The Loew's State Theater, now known as the Landmark Theatre, opened in 1928 showing silent movies and using a 1,400-pipe Wurlitzer organ to provide the movie's musical score and sound effects. The organ was sold in 1964 as the company who owned the theatre was close to bankruptcy. Over the years, the theatre fell into disrepair unable to compete with suburban movie theatres and was almost demolished twice during the 1970's. In 1975, the group calling itself the Syracuse Area Landmark Theatre, or SALT, formed and raised enough money to buy the theatre by 1979. The Landmark Theatre is now listed in the United States National Register of Historic Places.

This is the marquee and main entrance to the Landmark Theatre as it is today on Salina Street in Syracuse, New York.

The Landmark Theatre, the former Loew's State, is the grandest and only survivor of Syracuse's era of the movie palaces from the early 20th century. Designed by Thomas White Lamb (1871-1942), who was one of the foremost American theater and cinema architects of the time, the Loew's State Theatre is the first example of the "Oriental-style" movie theater, predating Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. Thomas Lamb described the theatre as “European, Byzantine, Romanesque" which is as Orient as it came in the 1920's.

This mural is on the right as you enter the Landmark Theatre lobby from the main entrance.

Across from the grand mural is the Landmark Theatre concession area with pillars featuring exotic looking women. I wanted to focus on one of the pillars and used an off camera flash technique thanks to Nikon's Creative Lighting System (CLS). I set my camera to rear sync flash mode and an 8 second exposure which I found to give a darkened look to the scene. I set my Nikon SB-600 Speedlight to it's maximum zoom and aimed it at the closest pillar. With my camera on a tripod I tripped the shutter with the Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote and just before the shutter closed, the flash fired. My aim was good as the figure on the pillar is nicely illuminated yet you can still see detail and lighting in the background.

To learn more about the Nikon CLS, check out Joe McNally's latest book, The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes.

High ceilings, gold and bronzed carvings, tall mirrors and colorful chandeliers add to the majesty of the Landmark Theatre's lobby.

A fellow photographer from the Syracuse Photographers Association meetup group lines up a shot in the lobby of the Landmark Theatre. Though flash was allowed, tripods proved to be a valuable tool in capturing all the detail found in the Landmark.

The ceiling of the lobby in the Landmark Theater.

The mezzanine level pillars above the concession area continued the extreme ornate detail from below. Construction of the theatre took eleven months and three days, involved more than 300 workers and cost $1.4 million. Such a bargain in today's world and to think it was almost lost.

A porcelain elephant in the lower lobby greets patrons leaving the orchestra level theatre exits. Elephants are symbolic of commitment and strength in Asian culture.

The Buddha is known to Buddhists as the "awakened" or "enlightened" one and is featured in many things Asian. Thomas Lamb used Buddhas throughout the Landmark Theatre lobby. Some can only be seen from certain angles. This one is only visible from the lower lobby as you enter the main entrance or the mezzanine level.

It is well known in these parts that the Landmark Theatre is haunted. A ghost of a women walks the lobby frequently with many sightings reported every year. While I was not able to see her, my camera over a 15 second exposure found something I can not explain. Can you?

To see more photos from the Landmark Theatre lobby and the ghost, follow this link: Landmark Theatre SPA Meetup Photo Album.