A peek into the Fox Theatre archives 50 years after 'Save the Fox' campaign

Archives Day examines fascinating history of Fox Theatre

Fifty years ago, we came very close to losing the iconic Fox Theatre. Now a special event is celebrating the fascinating history of the 96-year-old Atlanta venue with a deep dive into the ''Save The Fox'' campaign.

ATLANTA - There’s no place in Atlanta like the historic Fox Theatre, which hosts some of the brightest stars in the entertainment galaxy under the twinkling artificial stars of its ceiling.

But a little more than 50 years ago, the city came perilously close to losing this majestic venue – until the surrounding community rallied to "Save The Fox."

This morning on Good Day Atlanta, we took an exclusive look into the 96-year-old venue’s archives, exploring the fascinating history of the Fox Theatre and the whirlwind of publicity that surrounded its resurrection and reopening in 1975.

Originally dreamed up as a home to Atlanta’s Shriners organization, the ornate theater eventually opened on Christmas Day 1929 as a movie palace, named for movie mogul William Fox (yes, the same Fox of 20th Century Fox and FOX 5 Atlanta!). By the way, the very first movie screened for audiences at the Fox was "Steamboat Willie," the landmark Disney cartoon starring Mickey Mouse. After decades of hosting films and live entertainment, the Fox fell into severe disrepair, and closed its doors in 1974. The idea was to demolish the venue, but Atlanta locals weren’t about to let that happen; instead, they formed a nonprofit called Atlanta Landmarks and launched the "Save The Fox" campaign. Historians say it was a truly grassroots effort – more than $3 million was raised, but no single donation topped $400,000, meaning most of the money came in small increments from community members who couldn’t stand to see the venue disappear.

Of course, it all worked, and the Fox Theatre reopened in 1975; today the gorgeous 4,665-seat theatre hosts a packed lineup of Broadway hits, music icons, and the country’s top comedians. It’s still run by the nonprofit Atlanta Landmarks – today known as Fox Theatre, Inc. – and historians maintain meticulous archives tracing its nearly century-long story. The Fox Theatre annually teams up with the Atlanta History Center to host Fox Theatre Archives Day, allowing attendees a rare peek at some of the items from the archives; this year’s event is happening on Sunday, Aug. 10 at 3 p.m. (click here for more information).

We couldn’t wait until August to get a look at some of the historical artifacts kept in the Fox Theatre archives, so we spent a few hours exploring this morning – click the video player in this article to check it out!