Curated Video
Movie Palaces: Escaping Hardship in the Glamour of Cinema
The creation of movie palaces during the Great Depression and World Wars provided a much-needed escape for people of all backgrounds. These opulent theaters offered a taste of luxury, allowing ordinary citizens to experience the grandeur...
Curated Video
Starmaking and the Formation of United Artists
In the early 1910s, movie studios began developing the "star system," which created and promoted national stars like Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. These stars became central to the studios' marketing efforts, leading to...
Curated Video
The Cultural Significance of Movie Palaces
For more than a century, visiting a movie palace or attending a theater performance has been a magical and transformative experience. This video highlights how theaters have historically served as cultural hubs where people could escape...
Curated Video
A New Life for Old Theaters as Multi-Use Spaces
The Art House Convergence has become a vital resource for community-based, mission-driven cinemas, fostering a renewed appreciation for independent theaters. Over the past decade, there has been a resurgence in the number of these...
Curated Video
Preserving the Magic: The Struggle to Save Historic Theaters
The decline of traditional movie theaters resulted significant cultural loss, as the shared experience of watching films in grand, communal spaces fades. With the rise of streaming platforms, fewer films are shown in theaters,...
Curated Video
Social Shifts in the 1960s Lead to the Fall of Movie Palaces
In the mid to late 1960s, social and racial divisions, and the decline of downtown areas, contributed to the deterioration of many movie palaces. As people moved to the suburbs and entertainment options expanded, these once-thriving...
Curated Video
From Vaudeville Stages to the Silver Screens of Hollywood
The Warner brothers began their career in the Pittsburgh area by opening a small theater but soon realized the greater potential in making movies. This led them and others to shift from theater operations to film production, eventually...
Amor Sciendi
The Brooklyn Bridge is a Metaphor
John A. Roebling's vision for this bridge incorporated the technology of the past with the future as well as Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Amor Sciendi
Architect of a Nation
Thomas Jefferson influenced the architecture of the nation from the start, and he had a reason for everything he did.
Curated Video
The White House
The White House is perhaps the most iconic work of architecture in America - learn how it's design and style represents power, democracy and liberty.
Amor Sciendi
A Terminal and a Temple
Grand Central is the great entrance way into New York City, but it's so much cooler than that. It's a Temple to commerce and connection... and a beautiful one.
Amor Sciendi
A Building with An American Accent
The Flatiron building had been painted and photographed by artists for over a century because it looks so different, but the parts that draw on tradition are just as interesting.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Hunt, the Great Hall
In this video [2:53] Met curator Morrison Heckscher on form and function in Richard Morris Hunt's The Great Hall.