18-GRAND THEATRE RESTORATION PROJECT

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The auditorium which was separated from this promenade by a plastered gray green wall, was done in tones of greenish blues with rust and gold dominating the decorative patterns. The ceiling was in lemon yellow, divided by strips of turquoise blue, and light terra cotta. The proscenium arch followed the same decorative and color motifs and the stage had side drapes of rust velour and draw curtains of the same material in peanut brown. image # 6: / Grand Theatre Facaae, Paris-Texas crrca 1960 From, Grard Theatre facebook aroup. The mezzanine promenade, which was reached by stairs at the right of the foyer, had sand brown side walls with the lemon yellow ceiling and orange and maroon decorative panels. The foyer, lower floor and mezzanine promenades were car- peted in a thick luxurious carpeting material in tan, orange and gray designs. Circular mirrors for decorative purposes, deep cushioned settees and refrigerated drink foundations for the convenience of patrons were found on both the lower floor and mezzanine promenades. Ladies powder compartments and men's smokers were located at one end of the mezzanine prom- enade while the new offices of C. J. Musselman - the Manager - were located at the opposite end. Lighting fixtures throughout the entire theatre were modern in design and arranged from ceiling fixtures of spun aluminum lights and pilaster reflectors. The total seating capacity of the new Grand, including lower floor and mezzanine was 850. The new seats were the special floating comfort stream-line type supplied by the International Seating Corpora- tion. They had special cord upholstery trimmed in light tan with blue-gray standards. This light tan trim enabled patrons to easily spot vacant seats in the subdued lighting of the auditorium. They were stag- gered for perfect visibility and were comfortably spaced. The most radical construction feature of the new Grand was that the projection booth had been moved to the rear of the mezzanine and was completely fire proof. The latest type projection equipment includ- ing Brenkert lamps, Simplex projectors and a Hertner generator were installed. The rear and side walls throughout the entire auditorium were constructed of acoustic plaster board which insured better sound reception for the patrons. The very latest type RCA high fidelity Photophone sound system, which was then familiarly known as "the magic voice of the screen" had also been installed. There were two sets of speakers, one for high and the other for low notes, making perfect sound reproduction. The new Grand was the first theatre in Texas to be equipped with the new combination air and bone conductor Acusticon units for patrons who were hard of hearing. Twenty seats were equipped with this service at no cost to patrons. Special connections were established between the sound projection booth and des- ignated seats in the house bringing an increased sound volume. Customers desiring this service ob- s 131