The National

Richmond, Virginia’s National Theater at 7th and East Broad streets opened with much fanfare in 1923. It became a part of the then-thriving downtown theater scene. Touring vaudeville acts of the era performed on its stage. Its screen was lit up with silent movies, accompanied by live music in the largest orchestra pit in the state. In its heyday, such local and national show-biz luminaries as Eddie Cantor and Orson Welles regularly looked over the footlights at Richmond audiences from the National's stage.

An "atmospheric theater," The National was designed by architect Claude K. Howell, who also created many Monument Avenue residences. One writer gushed that The National was "handsome, stately, adorned but not ornate..." The appointments were installed by famed sculptor Ferruccio Legnaioli, whose touches include nymphs throughout and a frieze of them near the roof line.

Outside, The National resembles an Italian Renaissance villa while inside is more restrained. Oval domes over the two-level lobby and the auditorium give an impression of palatial spaciousness. The theater could then seat 1,114 people and included four boxes, still intact. The largest orchestra pit in Virginia could hold a 25-member orchestra, an organ and a player piano. A billiards hall briefly occupied the basement.

The National will see another chapter of its history unfold as Richmond’s newest concert venue is rediscovered.