The Senator Theatre[2] is an Art Deco landmark built by E. Eyring for Durkee Enterprises at an original cost of $250,000. It opened to the public Oct. 5, 1939. The first movie it featured was Stanley and Livingstone, starring Spencer Tracy and Nancy Kelly. The architect, John J. Zink, designed the Senator with a circular upper structure of glass blocks and limestone. Multicolored backlighting of the glass block was added to produce a dramatic effect at night.The lobby still features the original terrazzo floors, and art deco murals about the history of performing arts. A massive gold curtain still opens to dramatically reveal the screen before each performance. The theatre’s interior is accented by a back lit sun-burst at the apex of the screen, and rainbow prisms in the recessed ceiling. "Originally, it had 1150 seats but that has gone down to 900." [3]The Senator Theatre also has two skyboxes for private parties. They are connected by a mezzanine overlooking the outer lobby and can host up to 40 people.The sidewalk in front of the theatre features a ‘walk of fame’ which highlights local cinematic accomplishments.The Senator Theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1]On March 5th, 2007, the Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) is scheduled to review and vote on the proposed Baltimore City Landmark designation for the Senator Theatre
