The Ritz Theatre is a historic

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually 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 perform ...

in Brunswick, Georgia. Built in 1899, it originally served as an

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

, but was later converted to a movie palace. The building is currently owned by the city of Brunswick and is a contributing property of the

Brunswick Old Town Historic District Brunswick Old Town Historic District is a historic district in Brunswick, Georgia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 26, 1979 and includes an area bounded by 1st Street, Bay Street, New Bay Street, H Street, an ...

History

The Grand Opera House was built in 1899 as the main

in Brunswick, Georgia. Plans for the construction of the building had been in place since 1895, and the building served as a replacement for the L'Arioso Opera House, which had been destroyed by a storm in 1896. In addition to the theater, the building housed several

retailers Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

on its first floor, and the second and third floors served as the general offices of the

Brunswick and Birmingham Railroad The Brunswick and Birmingham Railroad (B&B) was a railroad in southeastern United States. It was chartered on December 11, 1900. In 1902–03, it built a line from Brunswick, Georgia to Offerman, Georgia and a line from Bushnell, Georgia ...

. Following renovations in the 1920s or 1930s that included the installation of a marquee, the building was renamed the Ritz Theatre and converted to a movie palace. During this time, the theater was segregated, with African Americans allowed to enter the building through a separate door and view showings from the

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony ...

. In 1980, the city of Brunswick bought the property, and since 1989 it has been managed by the Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association. Today, live performances, movie screenings, and other art exhibits are held at the venue.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Ritz Theatre (Brunswick) Brunswick, Georgia Historic district contributing properties in Georgia (U.S. state) Performing arts centers in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Glynn County, Georgia 1899 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Theatres completed in 1899