1939-1992

Roxy Square stands on the lot where the largest movie theater in the islands was built by W.A. and Agnes Scharsch Fernandez in 1939. Designed by the well-known Honolulu architect C.W. Dickey, it was modeled after the famous Roxy Theater in New York City. With its state-of-the-art sound system, music drifted along the Kapa'a streets. Every one of the 1,050 seats had a clear view of the large silver screen. The interior Art Nouveau style, red velvet curtains, red seats and a lower and upper balcony entranced patrons. Ocean breezes entered through large vents, keeping the theater cool. Ushers wore black pants and white long-sleeved shirts, just like the New York Roxy.

The opening on November 18th, 1939, featured "Lady of the Tropics", with Hedy Lamarr and Robert Tayler and "Goodbye Mr. Chips" with Robert Donat plus The Charles Kaneyama Orchestra. Later, opera stars Marian Anderson and Lauritz Melchior sang there. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki seriously damaged the theater, requiring it to be torn down. Roxy Square, a small shopping center, was built by the son of the owners to commemorate it and the memory of his parents.

Rainbows over Kapa'a, a memoir by Bill Fernandez, tells the story of the Roxy Theater and Kapa'a. www.wfernandez.com

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Show me all markers in:  Kapaa, HI  |  Kauai County  |  96746  |  Hawaii  |  United States of America

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