Romina Revisited – Part 2
The ceiling of the auditorium, which was about three stories above the floor, is covered with stamped tin tiles, interrupted here by a large ventilation exhaust. The theatre, which seated 750 people, had an orchestra pit in front of the stage.
The ceiling also still has a few of these ornate lighting fixtures. A few more are stacked on the floor in the “attic” (the balcony area).
On large sections of the walls, where the stucco is still intact, hand-painted designs still look relatively fresh.
Is this art nouveau?
Imagine the intensive labor required to apply all this decoration. Note the “built in” relief with painted shadows and soft, subtle colors. Not Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Vatican, by any means, but it’s the work of artisans unique to their time.
The upper left corner of the building, in what was the balcony area. The brick wall is actually the exterior wall of the building next door, and served as the interior wall of the Romina. The Coca-Cola sign was obviously there when the stair-stepped seat rows were installed, and looks as fresh as it did in 1928 when the theatre was built. The projection booth, torn away long ago, was high at the center of the left wall. Those windows face the street.
Facing the other way, toward the front of the balcony. The ceiling curves downward. The balcony seats extended on past this ceiling out over the main floor.
