Q: What happened to the Rhodes Theatre that was in Atlanta for many years?
—Frances Roper, Conyers
A: The building is still there, but one of Atlanta's classic theaters went dark the final time in 1985. Natives and longtime residents will remember that the Rhodes, which proudly boasted it had air conditioning, was part of the city's first shopping center. Rhodes Center opened in 1938 and also included a grocery store, a bakery, a restaurant and several other businesses in a development that surrounded Rhodes Hall between Spring and Peachtree streets. The theater showed many first-run and popular movies, and sometimes was decorated to reflect what was playing. Curtains were hung in the front of the building to make it look like a desert tent for "Lawrence of Arabia" and painted dancing girls adorned the entryway for "Can-Can." Many regulars struck up friendships with Elva Spangenberg, who sold tickets there from 1944 until the Rhodes closed in December 1985. I'll have to write more about her in a future column because she was a remarkable woman who was 99 when the Rhodes closed, but refused to retire and went to work as a tour guide at Rhodes Hall. Appropriately, the final movie shown at the Rhodes was "The Last Picture Show."
Q: When did construction begin on Interstate 285? When did it finish?
—Frank Burnette, Decatur
A: You couldn't always go round and round and round on what's become known as the Perimeter, as former Braves pitcher Pascual Perez famously did in 1982. Construction on I-285 began in stages in 1957, coincidentally the year Perez was born. When one stretch was completed, construction crews would move onto the next, gradually encircling Atlanta with a great concrete and asphalt moat that's jammed with traffic most days. The Perimeter was finally completed on Oct. 15, 1969, an event that was marked by a ceremony that included Gov. Lester Maddox riding on the hood of a Cadillac convertible that burst through a paper banner.
If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com or call 404-222-2002.
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