The Embassy Theater

The Embassy Theater is the last of the great movie and stage houses in Fort Wayne, and its restoration marks one of the city's outstanding volunteer efforts. , Construction of the theater and the adjoining Indiana Hotel was begun in 1926. Designed by the local architect A. M. Strauss with theater architect John Eberson, this theater was one of the first Fort Wayne buildings to be air conditioned. Soon after it opened on May 14, 1928, the theater was purchased by Clyde Quimby who named it the "Emboyd," in memory of his mother, Emma Boyd. The marquee of the Emboyd was five stories high, the tallest elevated sign in Indiana. In 1952, the theater's name was changed to the "Embassy." , Since its first performances, the central feature of the theater has been the grand 1,150-pipe Page Organ. The volunteer effort to save the Embassy when it faced economic ruin began in 1974 when area organ buffs began a city-wide fund-raising campaign. This was followed by an extraordinary "hands-on” undertaking by everyday citizens to refurbish the entire building. , Since 1975, the Embassy has served as the community's principal theater facility, including use by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra as its main concert hall. , The Emboyd Theater shorty after it was opened in 1928 (Michael L. Westfall Collection). , Presented by the Journal-Gazette Foundation , For more information, contact: Arch an organization for historic preservation