One of the benefits of holding your meeting in a second-tier city is the accessibility of unique venues an reasonable prices. At a recent meeting held at the Charleston Place Hotel in beautiful Charleston, SC, our group had its reception and dinner function in the Riviera Theatre designed by architect Charles Collins Benton. Guests truly enjoyed the history and the atmosphere. With such a pronounced restaurant scene in the Charleston, we considered the evening’s 90% attendance a huge success!
The Riviera, an Art Deco treasure found on Charleston’s King Street, was built on the site of the Academy of Music in 1939. It is listed on the National Registry as part of one of city’s Historic Districts. The facade is of light stone trimmed with black. The vestibule and foyer are finished in black formica and chromium with background of flex wood, and above the entrance is a long mural depicting a scene of Lake Como. The theater opened with a modern heating and cooling system, the latest projection equipment, an automatic drop curtain and organ – and admissions prices of only 25¢! The opening film was "Secrets of a Nurse" with Edmund Lowe, Helen Mack, Dick Foran and Paul Hurst. This stunning theater was the home of first run pictures, on its fifty foot screen, until 1977.
The Riviera was leased to a church group in 1979 and by the mid-1980's, threatened with demolition. The Friends of the Riviera protected the theater and it was eventually sold to the Charleston Place Hotel (located just across the street) in 1993. The hotel soon launched a $4 million renovation project that would take four years to complete. The entire theater was restored save for the removal of the main floor seating to create a ballroom-style meeting space. The Riviera re-opened as a conference center and retail space, but more than 90 percent of the original interior had been restored. The beautiful murals were repaired or copied and the extraordinary plaster details look like they did in 1939. While its days as a single-screen movie theater are over, the Riviera Theater's history is preserved. It continues to serve the Charleston community and its architectural beauty will enchant visitors for decades to come.
Because this historic theatre is today wholly owned and operated by the Charleston Place, there was no rental fee for the space – just the food & beverage minimum from the meeting’s contract. Our Special Events Manager with the hotel helped to customize a menu perfect for our group’s size, palette and budget. Our set-up staff, bartender, and banquet staff were also through the hotel – and thus already familiar faces. Rental fees alone for similar space in a city like Chicago would cost thousands of dollars – and that is before factoring in off-site catering costs for furniture and linen rental, florals, etc. We were able to achieve an experience unique to Charleston for our client and guests without any additional expense.
Sources:
Melnick, Ross. “Riviera Theater.” Cinema Treasures.
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/284/
Author Unknown. “Riviera Theatre – Charleston, SC.” SC Movie Theatres.
http://www.scmovietheatres.com/chas_riv.html
Author Unknown. “Venues – Riviera Theatre & Conference Center.” Charleston Place.
http://www.orient-express.com/web/ocha/ocha_c3d1_riviera.jsp
The Riviera, an Art Deco treasure found on Charleston’s King Street, was built on the site of the Academy of Music in 1939. It is listed on the National Registry as part of one of city’s Historic Districts. The facade is of light stone trimmed with black. The vestibule and foyer are finished in black formica and chromium with background of flex wood, and above the entrance is a long mural depicting a scene of Lake Como. The theater opened with a modern heating and cooling system, the latest projection equipment, an automatic drop curtain and organ – and admissions prices of only 25¢! The opening film was "Secrets of a Nurse" with Edmund Lowe, Helen Mack, Dick Foran and Paul Hurst. This stunning theater was the home of first run pictures, on its fifty foot screen, until 1977.
The Riviera was leased to a church group in 1979 and by the mid-1980's, threatened with demolition. The Friends of the Riviera protected the theater and it was eventually sold to the Charleston Place Hotel (located just across the street) in 1993. The hotel soon launched a $4 million renovation project that would take four years to complete. The entire theater was restored save for the removal of the main floor seating to create a ballroom-style meeting space. The Riviera re-opened as a conference center and retail space, but more than 90 percent of the original interior had been restored. The beautiful murals were repaired or copied and the extraordinary plaster details look like they did in 1939. While its days as a single-screen movie theater are over, the Riviera Theater's history is preserved. It continues to serve the Charleston community and its architectural beauty will enchant visitors for decades to come.
Because this historic theatre is today wholly owned and operated by the Charleston Place, there was no rental fee for the space – just the food & beverage minimum from the meeting’s contract. Our Special Events Manager with the hotel helped to customize a menu perfect for our group’s size, palette and budget. Our set-up staff, bartender, and banquet staff were also through the hotel – and thus already familiar faces. Rental fees alone for similar space in a city like Chicago would cost thousands of dollars – and that is before factoring in off-site catering costs for furniture and linen rental, florals, etc. We were able to achieve an experience unique to Charleston for our client and guests without any additional expense.
Sources:
Melnick, Ross. “Riviera Theater.” Cinema Treasures.
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/284/
Author Unknown. “Riviera Theatre – Charleston, SC.” SC Movie Theatres.
http://www.scmovietheatres.com/chas_riv.html
Author Unknown. “Venues – Riviera Theatre & Conference Center.” Charleston Place.
http://www.orient-express.com/web/ocha/ocha_c3d1_riviera.jsp
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