To spot the Hilbert Circle Theatre, just look straight ahead for the slightly curved, white terra cotta building with a sparkling marquee lit up by rows of bright bulbs-like a slice of old Hollywood wedged right into Monument Circle.
Now take a deep breath, because you’re about to enter the grand age of movie magic and music that swept through Indianapolis over a century ago! Imagine it’s 1916, and this spot you’re standing on was THE place to be-the Circle Theatre, as it was called then, glittered with promise. People in feathered hats and sharp suits flocked to this “deluxe movie palace,” one of the very first of its kind not just in the Midwest, but anywhere west of New York. To people back then, catching a movie was as wondrous as seeing a spaceship today!
Back then, the theatre wasn’t only about films-though, get this-the organ inside cost $50,000 in 1922, and was so massive it probably could’ve given the whole city a back massage if it rumbled just right. While silent movies flickered across the screen, the giant Wurlitzer organ would roar to life, filling the hall with music so lively you’d swear the notes were tickling your earlobes. The theatre also buzzed with live shows, jazz, and dancing-at one point, audiences were treated to “syncopation seasons” (now there’s a phrase you don’t hear every day).
Legendary artists like Frank Sinatra and Dizzy Gillespie belted out tunes and sent chills down every spine in the seats. And in 1927? Buckle up! The Circle Theatre brought the magic of sound movies to Indianapolis, a dazzling fourteen months before anyone else. Imagine the audience’s shocked faces as Roy Smeck plucked away at a guitar on-screen, or as Al Jolson crooned through the speakers. By 1928, folks were pressed shoulder-to-shoulder to catch “The Jazz Singer,” the world’s first talking picture. It must’ve felt like the future had crash-landed right in front of their eyes.
But, as time rolled on and new cinemas popped up in shopping malls, this place fell on hard times. By the 1970s, it needed a hero-and, much like a plot twist in a great movie, it got one! The theatre underwent a dazzling $6.8 million renovation, reopening in 1984, and is now home to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. If you listen closely, maybe you can still hear the echoes of those jazz trumpets or the excited cheers on opening night.
And oh-just for a fun twist-even Jimmy Fallon once did his late-night show from this stage during the Super Bowl, so you’re not just on any street; you’re in a place that’s hosted world premieres, champion weightlifters, and some of the best parties in Indiana. That’s a lot of history packed behind that sparkling marquee-you can almost feel the footlights, can’t you?
