Fox Theatre

Detail: Atlanta's Fox Theatre, originally the Yaarab Temple Shrine Mosque, was designed in the late 1920's as headquarters for the 5,000-member Shriners organization.  To generate additional funding, the Shriners worked out a deal with movie mogul William Fox, who at that time was building movie "palaces" in Detroit, St. Louis, Brooklyn and San Francisco. He made this his Southeastern jewel with minor alterations in the original blueprints.  The Fox has generated millions of dollars for the Atlanta economy. An impressive range of events continues to attract nearly three-quarters of a million visitors a year, from Atlanta area residents to tourists to international dignitaries.

The Fox stands today as a fiercely protected landmark and a nationally acclaimed theater; having survived depression, mortgage foreclosure, bankruptcy, competition, television, real estate development, and above all, age.

The Fox is an impeccably intact and aggressively preserved Landmark that has been designated a National Historic Landmark (the highest national ranking), listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Fox is also a Georgia Museum Building (the most prestigious statewide ranking).