Fox Theatre

Few places in St. Louis combine glamour, history and ghost stories quite like the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Located at 527 North Grand Boulevard, the magnificent movie palace opened on January 31, 1929, during the golden age of Hollywood. Designed by renowned theater architect C. Howard Crane, the Fox was built in a lavish Siamese-Byzantine Baroque style and originally seated roughly 5,000 people. It quickly became one of the city’s premier entertainment destinations.

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For nearly 50 years, the Fox hosted movies, vaudeville acts, concerts, stage productions and famous entertainers. But changing entertainment habits and the decline of traditional movie palaces eventually took their toll. The Fox closed in 1978 and appeared destined for demolition. Instead, a massive restoration effort saved the theater. It reopened in 1982 as a performing arts center and remains one of St. Louis’ most recognizable landmarks.

But beneath the glittering chandeliers and ornate decorations, the Fox has developed a darker reputation.

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Over the years, employees, performers and visitors have reported strange noises, unexplained footsteps, shadowy figures and an unsettling feeling of being watched inside the historic theater. Stories of paranormal activity have become such a part of the Fox's mystique that ghost tours have been conducted there, including investigations of reported “hot spots” by The St. Louis Paranormal Research Society.

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Whether these experiences are truly supernatural or simply the echoes of an enormous building filled with nearly a century of memories, the stories continue. After the audience leaves and the lights go dark, the Fabulous Fox can feel like something more than a theater—a place where the past may still have a seat in the audience.