Lucas Theatre
{{Use American English|date=October 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Lucas Theatre
| alternate_names = Lucas Theatre for the Arts
| image = GA Savannah HD Lucas Theatre01.jpg
| caption = Lucas Theatre (2011)
| address = 32 Abercorn Street
Savannah, Georgia, United States
| coordinates = {{coord|32|4|43.5|N|81|5|21|W|display=inline}}
| opened_date = December 26, 1921
| architect = Claude K. Howell
| owner = Savannah College of Art and Design
| architectural_style = Spanish Baroque
| logo = Lucas Theatre Logo.png
}}
The Lucas Theatre is a theater on Abercorn Street in Reynolds Square, Savannah, Georgia, United States. Built in 1921, the theater closed in 1976 and was slated to be demolished, but preservation efforts led to it reopening in 2000. It is managed by the Savannah College of Art and Design as the 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 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{{Cite web|title=Lucas Theatre for the Arts|url=https://www.scad.edu/life/buildings-and-facilities/lucas-theatre-arts|access-date=October 29, 2020|website=Savannah College of Art and Design}} and opened to the public on December 26, 1921.{{Cite book|last=Gunther|first=Justin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=igzuNAmteWUC&pg=PA98|title=Historic Signs of Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7385-1674-5|page=98}} John Houstoun, Savannah's first mayor, lived in the Houston–Johnson–Screven House, which was built around 1784. The home was demolished in 1920 to make way for the Lucas Theatre.{{Cite book |last=Spracher |first=Luciana M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L45P6Q8LtjEC&q=the+pickup+congress+street+savannah |title=Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society |date=2003 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-0-7385-1487-1 |pages=11 |language=en}}
At the time of its construction, it had a capacity of about 1,700, and some called it the "Jewel of Savannah".{{Cite book|last=Fraser |first=Walter J. Jr.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=92pNDwAAQBAJ&dq=lucas+theatre&pg=PT310|title=Savannah in the New South: From the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|year=2018|isbn=978-1-61117-837-1}} The building's interior featured a large dome and marble floors, while the exterior featured a large wrought iron marquee. In May 1927, it became the first building in Savannah to have air conditioning.{{Cite book|last=Berinato|first=Chris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-EKrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT297|title=Secret Savannah: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure|publisher=Reedy Press|year=2019|isbn=978-1-68106-229-7}} 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.{{Cite book|last=Byrd|first=Georgia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zVAiCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA106|title=Insiders' Guide to Savannah & Hilton Head|publisher=Globe Pequot Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1-4930-1835-2|edition=9th|pages=106}} It closed in 1976 and the building later housed a comedy club and restaurant.{{cite news |first=Kareem |last=McMichael |url=https://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/restored-and-resounding-lucas-theatres-pipe-organ-finds-its-voice-once-again/Content?oid=20209412 |title=Restored and Resounding: Lucas Theatre's pipe organ finds its voice once again |website=Connect Savannah |date=April 11, 2023}} In 1986, it was slated to be demolished and replaced by a parking garage, but a group of Savannahians organized to prevent its demolition. They purchased the building and began extensive renovations.{{Cite book|last=Triplett|first=Whip Morrison|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wEqkPex4RmcC&pg=PA101|title=Savannah|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7385-4209-6|series=Postcard History Series|pages=101}} During the filming of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in 1997, members of the film crew, including the director, Clint Eastwood, and leading actor, Kevin Spacey, 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 organ, 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
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Lucas Theatre (Savannah)}}
- {{Official website|https://www.lucastheatre.com/}}
{{Savannah College of Art and Design}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1921 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1921
Category:Entertainment venues in Savannah, Georgia
Category:Theatres in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Tourist attractions in Savannah, Georgia
Category:Cinemas and movie theaters in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Former cinemas in the United States
Category:Historic district contributing properties in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Savannah College of Art and Design
Category:Spanish Baroque architecture
Category:Reynolds Square (Savannah, Georgia) buildings
Category:Savannah College of Art and Design buildings and structures