William Fox, founder of the Fox movie productions studio that bears his name, began construction of the Fox Theatre in St. Louis in 1927. He hired Howard Crane, a noted theatre architect, to design the building in a 'Siamese Byzantine' style. Groundbreaking to opening night took just a year and a half and the city was treated to an opulent theatre palace. The popularity of the theatre and movies proved to be a successful venture through the mid-1950s. Facing competition from the nearby St. Louis and Grand movie theatres and the growing popularity of television sets, the Fox began to decline through the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, the building closed. Leon Strauss and Fox Associates purchased the building in 1981 and, under the watchful eye of Mary Strauss, the Fox Theatre was restored to its original beauty and grandeur. In 1982 the Fox reopened and in 1983 Lifestyle Tours took our first group there to see Lauren Bacall in 'Woman of the Year'. For over thirty-five years our groups still travel to the Fox to see Broadway shows and big-name entertainers take the stage in this beautiful movie palace.