Address: 401 North 7th Street Construction Date: 1926 Demolition Date: 1996 Architect: C.W. Rapp & George Rapp
AMBASSADOR THEATRE
The Ambassador Theatre opened in August 1926. It cost the Skouras brothers $5.5 million to build the theatre. The Skouras brothers, also controlled 38 other theatres in the St. Louis area. The 17-story building had offices on the top floors. The theatre occupied the ground floor. The Ambassador was used primarily for movies, although some concerts were held here after new owners took over in 1974. The Ambassador Theatre showed the first 3-D movie in St. Louis in 1953. In 1954, the Ambassador became a Cinerama theatre. The theatre closed in 1959 for remodeling, then reopened and returned to first-run movies in 1959. The Ambassador Theatre closed its door in 1976 and many attempts were made to revitalize the once glamorous theatre. These efforts failed and the Ambassador Theatre was torn down in 1996.
