The building was originally called The Saint Louis Theater. It was built in 1925, designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Rapp & Rapp. The theater spent the
first 40 years of its existence as a
stage for live vaudeville performances as well as motion pictures. The last
movie shown in the old theater was The Sound of Music in 1966. At that time, the
building was acquired by the Symphony Society for $500,000, through a gift from
Oscar Johnson, Jr.. After spending an additional $2 million to update and
renovate the theater, the hall re-opened in January 1968 as the new home of the
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.The building is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man named George. He is often seen in a white suit and white hat and is thought to be that of a former vaudevillian. He is said to often play with the lights and the elevators.
Thousands of lights once sparkled along Grand Avenue's
Theatre District. The most outstanding of the sights were the Saint Louis' and
Missouri's six story vertical signs illuminating the evening sky. The Saint
Louis Theatre opened November 25, 1925. Inside, the lobby resembled the Palace
of Versailles -- at least it was architects Rapp and Rapp's version of a
European palace. The mirrored walls reflected ornate white and gold decor. Rows
of crystal chandeliers with tiers of candles hung from an ornate plaster
ceiling. Flanked by fluted Corinthian columns, two balconies overlook the lobby.
The auditorium is a fairy-tale world of French opulence. Above is a great dome
with curved edge rectangles and circles painted with gold leaf. The theater's
auditorium gives the impression of flowing movement. The balcony rails have
small curtains hanging from them and are topped with red velvet. The Saint Louis
Theatre had remained true to its namesakes -- both the city and the French kin.
The stage curtain bears the symbol of the city of Saint Louis -- the profile of
the French king with his sword pointed heavenward astride his horse. The profile
comes from the statue in front of the Saint Louis Art Museum. Royal crowns adorn
the exits, and fleur de lys decorate the walls. In 1925, the orchestra pit stood
below the stage. To the left of the pit was an organ which would rise from the
floor. The Saint Louis' $50,000 organ, a Kimball 4M-19R, was well known.
Organist John Wagner helped make the organ famous by playing it on radio station
WIL Radio. Because of this, he needed to wear headphones and take his cues from
the radio station. He would often have to interrupt his program for commercials.
Movie viewers had to put up with broken music and music that did not always
conform with what was going on during the movie: Wagner played for the radio
listeners' enjoyment. Use of the organ soon became obsolete because of the
advent of the talkies. When wide screen movies became popular, the Saint Louis
installed a new wide screen to keep up with the competition. Since the organ was
no longer needed, a larger stage covered the organ console. Under the stage, the
organ became severely damaged. Somehow, water leaked into its main chamber, and
vandals ruined some of the pipes. When the theater was sold to the Saint Louis
Symphony, its parts were strewn about the floor. The 1,500 pipes ranged from
small pencil-sized to tubes to 18 foot tall cylinders weighing about 1,000
pounds. These pipes had allowed
the organ to imitate special effects such as the xylophone, drums,
a harp, piano and even horses' hooves -- no doubt used during westerns. The
organ is now in the possession of the American Theatre Organ Society.