When going to a movie in New Orleans before the early 1950s, Black families had to enter through the back door and sit in balconies, separated from white patrons.
Then theaters, such as the Gem, opened for Black audiences.
In 1951, “movies, music, singing, comedy and other performances (at the Gem) were attended by mostly African-American audiences,” the Preservation Resource Center states.
Located at 3940 Thalia St., the Gem “provided a first-class experience to Black patrons,” a 2019 Country Roads Magazine article states. Films shown at the theater include “Giant from the Unknown,” “She Demons” and “Baby Face Nelson.”
The art deco building was designed by local architects Felix Julius Dreyfous and Solis Seiferth for Bijou Amusement Company in Memphis.
“The theater sat 1000 people and had wood laminated seats,” Historic Structures states. “It was certainly state of the art at the time as it was cooled with 60 tons of air conditioning.”
A stage was located in front of the movie screen where several Black artists, such as jazz trumpeter Avery “Kid” Howard, comedian Onnie “Lollypop” Jones, and jazz singer Alton Purnell, performed.
The Gem closed in 1960, a victim of desegregation. The New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission designated the building as a municipal landmark in 2011. It also is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Local developer Gregory Ensslen saved the building from demolition by opening Wayward Owl Brewing in 2016.
The building’s current occupant, the Zony Mash Beer Experience, announced that it will close June 1. Despite its uncertain future, the Gem still stands.
“It was an important source of entertainment,” Historic Structures states, “and a significant place where (Black residents) could, for a few hours at a time, escape the day to day rules that came with segregation in New Orleans.”
For more tales from New Orleans history, visit the Back in the Day archives.
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