History

The Yaarab Temple chapter of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine commissioned a new temple in the late 1920s, intending a building that would serve both as a ceremonial mosque for Shriner functions and as a rentable auditorium. The architects Marye, Alger & Vinour, led by Olivier J. Vinour, designed an elaborate Moorish-Egyptian fusion complex. William Fox, the cinema exhibitor who had built a national chain of movie palaces, was brought in as a partner to help finance the construction, and his name was attached to the building. Fox went bankrupt in 1929 — the building he had lent his name to opened the same year — and the theatre passed to other operators.

The Fox survived the Depression and the Second World War as a major Atlanta venue, hosting films, concerts, and theatrical productions. By the 1970s, however, the economics of large movie palaces had collapsed, and Southern Bell Telephone announced plans to demolish the Fox and build an office tower on the site. The response from Atlanta’s civic community was extraordinary: a preservation campaign called “Save the Fox” raised funds and lobbied the city, eventually resulting in the building’s designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and a long-term lease arrangement that kept it as a performance venue.

A major restoration in the 1970s and periodic subsequent campaigns have maintained the interior in extraordinary condition. The Fox today operates as one of the busiest performing arts venues in the United States, hosting touring Broadway productions, concerts, and the Atlanta Ballet.