Atlanta's Fox Theatre, originally the Yaarab Temple Shrine Mosque, was designed in the late 1920's as headquarters for the 5,000-member Shriners organization.

It was a beautifully outlandish, opulent, grandiose monument to the heady excesses of the pre-crash 1920's, a mosque-like structure complete with minarets, onion domes, and an interior decor which was even more lavish than its facade.

Entering the huge auditorium, an early reviewer for the Atlanta Journal described "a picturesque and almost disturbing grandeur beyond imagination. Visitors encounter an indoor Arabian courtyard with a sky full of flickering stars and magically drifting clouds; a spectacular striped canopy overhanging the balcony; stage curtains depicting mosques and Moorish rulers in hand sewn sequins and rhinestones."

The interior was a masterpiece of trompe l'oeil; false beams, false balconies, false tents, ornate grillwork hiding air conditioning and heating ducts. Virtually every practical feature was disguised with artistic fantasy.

Detailing and furnishing were equally ornate. Nothing - no space, no furniture, no hardware - escaped the gilt, the tile, the geometric design. Men's and Ladies' Lounges, broom closets, telephone booths were all emblazoned with intricate plaster, bronze and painted detail.

Yet for all this seeming excess, The Fox retained a sense of tastefulness. As rich as it was in ornamentation, it never appeared overstated.

Its history has been as dramatic as its decor. Surviving the economy has always been a way of life for the building. Cost overruns threatened the Yaarab Temple mosque from the outset. To generate additional funding, the Shriners worked out a deal with movie mogul William Fox, who at that time was building movie "palaces" in Detroit, St. Louis, Brooklyn and San Francisco. He made this his Southeastern jewel with minor alterations in the original blueprints.

The Fox opened as the Great Depression began. After 125 weeks of talking pictures and elaborate stage entertainment, it declared bankruptcy. Revived after temporary city ownership, it scraped by during the 1930's.

Under strong management The Fox prospered as one of Atlanta's finest movie houses from the 1940's through the 1960's. Occasional live entertainment by name artists and the Metropolitan Opera Company's 20-year annual spring performances brought The Fox some of its greatest moments of glory.

The time of the movie palace finally ran out around 1973. Television, suburban flight and a changing movie industry took patrons elsewhere. Film distributors required month-long commitments for first-run films. While this was easy for suburban theaters holding only 500 seats or so, it presented a problem for the massive Fox. With almost 4,000 seats, it could complete a run in less than a week. The Fox was reduced to showing second-run movies to dwindling audiences.

The Fox faced yet another threat: the relentless growth of metropolitan Atlanta. Almost sold and demolished to make way for SouthernBell's headquarters, it was rescued through the efforts of Atlanta Landmarks, Inc., a non-profit organization of interested, energetic and committed Atlantans. Their four-year "Save The Fox" fundraising campaign opened the hearts and purse strings of individuals and corporate donors.

Under Atlanta Landmarks' ownership, The Fox was once again put on a sound financial footing as a multi-purpose performing arts center. In 1976, documents were submitted qualifying The Fox to be designated a National Historic Landmark.

The moment Atlanta Landmarks took control of The Fox, a restoration program began. An army of volunteers went to work cleaning the interiors for the first benefit concert. Volunteer labor has been a significant ingredient in the restoration ever since.

As time passed, the work required skilled artisans to make the auditorium and exotic ballrooms attractive enough to draw the large audience and quality shows necessary for success.

In 1987, a second fund raising campaign was launched to "Fix The Fox." It successfully raised $4.2 million to improve safety code compliance, provide access for the handicapped, better equip the building to operate efficiently and preserve it structurally.

To date, more than $20 million has been spent in the restoration project. The Fox boasts its own in house Restoration Staff made up of highly skilled artisans directed by an expert in Historic Preservation. The Restoration Staff is fully engaged in restoring and preserving the significant architectural features of the Fox in an authentic manner, including the decorative surfaces, the masonry and cast stone exterior, the furniture collection, and the archive of artifacts and documentation.

In addition, the Restoration Department is instrumental in the technological improvements and architectural modifications to the building. The activities of the Restoration Staff are funded by ticket surcharges and operating surpluses.

The Fox has generated an operating surplus every year since Landmarks took over in 1975. It may be the only independent, non-profit civic auditorium in the country which can sustain its own operations financially. At present some 325 nights a year are booked in the auditorium while the Egyptian Ballroom and Grand Salon are rented regularly for corporate events, video and film shoots, political events, press conferences, sports presentations, proms, weddings, and a wide variety of special occasions.

A tribute to the Fox's movie-palace heritage is the Summer Film Festival, a popular series of high quality classic and contemporary films. All film festival events feature a Wine Tasting and pre-movie "Sing Along" with the Mighty Moller organ, known as "Mighty Mo'". The "Mighty Mo", a 4000 pipe theatrical organ, is extraordinarily maintained as is the collection of the 1930's era lyrics slides that are projected to aid patrons in the sing along. This collection of slides is carefully housed within the archives of the Restoration Department.

The Fox has generated millions of dollars for the Atlanta economy. An impressive range of events continues to attract nearly three-quarters of a million visitors a year, from Atlanta area residents to tourists to international dignitaries.

The Fox stands today as a fiercely protected landmark and a nationally acclaimed theater; having survived depression, mortgage foreclosure, bankruptcy, competition, television, real estate development, and above all, age.

The Fox is an impeccably intact and aggressively preserved Landmark that has been designated a National Historic Landmark (the highest national ranking), listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Fox is also a Georgia Museum Building (the most prestigious statewide ranking).