Atlanta Roxy Marquee – Landmark Art

Description

There are some landmarks that are as much about a time as a place. And I think the Atlanta Roxy fits that category. When I moved to Atlanta in the late 90’s, the Roxy was one of the music venues in town. I have to admit, though, that I never saw a show here. In my years in Atlanta, there was one band I had planned to see and they had to cancel at the last minute. But I know my experience is not the norm as the Atlanta Roxy is one of those places that I always seem to encounter people with memorable stories about a night out there.

The Atlanta Roxy opened as the Buckhead Theater in 1930. Built in the fashionable Neo-Baroque style it was one of the first purpose-built theaters for movies with sound in the Atlanta area. It would change hands several times before becoming the Atlanta Roxy, a place to see live music in the now infamous Buckhead bar district.

By the time I left Atlanta, it’s time as the Roxy was passing into history. It had been closed for renovation and I’m ever so glad I got pictures of that colorful and vibrant marquee before it fled the scene. When renovations were complete, it re-opened again as the Buckhead Theater and with a much more sedate appearance when compared to the music venue of my memory.

Neighborhoods change, buildings change, but our memories last us a life time. And even though I don’t have personal memories of the Atlanta Roxy, I still look at it and remember listening to the local rock stations advertise what was on that night at the Roxy. It takes me back to that era as much as the city of Atlanta itself.

I included the Roxy in my series of Atlanta landmarks because, at the time, it was part of the local fabric of the city. Now this art print has become a nostalgic look back to boot.