Last month, I posted about the allure of the femme fatale and mentioned the upcoming Twilight Images film noir shoot.

Well, the shoot was last weekend and it was AMAZING! As requested by Retro Richmond reader Declan, here’s a sneak peak of one of the girls from this shoot — with hair and make-up provided by yours truly!

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

This photo is inspired by this Greta Garbo photo.

Here’s someone who doesn’t know what a gem they have! This Heywood-Wakefield set popped up on Craigslist last night with an asking price of $575! I’ve seen the headboard and footboard go for more than that alone.

It looks like three pieces from the Hey-Wake Niagara collection:

5 Drawer Chest

Dresser

Headboard/Footboard

And one piece from the Hey-Wake Riviera collection:

Nightstand

Here’s what the seller had to say:

Check out this great 50s bedroom set. Looks to be made of maple. Very solid and in very good condition. This was used solely as a set in our guest bedroom. Comes with lightly used Kingsdown Queen set. Mirror dresser measures 42 wide by 65 tall with mirror. (top dresser is missing, has apron attached as shown) Tall dresser is 33×48. Side table is 13×26. Mattress set alone cost over $500.

Serious Inquiries only

This is a great find! Heywood-Wakefield is HIGHLY collectible and generally goes for a pretty penny. So snatch this set up! It won’t last long at this price.

I recently received an e-mail from Retro Richmond reader Toby asking about mid-century communities in the area. Here’s what he had to say:

My wife and I are real big fans of Retro Richmond.

I’m interviewing for a job up there — in Raleigh now — and I’ve got a question for ya.

Are there any mid-century neighborhoods in town (or the outlying towns) that would be a good place to start looking? Nothing too fancy and nothing bombed out — just a cool old neighborhood with REAL people living in it?

A time capsule would be great, but I’m not gonna get my hopes up.

Thanks for your time — and for a great web site.

Toby

I’ve suggested Highland Hills, Chamberlayne Hills, Monument Avenue (a shot in the dark, I know) and the area near Bellevue off Brook. There are a few in there. But where else?

I’m turning to my Richmond readers once again! Let’s help Toby find a cool mid-century home! If you know of some happening mid-century neighborhoods in and around town, please post a comment and let everyone know.

It will also give me an idea of places to take photos!

I’ve taken so many photos for this site that sometimes one will slip right by me and get lost in the bunch. This photo of the Richmond Camera sign is no exception!

I’m glad I happened to stumble upon it today. It would be a shame not to share this beauty with everyone.

Richmond Camera Shop was founded by 21-year-old photographer James Bullard in 1938. Located at 121 E. Grace St., Bullard’s quaint shop was the first of its kind in the Richmond area. Today, there are about 10 Richmond Camera locations.

This sign marks Richmond Camera’s flagship store on East Grace, a few doors down from Perly’s Delicatessen, another Richmond landmark.

Here’s a picture of Richmond’s original camera shop in all its glory.

After the MCMeetup at Dot’s Back Inn last weekend, we decided to go next door to Samis Grotto — formerly known as the Bellevue Theater — to check it out. Luckily for us, the owners were there and let us have a peek inside.

Bellevue Theater, 1938

You can find another image of the theater from 1936 here.

The theater was designed by Henry Carl Messerschmidt and built in 1932, three years before mid-century modern design was born. Though the theater’s architectural design and style are clearly Art Deco, which was the popular design of that time, we stumbled across a plethora of mid-century furniture inside that time (and probably the owners) have forgotten about!

Bellevue Theater, today

Located at 4028 Rappahannock Street (which became MacArthur Avenue after World War II), the Bellevue Theater was one of two movie showplaces in Northside. The Ginter Theater, located down the block where Once Upon A Vine now stands, was the other. The Ginter had a short run as a movie palace before becoming a skating rink. The theater eventually closed its doors for good and was torn down.

Ginter Theater, 1938

It has been said that in its glory the Bellevue looked very similar to another popular local movie house, the Byrd Theatre. With its marble foyer and deco-patterned borders, the Bellevue played host to hundreds of patrons, including former Richmonders Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine.

Inside the lobby, leading upstairs to the lounge

Before the Bellevue closed in 1963, WRVA hosted a “Grand Ole Opry”-type show there and it’s rumored that some big country acts — like Sunshine Sue and Hank Williams — once graced the theater’s stage.

The stage today with the backdrops left over from the WRVA days.

The Shriners bought the building in 1967 and it became the Samis Grotto Shrine. Before the purchase, the beautiful theater windows and some of the doors in front were bricked over. The marble foyer was cloaked in wall-to-wall carpet.

The Shriners removed the theater seats and divided them among various masonic lodges in the Richmond area. They leveled the sloping floor and covered it in checkered linoleum to turn the once-bustling theater into a large open meeting hall.

The balcony and main room as viewed from the stage.

But some things were left the same. The original movie screen is still hanging. The decorative wall sconces still give off a ghostly glow. The original lounge and balcony carpet still grace the floors.

Original wall sconce

1930s balcony carpeting

This looks like a vintage Remcraft light

Though the balcony has become a storage haven for old Christmas decorations and miscellaneous junk, the lounge still looks like a place where the Rat Pack would have partied!

Lounge bar

Mid-century display case with 3-rod hairpin legs

1940s bent wood Thonet chair

The upstairs projection room in the Bellevue looks like a time capsule.

Projection room

I think that orange sofa may be a Knoll. What do you think?

Knoll sofa?

House lights controllers

The current owner said at one point she considered renovating the old theater back to its original condition, but was told it would cost more than $1 million to do so and bring it up to code. Could you imagine? Northside could have its Bellevue Theater back! That would be amazing.

Although the current owners know most of the history of their little movie palace, a few questions remain. What did the inside look like in the 1930s and 1940s? Are there photographs out there? Was there a grandiose chandelier hanging in the main room where the tiny disco ball now dangles? If so, where did it go? Was it sold to the Byrd Theatre?

So again, I’m throwing these questions at my readers. Can anyone help unlock more secrets of the Bellevue’s past?

Special thanks to Barry for taking these photos. Next time I’ll be sure to bring my camera!

The first Retro Richmond MCMeetup was a success! There was great food, great conversation, great stories and, as an added bonus, we got to tour the old Bellevue movie theater afterward! I’ll be posting those photos later today.

For those of you who missed out, we’ll meet up again next month on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. at Plaza Bowl for a night of mid-century discussion and duckpin bowling! Mark your calendars now!

The big day is almost here and I’ve only heard from one person who said he plans to attend. I KNOW there are more retro lovers out there! Let’s spread the word!

Come out, grab some grub, and let’s talk about a bygone Richmond! Find out all the details here.

I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, but I was really hoping to discuss the possibility of starting an Atomic Age Alliance chapter in Richmond and maybe work to save some of the mid-century architecture this great city has to offer.

About the AAA:

The Atomic Age Alliance is a 501 c3 NON PROFIT organization dedicated to celebrating historic Mid Century Modernism and Atomic Age design, signage, architecture, culture and business through ongoing community advocacy, activism and educational programs.

Join Globally – Act Locally.

What a great topic to discuss over pancakes! But if you can’t make it, I’d like to hear your opinions on the matter. Is this something Richmond residents are interested in? Tell me your thoughts.

I hope to see more of you tomorrow at Dot’s!