The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-29
WILL
BUILD TWO
7 THEATERS
Metropolitan on Main Street
viii Seat 300 and Palace
To Be Erected on Union
Avenue to Seat 5000.

Real estate deals, closed Thursday
by E.. A. Schiller, general Southern
representative Of Loew's circuit of
vaudeville and picture theaters, will
give Memphis two handsome theaters,
one, to be known as Loew's Metro
politan. which will be erected with a
frontage on Main street, will seat g.
700 and will cost S550,OO0, and the
other, TO be known as Loew's Palace,
exclusively for pictures, will be erected
on Union avenue, just west of Main
street, at cost of 100000. The total
sum involved in leases and improve
ments, Is given as $3,370,000.
4 ss-year lease has been concluded
with the William r, Moore school of
technology for the Main street site,
now occupied by the Log Cabin lunch
and billiard room at 1872 South Main
street, which has a frontage on Main
street of 25 feet and depth of 150
feet: The lease terms are announced
as $4,000 per year, involving total
rental of $l,4S5,000.
Another lease has been concluded
for the property on Second street
now occupied by the o. K. Storage
and Transfer company, which has a
1241s feet. This will house the main
portion Of Loew's Metropolitan.
-. The leases Of the occupants of these
two properties, running for four years,
have been purchased by Marcus Loew.
Ready in Seven Months.
The Metropolitan, which will be one
Of the largest theaters in the world,
having only 700 seats less than the
largest--the Metropolitan in Brooklyn,
N. will be equipped with every con-
venience: including woman's and
mems clubroom. It will have exits
deal Is estimated at S2,os5, 900.
According TO- present plans, drawn
by Thomas w. Lamb. architect, Of New
York, the Metropolitan will be ready
for occupancy. within seven months.
The other lease closed by Messrs.
Schiller and Loew was made with Hunt
year lease on the property on Union
avenue, s3 feet west of Main street.
This property has frontage on Union
avenue Of So feet md a depth of 19Sks
Loew's Palace, an exclusive motion pic
ture theater, which will have seating
capacity OF 5000 and which will cost
$500,QO0, exclusive OF the lease, which
involves $g92,000. The lease terms
were given as $4,000 per year.
ut Is possible that IL may be sew
eral months, or perhaps year, before
work can be started on the Union ave-
nue. property" declared Mr. Schiller.
This Is because Of conditions involving
some Of the present leases In order
to effect a s9-year lease. a chancery
tuted and this will entail a delay in the
erection of the new theater. Aside from
this legal matter, all leases have been
signed and all arrangements made with
the present owners"
Loew's Metropolitan theater, which
xufil rarrU vandeytlIn and nictureS will
tbe patterned after the Metropolitan of
Broklyn, The O. X. Transfer and
Storage Company building will be de-
molished within so days and the Main
street location will be razed later,
The theater on Union avenue will be
patterned after Loew's Palace in Wash
ington and will be the finest theater in
\ the South devoted exclusively to mo-
tion pictures.
Big Shows to Lyceum.
The Loew interests, which now hold
a lease on the Lyceum theater, control
this building for four more years. Upon
the occupation of the Metropolitan, the
Lyceum viii revert to legitimate shows,
playing the Klaw & Erlanger and the
Shubert attractions.
Loew's Princess, now running pic
lures, will not be affected in any way
by the new plans and will continue un-
der-the same policy.
Mr.. Lamb will be in Memphis Friday
and after short trip to st. Louis and
Chicago with Mr.. Schiller, where they
will meet Marcus Loew, they will re-
turn to Memphis for the awarding of
contracts Ali contracts, so far as pos
sible, will be given to Memphis con-
Germs, according to Mr.. Schiller.
The Loew interests came to Memphis
two years ago last February, and from
the beginning found the capacity OF
Loew's Iyceum too small for the de-
mands of the city.
The deals were closed through the
agency Of A. G. Jett Of the H. L. Guion
company.