Lacey Street Theatre, Art Deco movie theater in Second Avenue, Fairbanks, United States.
Lacey Street Theatre is an Art Deco building with two concrete stories and a four-story corner tower along Second Avenue. The structure stands out with vertical metal and neon signage that highlights its mid-20th century modern design.
Designed by theatre architect B. Marcus Priteca, the Lacey Street Theatre was built in 1939 by C. W. Hufeisen for Austin E. "Cap" Lathrop, part of his chain of Alaska movie houses. It opened on January 25, 1940, and closed in December 1980. In 1990 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1992 it became the Fairbanks Ice Museum.
The building displays Art Deco design with zigzag patterns and horizontal lines that make it stand out in the cityscape. Visitors can see how these visual elements once worked together to create an impressive entrance for movie-goers.
The Fairbanks Ice Museum occupies the Lacey Street Theatre at 500 Second Avenue, not 504. The entrance sits at the corner of Second Avenue and Lacey Street in downtown Fairbanks, within walking distance of the rest of the historic centre.
The building houses an original Kimball pipe organ from the Empress Theater, currently stored on the upper level of the Ice Museum. This instrument is a rare example of the musical equipment that once accompanied films in theaters like this.
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