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The Sheridan Theatre John Eberson’s Deco Dream John Eberson (1875-1954) was perhaps America’s foremost motion picture theatre architect. The hundreds of theatres he designed have won him the nickname “Architect of Dreams”. Through the late 1920s, Eberson’s theatres were heavily-ornamented inside and out, giving the audience the illusion of being in a castle or palace courtyard under a summer night sky. But the depression was cruel to both the theatre industry and Eberson. While box office receipts declined, his ornate downtown “movie palaces” remained expensive to build and operate. At the same time, desperate theatre chains sought to bring the movies to their audiences by building neighborhood theatres. Eberson radically retooled his style to provide high fashion at a depression discount, designing 1,000 seat art deco theatres for neighborhoods across the country. The first of the dozen Eberson theatres in the Washington area was the streamline moderne Penn, which opened on Capitol Hill in January, 1935. To survive the depression, businesses had to draw both automobile and street car traffic. Eberson’s world-famous Silver Theatre (1938) in downtown Silver Spring incorporates a shopping center and off-street parking, which served shoppers by day and moviegoers by night. The Silver Theatre’s direct ancestor is in the District of Columbia. Eberson’s Sheridan Theatre, which opened in January 1937 on the streetcar line connecting downtown to Silver Spring, was the first DC movie house combined with retail stores and off-street parking. The Sheridan Theatre shares many Eberson hallmarks with the Silver, including the sweeping curved façade of the lobby and the “speed line” stripes on its façade. The storefronts in the Sheridan complex, which were erected at the same time as the theatre, wrap a forecourt parking lot in a graceful art deco curve and bracket the lobby entrance. Morton Levy, a Washington storefront designer, incorporated many Ebersonian themes in the Sheridan retail facades, including the finned crests that Eberson used most prominently in his design for the Atlantic Theatre in Far SW DC (1945). The Sheridan Theatre exhibited films until 1971, shortly afterwards becoming the home of Theatre West and the Black American Theatre for live performances. It has since been a church and retail space. The shopping center, whose original tenants included a Kresge 5 & 10 and A&P Supermarket, has served the Brightwood community for almost 75 years. Today the National Register of Historic Places lists 26 Eberson-designed buildings, located all across the country. However, much of Eberson’s legacy has disappeared from the District of Columbia. Washington’s “Lost Ebersons” Theatre Calvert Opened Demolished 1937 1967 Wisconsin Avenue at Hall Place NW Beverly 1938 1970s 1945 1967 1945 2007 15th and E Streets NE Anacostia 1415 Good Hope Road SE Atlantic 21 Atlantic Street SW Like The Penn, only the façade of Eberson’s Kennedy Theatre (1939) remains as part of a newer structure. Eberson designed the Atlantic Theatre with his son Drew to serve war workers in Far SW. It was demolished in 2007. Today the Sheridan Theatre complex stands intact, although its original flowing lines are somewhat obscured by added–on signage. ARE ALL LANDMARKS MUSEUMS? CAN A LANDMARK BE FUN? The Atlas Theatre was built on H Street NE a year after the Sheridan opened. After years of disuse, it was restored as a multimedia performing arts center in 2006. Today, there’s something for everyone at the Atlas. • Acting for Kids • Adventure Theatre, the Metropolitan Washington area’s oldest children's theatre company, will begin offering drama classes for kids ages 2-12 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center! Light Saber Adventures (ages 7-12) Mondays 4pm-5pm January 12th-March 16th Learn to safely wield a Star Wars Saber. This class will teach lessons in safety, discipline, how to focus, teamwork and conflict resolution all within the safe framework of basic stage combat movement. Adventures in Theatre 1 (ages 6-8) Wednesdays 4pm-5pm January 14th-March 18th Take a journey through drama and the basics of acting, improvisation, and character development through theatre games and fun acting exercises. $200 Creative Drama Mama (Ages 2-4 with adult) Saturdays 10am-10:45am January 17th-March 21st Creative Drama Mama (and Dads and Grandparents and Caregivers too!) Take a trip with your child through their imagination and yours. The instructor will guide the class on a theatrical journey through fairy tales, fables, tall tales and more. Instructor guided, and child inspired (working toward child guided). Pre-School Adventures in Theatre (ages 3- The Atlas Retail block has become a popular dance studio. The Uptown Theatre opened just across Connecticut Avenue from the National Register Landmark Park & Shop in 1936. The Park & Shop was renovated about 20 years ago. Today it is home to a diverse mix of community-themed businesses. They have a combination of chain, franchise, and, most particularly, individual ownership. Why not the Sheridan?