Paramount Theatre 

In 2008, Elkus Manfredi Architects, along with lighting designer Cline Bettridge Bernstein, led the effort to restore Boston’s Paramount Theatre. The theatre, now a National Historic Landmark, had fallen into disrepair. Its original Art Deco furnishings were lost or destroyed over the years. Crenshaw was selected to provide the decorative lighting in 2008.The new Paramount Theatre is an extraordinary theatrical space and part of Emerson College’s extended campus.

While some of the Art Deco fixtures Crenshaw provided were replicated from historic records, others were created new in period style and designed to suit the renovated space. In all, ten types consisting of 51 fixtures were created for the theater. All are fabricated of solid brass, finished in a custom bronze lacquer finish, and fitted with amber opal and green opal glass lenses.

The large pilaster wall sconces lining the walls of the main auditorium with their geometric shapes and lavish crowns are a particularly bold example of the theatre’s Art Deco aesthetic. These sconces are constructed of leaded glass panes with custom flared amber opal glass petals and green opal glass inset details and are nearly four feet wide and eight feet tall. Equally noteworthy is the very large star pendant which greets visitors upon entry into the lobby. Nearly four feet in diameter and composed of eight points and a complex multi-faceted construction, it makes a memorable first impression.

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARCHITECTURE FOR BUILDING ADDITIONS OR ADAPTIVE REUSE SCUP/AIA-CAE (2012)

PRESERVATION HONOR AWARD NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION (2011)

PAUL E TSONGAS AWARD PRESERVATION MASSACHUSETTS (2011)

MERIT AWARD UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF THEATER TECHNOLOGY (2011)

DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD (VENUES) LIVE DESIGN MAGAZINE (2011)

HONOR AWARD FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE, BOSTON SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTS (2010)

DESIGN AWARD, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS – NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER (2010)

PRESERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, SIGNIFICANT REHABILITATION/RESTORATION - BOSTON PRESERVATI0N ALLIANCE (2010)

PROJECT OF THE YEAR, RENOVATION/RESTORATION - NEW YORK CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE (2010)