Truncated pylons and lotus-bud pillars rise above you here in Boise, Idaho, announcing an Egyptian revival theater. Inaugurated in 1927, it is the oldest theatre in the city and has also been known as the Ada Theater — a nod to Boise as the seat of Ada County. Designed by Frederick C. Hummel of Tourtellotte & Hummel, the building wears its inspiration openly: an Egyptian revival created in the fevered years after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb.
When it opened, the local press said it “embodies the characteristic features of the land of the Nile, from the truncated pyramids which form the great pylons, to the lotus bud pillars with their ornate frescoes. Those lotus pillars flank the screen and are based on those of Karnak. Over time the theater’s name and face shifted — in 1929 it became the Fox Egyptian Theater, about a year later simply the Fox, from 1937 to 1979 it was the Ada Theater, and in 1979 it reclaimed the Egyptian name.
The building was remodeled after the original and renovated by Conrad Schmitt Studios, most recently seeing work in 1999. Notice the carved lotus buds and painted pylons framing the screen, echoes of Karnak brought to Idaho.