BY REBECCA RHOADES O n Friday evening in late September, a crowd had gathered on the sidewalk in front of The Nile Theater in downtown Mesa. At 6:30 p.m., as the sun began to set, the audience, decked out in mostly black outfits and band T-shirts, let out a loud cheer. In the space above the front entrance, where previously a simple black awning had hung, an art deco-style marquee flickered to life, illuminating the busy stretch of Main Street. The marquee, a replica of the theater’s original marquee from 1924, was designed to commemorate the building’s 100th anniversary. Fabricated by Mesa-based Arizona Commercial Signs, the replica sign features engraved hieroglyphics, copper- hued pineapple finials, and the iconic image of King Tutankhamun’s mask. Surrounding the structure, LED lights mimic traditional incandescent bulbs and offer a golden glow when illuminated. A large electronic display announces upcoming shows. “We’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” says Michelle Donovan, owner and operator of the venue. “We thought that with this being the 100th year, it would be a good time to have it made and to celebrate. It’s like the finishing touch for the facade.” The influence of ancient Egypt The Nile was born at a time when Americans were fascinated by all things Egyptian. In the early 20th century, archaeologists regularly were discovering new tombs, temples and treasures in the northeast African country. Then in 1922, Egyptologist Howard Carter uncovered what would become one of the most signif- icant archaeological finds in history: King Tut’s tomb. Brimming with gold and jewels and packed with furniture, artwork and the young pharaoh’s mummy, the tomb sparked what is known as “Tutmania” or “Egyptomania.” Egyptian styles and themes permeated fashion, literature, art and cinema of the time. And Egyptian revival architecture drew inspiration from the geometric shapes and motifs found inside Tut’s burial chambers. In a fortuitous coincidence of timing, less than two months before the historic discovery, Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre had opened on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Its grandeur and style, combined with the news of Carter’s find, inspired the development of a rash of similar movie palaces. “Starting in the early 20th century, there was a new interest in things Egyptian. There were a couple of buildings constructed in the Egyptian manner. One was the Tempe National Bank at Sixth Street and Mill Avenue, which was a huge contrast from anything elsewhere in the Valley. It had a white glazed brick that had to have been absolutely brilliant in the sunlight, and it had a strong Egyptian theme,” says Victor Linhoff, president of the Mesa Preservation Foundation. “By the time the Nile was built, some of the explorations of the pyramids were taking place, and the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb had mesmerized the world and brought attention to Egypt. Around the country, it was popular to build movie palaces with an Egyptian theme. In Arizona, the Nile was unique because nothing like that had been built,” Linhoff continues. “There’s no documentation that we’ve seen that shows why the group of people who built it chose that theme, but one can only imagine that with all of the news about Egypt and the excitement of the days of the pharaohs, that it would be the motif they would pick.” By the early 1930s, there were more than 100 Egyptian theaters across the country. Today, fewer than 10 remain. High-tech and high-style The Nile Theater opened its doors to great fanfare on Sep. 2, 1924. Newspapers around the country lauded its devel- opment; The Arizona Republic even devoted an entire section to the theater, heaping praise on every detail, from its design to its opening performance. “When it opened, magazines and news- papers from all over the country, all over the world, were congratulating the theater,” notes Mesa historian and docu- mentary filmmaker Bruce Nelson. His 2016 documentary “Nile Theater: An Oasis in the Desert” looks at the history of this landmark building. “King Tut’s tomb had just been found and everybody was doing that kind of thing. It was really, really big at the time.” The development of the Valley’s first movie palace was a collaborative effort by three of the state’s leading movie moguls: Jo E. Rickards, Harry L. Nace and William Menhennet. The trio hired architect Hugh C. Gilbert to bring their vision to life at a cost of more than $200,000 (more than $.3.6 million in today’s economy). They named their theater The Nile. “Following a thought that has often appeared that the Salt River valley of Arizona is the only rival to the fertile Nile region, the management of the theater conceived the idea of naming their house after the historic river of Egypt and carrying out in every way a comprehensive Egyptian plan even in the minutest detail of decoration,” the Republic wrote in an article titled “New Edifice Marks Triumph in Field of Valley Playhouses.” The building, which occupies a lot 50 feet wide by 150 feet deep, was constructed on red Lehi brick. Outside, a colossal sign ran across the front of the building. Surrounding the theater’s name were the winged sun, which represents the omnipo- tence of the sun god Re, and a pair of lions, symbols of royalty and the guardians of temples. Below it, the ornamental marquee heralded the current attractions in electric lights. The Republic wrote, “The Nile Theater … is one of the most beautiful and best- arranged show houses in the Southwest. In one of its many articles about the project, the newspaper referred to the lobby, “done in characteristic Egyptian scarabs”; the inner lobby, “done in exquisite polychrome tints and embellished Egyptian heads”; and the auditorium, “decorated in characteristic Egyptian color The Nile in 2024. (Photo by Dave Pisani) The Nile before its opening in 1924. (Courtesy of Mesa Historical Museum) >> p 16
