evolution of American movie theaters. The files include more than 24,000 images and some 315 linear feet of paper materials. The images and papers ill ustrate how movie screenings first became an established part of programs offered in vaudeville theaters and opera houses, and th en how storefront spaces in existing buildings were adapted for the specific purpose of exhibiting fi lms and became "nickelodeons." Mter that came custom-built theaters, open-air theaters, and ornate movie "palaces," built mainly in larger cities in the 1910s and '20s. The B'hend and Kaufmann Collection includes photos and background information for many "palaces," and shows how that aesthetic fi ltered down to neighborhood houses in communities of all sizes. Left: This spectacular, neoclassical neighborhood theater in Chicago, designed by J.E.O. Pridmore, opened in 1927. The Sheridan later became a synagogue, then ran Spanish-language films, before being demolished in 1994. Right: Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which opened in 1927 in Hollywood, is likely the world's best-known movie theater. Previously, exhibitor Sid Grauman had contributed the Million Dollar, Egyptian and Metropolitan (later the Paramount, Downtown) to the Los Angeles theater scene. The photos depict every aspect of a theater: exteriors, marquees, box offices, lobbies, decor, auditoria, projection booths, concession stands, even personnel. The photographic collection also captures important technological developments: the coming of sound, CinemaScope, 3D, Cinerama and other landmarks. The paper h oldings include box office records, legal documents such as leases and insurance reports, inventories, newspaper and magazine clippings, programs (many original), and booklets on restoration projects. There are also hundreds of detailed building blueprints. The collection features the work of many distinguished architects: Thomas Lamb, G. Albert Lansburgh, John Eberson, S. Charles Lee, Rapp and Rapp, B. Marcus Priteca andJ.E.O. Pridmore, to name a few. Also well represented are trends in movie advertising and in the naming of theaters. In the 1910s and '20s, for example, it was common to find the names of ornate big-city movie palaces adorning their more modest small­ town counterparts. Among the grandest of all movie palaces were New York City's Capitol and Roxy Theatres, but the B'hend and Kaufmann Collection The very striking art deco auditorium of the Paramount Theatre in documents 64 theaters in 26 states named "Capitol" at one time or another, Aurora, Illinois, was designed by architects Rapp and Rapp. The and 30 "Roxy" or "Roxie" theaters in 13 states. Other Manhattan houses whose Paramount opened in 1931 and is still operating as a live venue. CONTI NU ED ON PAGE 22 2ND QUARTER 2011 I ACAD E MY REPORT I 21 .