The Lucas Theatre is a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

on Abercorn Street in Reynolds Square,

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

, Georgia,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Built in 1921, the theater closed in 1976 and was slated to be demolished, but

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

efforts led to it reopening in 2000. It is managed by the Savannah College of Art and Design asthe Lucas Theatre for the Arts and is the home venue for the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra.

History

The theatre was the idea of Arthur Lucas, a businessman from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

who named it after himself. Lucas's first theater was opened in Savannah in 1907; he later owned several dozen theaters throughout Georgia, including the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The Lucas Theatre was designed by architect Claude K. Howell in the Spanish Baroque style and opened to the public on December 26, 1921. At the time of its construction, it had a capacity of about 1,700, and some called it the "Jewel of Savannah". The building's interior featured a large

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

and marble floors, while the exterior featured a large

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

marquee. In May 1927, it became the first building in Savannah to have

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...

. At some time in the 1930s, the wrought iron marquee was replaced by a neon sign. Following World War II, downtown Savannah experienced a downturn, and the theater deteriorated. It closed in 1976 and the building later housed a comedy club and restaurant. In 1986, it was slated to be demolished and replaced by a

parking garage A multistorey car park (British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a build ...

, but a group of Savannahians organized to prevent its demolition. They purchased the building and began extensive renovations. During the filming of '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' in 1997, members of the film crew, including the director,

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

, and leading actor,

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...

, participated in fundraising events. The Lucas Theatre reopened in 2000 with a screening of the film '' Gone with the Wind''. It is managed by the Savannah College of Art and Design and is the home venue for the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra, in addition to hosting the annual Savannah Film Festival and the Savannah Music Festival. The theatre's

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, produced in 1925, had been disassembled, stored in a barn, and damaged in a fire; with the assistance of the American Theatre Organ Society, it was restored and reinstalled in the theater in 2023, with seven ranks of pipes added to the original eleven. The building is located in the Savannah Historic District.

References

External links

* * {{Savannah College of Art and Design 1921 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures completed in 1921 Entertainment venues in Savannah, Georgia Theatres in Georgia (U.S. state) Tourist attractions in Savannah, Georgia Cinemas and movie theaters in Georgia (U.S. state) Historic district contributing properties in Georgia (U.S. state) Savannah College of Art and Design Spanish Baroque architecture Reynolds Square (Savannah) buildings Savannah College of Art and Design buildings and structures Savannah Historic District