When Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre was built shortly after the turn of the 20th century, it paired that era's cutting edge technology (motion pictures) with hand-crafted architectural details to create a lavish entertainment experience for patrons. Almost 100 years later, a complete renovation of the aging movie palace repeats history.
No longer a movie theater, the Hippodrome hosts some of today's most high-tech theatrical performances (i.e Broadway musicals). Theater-goers still experience the grandeur of a bygone era. Gorgeous details like the ornamental plasterwork and gilded moldings were lovingly restored.
On February 5, 2004, after a $64 million renovation, the massive, ornate 2,286-seat entertainment palace that once presented Vaudeville acts began its second run as a premier entertainment destination on the East Coast.
The Hippodrome, built in 1914, isn’t just the Hippodrome anymore. The new facility, known as the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, comprises three historic buildings: the Hippodrome Theatre, the former Western National Bank and the former Eutaw Savings Bank—plus a fourth new structure that links the four-story facilities.
The center now boasts nearly 139,000 square feet of working space, which includes a more than 21,000-square-feet of lobby. The center also includes the M&T Bank Pavilion, a luxurious space used for off-Broadway productions, wedding receptions, corporate meetings and other events.
The stage, 108 feet wide, more than 50 feet deep and seven stories high, more than doubled in square footage. It is set up to easily handle any special effects or entertainment pizzazz that a Broadway production could throw at it.
The expansive, plush lobby offers all today's expected amenities. The Hipp Café serves light fare, drinks and desserts in a bistro-like setting before and after shows, and five concession locations with 19 points of sale mean no long lines for a glass of wine!
Outside, present-day patrons see a now cleaned and repaired Eutaw Street facade of brick, limestone and terra cotta. Artisans reconstructed a terra cotta cornice depicting a floral swag, masks and a lyre. The theater's landmark Hippodrome "blade" sign, standing 33 feet tall and 5 feet wide, was recreated. Now 500 incandescent bulbs illuminate the marquee.
The pediment over the proscenium arch above the stage is dominated by a 45-foot-by-25-foot allegorical mural of Athena, goddess of the arts, and the muses of history and comedy. Water damage destroyed about 20 percent of the mural, which now has been brought back.
The ceiling in the central portion of the original house featured ornamental plasterwork and frescoes of classical scenes, gilded moldings and recessed curved panels. Time took its toll on these as well. But referring to old drawings and photos, workers carefully restored the ceiling, including the dramatic 55-foot-by-33-foot gold leaf medallion above the balcony.
Lighting and sound, of course, were also brought into the 21st century. The large ceiling medallions, for instance, once softly lit by small bulbs, are now illuminated with fiber optic lights. And while a large Moller pipe organ provided incidental music during movies and live acts, the Hippodrome of today, operated by performing arts behemoth Live Nation, boasts a top-of-the-line sound system with a digital mixing console and a multichannel infrared listening system for the hearing impaired.
This chapter in the Hippodrome's history starts in the late 1990s, when Baltimore had a problem in the area of performing arts. The Mechanic Theatre, built in 1967 with a seating capacity of about 1,600, was the main venue for Broadway shows playing in Charm City. But with the rise of megamusicals like Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon, the Mechanic’s limited space—both for the audience and the cast and crew—became decidedly less, well, charming.
The city’s political leaders, developers and arts community analyzed three options: build a new state-of-the-art facility within the city that could accommodate these colossal shows, build outside the city amid the enticing demographics of the suburbs or renovate a historic entertainment house and convince theater-goers and, just as importantly, megamusical producers of the benefits of combining old and new.
For the city that created Camden Yards with its old-time charm with modern conveniences, the answer was obvious: a bold update of the legendary Hippodrome Theatre.
Hippodrome Theatre
Location: 12 North Eutaw Street
On the University of Maryland Baltimore campus, the Hippodrome is just three blocks west of the Mechanic Theatre and four blocks north of Camden Yards.
Capacity: 2,286
Phone:
Box office hours:
Hippodrome ticket office sells individual tickets through ticket Ticketmaster and subscription sales are through Broadway Across America.
For sold out shows, check out TicketsNow.