Monday Morning Coffee: The Paramont Of Anderson

Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana.  It is the headquarters of the Church of God and the home of - the Christian - Anderson University.

Anderson is one of many cities decimated by the decline of the American auto industry. In the early 1970s, roughly one-third of the population worked at one of several General Motors plants located within the city. Now, over four decades later, GM no longer has a presence in the town, having sold or shut down all of its manufacturing plants in Anderson.

The 2000 population for Anderson was 59,734, which was down significantly from 1970's peak count of 70,787 residents.  It's estimated 2020 population is 55,037.

 A highlight of the city is the historic Paramount Theater.

   Anderson, Indiana.

John Eberson started building the theater in 1928 and opened it on August 20, 1929.  The Paramount was primarily built for vaudeville and movies..

In 1985, the theater closed for four years.  By 1989, the complex had been owned by eight different groups and was to be torn down to become a parking lot.

Three weeks before the last reading of the ordinance to tear down the Paramount, a group got together to save the Paramount.

In July of 1989, the group - now called the Paramount Heritage Foundation - entered the theater and turned on the lights - those that were working.  With over four years of no heat, no cooling, and water damage from a deteriorating roof, the whole complex was in dire straits.

The Paramount Heritage Foundation along with the people of the city of Anderson, embarked on a fund drive to support a renovation program that is still ongoing today.

In January of 1995, the theater was closed, all seats removed, and scaffolding brought in as renovation got under way.  The theater was re-opened on August 19, 1995.