page_title: Indiana Theatre (Terre Haute, Indiana)
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: Indiana Theatre (Terre Haute, Indiana) / Design
caption_attribution_description: English: Indiana Theatre Auditorium
context_page_description: The Indiana Theatre is a historic theater in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1997 and is located in the Wabash Avenue-East Historic District. It opened on January 28, 1922. The theatre was built by Terre Haute resident T. W. Barhydt and was designed by John Eberson. Eberson, who later developed the atmospheric theater style of movie palace, first experimented with atmospheric design elements at the theatre. Eberson stated, "Into this Indiana Theatre I have put my very best efforts and endeavors in the art of designing a modern theatre such as I have often pictured as what I would do were I given a free hand." Through this quote Eberson suggests that the Indiana Theatre embodies the raw beginning of his experiment with a "dream" theater that marked the beginning shift to his atmospheric style.
  Throughout its history, the theatre has hosted a wide range of events that have included vaudeville, cinema, performing arts and community celebrations of all types.
context_section_description: The Indiana Theatre was designed to emulate the warmth and carefree lifestyle of Spanish Andalusia and the spirit of its people. The ceiling styles were drawn from Moorish designs with the lobby figurines and other building features influenced by Southern Italy. The Theatre was designed to take visitors through the Lifecycle Of A Day with vibrant daybreak, daytime warmth and mystic nightfall. The Rotunda colors shift from light pastel in the churrigueresque to fierce reds and golds of a sunrise in the railing, leaving the remnants of dawn in the deep burgundys of the dome sky. The Lobby Ballroom simulates the more subdued colors and imagery of daytime to transition visitors from morning to nightfall; 38 male & female statues line both sides and an ornate ceiling with even more faces to fill the lobby with life. The Auditorium represents the mystic mystery of nightfall and guests experience the deep tones of reds, blues, and browns. The original lighting system scattered light across the ceiling with special crystal bulb enclosures to simulate a star field. This is in line with the atmospheric design of the ceiling resembling the open sky.
  The auditorium was designed without a true balcony; this was intended to make the auditorium reminiscent of a Roman amphitheater built on a hillside. The continuous rise in the seating assured better viewing for all seating. The 6,000 bulb lighting system was greatly hyped prior to the Theatre opening. Lights were rheostatically controlled and could be dimmed to create any color.  The opening night program stated “the lighting effects represent in a wonderful manner the Andalusian sunshine in the outer lobbies while one is in the midst of mystic twilight in the main auditorium.”  Originally, the projector was in a glass booth in the center of the auditorium, 78 feet from the screen. There was an intercom system so ushers could communicate with others in the auditorium to check on the availability of seats. Part of the system still exits by the Lobby entrance doors.
caption: Indiana Theatre auditorium
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