The Paramount Theater was designed in a Mediterranean Revival style by the Milwaukee architects Peacock and Frank and opened in 1928. It was renamed the Paramount in 1929 as presentations shifted from vaudeville to motion pictures and became affiliated with Paramount Studios. It remained in use as a performance space and movie theater until it became the home of the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1923, in 1976. It is now Orchestra Iowa. Since 1976, the theater has been renovated several times to expand backstage facilities and to recover from flood damage.
Download this plaque (PDF format)
