From the 1910s until the 1940s, audiences flocked to elaborate theaters called a movie palace. Nicholas Diamos commissioned his version using a Southwestern Art Deco design. Opening night in 1930 featured an MGM movie named “Chasing Rainbows” starring Jack Benny plus a Mickey Mouse short. For years, the Fox Tucson Theatre was the epicenter of Tucson’s entertainment. After closing in 1974, it sat idle and deteriorated for 25 years. A $13 million restoration was required to reopen the performing arts landmark in 2005.
