The Marianne Theater on the Way to the National Register!
We’re waiting to hear from the National Park
Service on the final step in our National Register nomination for Fairfield
Avenue’s architectural and nostalgic gem, the Marianne Theater located at 609
Fairfield Avenue. The Marianne was designed by architect Paul B.
Kiel in 1941 and built in 1942 by owner-manager Peter L. Smith. Stop by and
take in her beautiful and colorful façade. The design draws upon motifs from Art Deco and Moderne
styles, featuring symmetrical design, glazed and colored tile, contrasts
between horizontal and vertical elements, and geometrical shapes. The front
facade is divided into three bays – a prominent entry bay flanked by a wing on
each side. According to the David Killen who wrote the nomination, “Considered
Ultra Modern in comparison to other neighboring theaters, the Marianne was a
social destination for the residents of Bellevue. The neighborhood theater
became a significant place in which Americans participated in cultural
entertainments and forged their cultural values… [It] remains remarkably intact
from its time of construction.” It was nominated under Criterion C, property
that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of
construction. Its significance was evaluated within the context “Neighborhood
Theaters in Northern Kentucky, 1929-1965.”
