadway stage.

Pine Bluffians and citizens all across Jefferson County waited for weeks in preparation of the opening, finally to have a modern theatre once again. Deemed the “Showplace of the South”, the Saenger Theatre opened in Pine Bluff on November 17, 1924, and the silent film “America” debuted the following day. But unlike most grand openings, this one lasted and set a new attendance record for the matinee and evening performances. Dinner parties following the events were held at the Hotel Pines just across the way.

It aimed to make Pine Bluff an entertainment center for people in southeast Arkansas. It defied laws that barred showing movies on Sunday and in 1929 showed Strong Boy, giving all proceeds to the American Legion Relief Committee.

Over the years the Saenger has seen many stars come through its doors. Some of the celebrities include Judy Garland, Gloria Swanson, Norma Talmadge, producer D. W. Griffith, Al G. Fields Minstrels, Ziegfeld Follies, and proprietor Julian Saenger.

Harry Houdini performed his great act on this very stage and hired a local youth, Stanley Clark, to be his stooge. Later, Clark went on to perform magic for children on the same stage. Children’s shows were on Saturdays, with the price of admission being an empty Coke bottle. School plays, high school graduations, and dance recitals were also held there.

Over the next half a century the theatre would undergo changes in its look, management, and demographics. For example, a brand-new marquee was installed during the 1950s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it saw the changes of the Civil Rights Movement. Dolf Kastor, who sang with Al G. Field minstrels that had once played on the stage, became manager of the Saenger in its later years.

However, changes in society during the 1960s and ’70s such as the rise in in-home televisions, entertainment preferences differing from what they once were and the rise in shopping centers meant that theatres across the country were slowly withering away. In 1971 it announced a temporary closure with the going away showing of “The Love Machine”. The Saenger Theatre officially closed its doors for good in 1975.

Nonprofit Intervention to Save the Saenger Theatre

The Saenger was gifted to a non-profit group called Heckatoo Heritage a few years later. Its mission was to save old buildings and homes around Pine Bluff. With 75 members plenty of them had memories at the Saenger. Helen Majewski remembered going there most Sundays and getting in line for a ticket early to make sure she got a seat under the fan or under the balcony fan. She also remembered when they upgraded to having ice that the fans could run across to further cool it. Her favorite memory was that of Tom Mix who she fondly remembers standing in front of the ticket window sharing stories and autographs with fans before his shows with his horse tethered nearby.

A 1.9-mill property tax was proposed to Pine Bluff voters to raise around $4 million dollars to restore the theater. The plan was that it would become the Arts and Science headquarters to provide more science and arts-based activities for the children in the city. The center required 36,000 square feet whereas the theater only had 21,000 so there were also plans to restore the building next door for the additional footage. But unfortunately, the tax didn’t pass. Under Heckatoo Foundation’s care, there was general cleaning and upkeep done but it was clear that they would not be able to undertake the scale that this project require.

On May 13, 1994, it was transferred to another non-profit group, Friends of the Saenger, now known as Old Towne Centre Theatres, Inc. Its mission was to celebrate the art of silent films and to restore the theater to its original condition. They brought new life to the building picking up where Heckatoo left off, with the very first Pine Bluff Film Festival in September of that year. Hosted inside the theatre, they played the same film “America” from its grand opening week in 1924 with filmmaker D.W. Griffith there to support.

The Saenger Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 23, 1995. This was to help protect the landmark and find federal and state funds to allow for restoration. The festival was also a way to raise money for the theatre restoration and continued on until around 2008.

In 2012, the Old Towne Centre Theatres came to the decision that donating the Saenger to the City of Pine Bluff would allow for more funds to be obtained in the restoration process.

The city received a grant of $24,000 from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program to get a new roof installed. At the same time, volunteers painted the bathrooms, and local prisoners cleaned out the projection booth, orchestra pit, and basement. Five hundred seats were placed downstairs. The orchestra pit was covered, and several sump pumps were installed in the basement. Gold curtains donated by the Miss America Pageant were hung in front of the newly installed movie screen. The concession stand was remodeled, and another bathroom was installed behind it. The old marquee was taken down, and the front was painted.

Continued Decline of the Abandoned Saenger Theatre

Since the initial work was done around 2012 the theatre has been silent. Many hoped that with the recent tax passing of Go Forward Pine Bluff, created to help improve the city which has raised around $30 million since 2017, some of the money would be allocated to restoring and reopening the Saenger. Unfortunately, that money was instead spent towards creating a new amphitheater. The future for this historic structure remains in the hands of the City of Pine Bluff.

WARNING: This property is being monitored 24/7. Local Police will have you arrested for trespassing. DO NOT GO TO THIS  LOCATION UNLESS YOU HAVE PERMISSION!! 

Gallery Below of Saenger Theatre

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