The College of Charleston’s redesigned Sottile Theatre marquee is one of “North America’s Most Distinctive Theater Marquees,” according to The Atlantic Cities. The list of 25 includes such notables as the Fox Theatre (Detroit, Mich.), the Chicago Theatre (Chicago, Ill.), the Union Theatre and 5th Avenue Theatre (Los Angeles, Cal.), and the Paramount Theater (Oakland, Cal.).
The Sottile Theatre is a performing arts venue currently used for College of Charleston and the Charleston community events. The marquee was redesigned after being damaged in 2010. It’s modeled after the original at the formerly named Gloria Theatre, which went up on the corner of King and George streets in 1927. The historic theater was the first place in South Carolina to show “Gone with the Wind” in 1939 and was donated to the College in 1990.
“If you’re into cities, urban history, or even typefaces, it’s hard to ignore a theater marquee,” writes Mark Byrnes, a fellow at The Atlantic Cities. “These architectural appendages have lured us into plays and movies for decades, but changing tastes and technologies have made them a more uncommon sight. As they become more rare, old marquees have taken on a deeper cultural meaning, frequently serving as visual anchors for a street or cultural district.”
The College worked with Charleston architects Whitney Powers and Sandy Logan to complete the redesign.
View the complete list here: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2012/04/north-americas-most-distinctive-theater-marquees/1810/#slide3
