Designed by the firm of Batch and Stanberry, the Fox Theater opened as a combination cinema and vaudeville house. With the death of vaudeville, the space formerly occupied by the large stage was converted to a smaller cinema fronting Seventh Street in 1942. Because of its proximity to Hollywood, the Fox served through the 1960's as a choice motion picture preview house. The first public screening of "Gone With the Wind" took place in this building.