Heritage Happy Hour at the Jefferson Theatre
May 16 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
$10
Join us for our next Heritage Happy Hour on May 16th, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Theatre for our Annual Members Meeting! Enjoy wine and craft beer showcased by Giglio Distributing Co., and tour this piece of Beaumont’s history! All are welcome – members only will be able to vote on the board slate.
Admission:
-Free for all Beaumont Heritage Society members
-$10 for all non-BHS members 21+
From the Jefferson Theatre website: “The Jefferson Theatre was designed by noted architect Emile Weil and built in 1927 in downtown Beaumont for the Jefferson Amusement Company, Sol E. Gordon and J. C. Clemmons, partners, at a cost of one million dollars. Constructed of the finest materials available at the time, the Jefferson was a magnificent structure as well as a center for entertainment . . .a Movie Palace. The Beaumont Journal once described it in this manner: “Of striking Old Spanish architecture, the interior radiates romance and charm in the perfect blending of color, tone, architecture, sculpture, and fabric and breathes an eloquence of grandeur that is felt quite as much as it is seen.”
The Jefferson Theatre opened on Monday, November 14, 1927, with a program including The Jefferson Grand Orchestra conducted by Frank Harris, the organ played by Alice Richmond, and the movie “Rose of the Golden West” starring Mary Astor and Gilbert Roland. The theater hosted traveling shows, vaudevillians, and drama, in addition to some of the world’s greatest motion pictures, including “It’s A Wonderful Life,” whose 1947 premiere was held at the Jefferson Theatre, with star James Stewart and director Frank Capra in attendance. The Jefferson Theatre was THE showplace of entertainment for four decades and the pride of the Jefferson Amusement Company, led in later years by Julius Gordon, son of Sol Gordon. In addition to the theater’s other dazzling appointments, a magnificent Robert Morton Wonder Organ, voiced particularly for the acoustics of the Jefferson, was installed on a platform that allowed it to rise majestically from the orchestra pit to stage level. The organ’s 778 pipes and many percussive effects produced a variety of sounds rivaling those of an actual orchestra.
The Jefferson Theatre was beautifully restored after many decades and celebrated it’s Grand Reopening, November 5-15, 2003. Owned and operated by the City of Beaumont, the theatre has become the cornerstone of entertainment in Downtown. Weekly Classic Movie Nights began in August 2014 and are wildly successful with more than 12,000 attendees annually. Major concerts and shows in the last year include Pat Benatar, Bobby Bones, Russian Grand Ballet, Travis Tritt, Rodney Carrington, and Tracy Byrd.”
Heritage Happy Hour is an ongoing outreach program typically held every other month, with each event highlighting a historical landmark, time, exhibit, or organization, featuring complimentary craft beer provided by Giglio Distributing Co. (wine and non-alcoholic beverages also available). We believe that by promoting and sharing our local history and its historical significance in a fun and social way, we can also share and promote the efforts to preserve Beaumont’s historical landscape. Join the Beaumont Heritage Society today at beaumontheritage.org/membership and be a part of making a difference!