Picture the Paramount Theater, the building Rapp and Rapp designed and opened in 1931 as a movie theater. Imagine the decades it has witnessed: it continued showing movies here until it closed in 1974, then spent a time in the city’s quieter rhythms. In 1990 a group of community members bought the theater, formed a non-profit corporation, and began raising funds for its restoration and expansion.
Their long work came to fruition in late 2004, when the Paramount re-opened after an $18 million renovation. Today it is operated by a non-profit organization and serves as a performing arts venue. Since 2009 the theater has also played host to performances by the Charlottesville Opera, adding a new chapter to the building’s life on stage.
Stand here and you can feel the continuity: a 1931 opening, a 1974 close, a 1990 rescue, a 2004 rebirth, and a 2009 role in local opera. You can feel that sequence now: 1931 to today, and the street life still moving outside the theater.