The Hollywood theater began operations in 1939 on East Main Street in Carrboro, North Carolina after E. Carrington Smith,the manager of the segregated Carolina Theater located on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, saw a business opportunity in operating a local cinema. He appointed Kenneth Jones to be the manager of the theater. At the time, Hollywood Theater was one of three movie venues in the area open to Black patrons, the others being Durham’s Carolina Theater and Wonderland Theater.
Following its establishment in 1939, the Hollywood Theater drove the once-popular Standard Theater out of business. The Standard Theater, which had been open since 1924, was owned and operated by African American entrepreneur, Durwood O’Kelly.The Hollywood Theater, as a white-owned business, sourced a great deal of their customers from the Standard Theater, proving to be the ultimate cause of its closure in the same year.
The Ardmore Theater was located at 120 South Hawthorne Rd. It opened August 10 1945 and the first film shown was Best Foot Forward starring Lucille Ball. In 1948 the US Post Office took over the space and remained there until 1962. That entire block was demolished 30 years later.
This photo is not the location of the Ardmore Theater. It was on on the 100 block of Hawthorne Rd. just above First St. This photo is 1510 W. First Street which was a Kroger Grocery Store.
When were these hieroglyphic columns removed? Except for the scarab motif above the screen, the renovated theater is small and bland compared to its original grandeur.
Re. Bill’s question: The theater closed sometime in the early 80’s if memory serves. The building was not demolished, but it was converted to office space. It is the white building directly across the street from Foothills Brewery.
It’s good to hear from you Mr. Scott! I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos of yourself (Jackie Gantt) from the glory days of the Carolina. Would love to see any photos you have of the Carolina if you could email them to me: imagotwist@gmail.com
Hi Cyclone, I’d love to see these photographs. If you want to post your dad’s photos, you can email them to me and I’ll be glad to do it. My email is: imagotwist@gmail.com
Hi r. bell! I am collecting images of the Carolina for a possible website to preserve the memory of that great theater for our generation, but especially those too young to remember it…. Do you have any photos of the Carolina or bands onstage there? I didn’t know about the Go Go place above Woolworths but would love to see any photos or publicity about it or the Carolina if you have it.
The Reynolda Cinema was not in Reynolda Manor Shopping Center, but across the street from it. Reynold Manor is at the corner of Fairlawn and Reynolda Road, not Silas Creek Parkway.
The Hollywood theater began operations in 1939 on East Main Street in Carrboro, North Carolina after E. Carrington Smith,the manager of the segregated Carolina Theater located on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, saw a business opportunity in operating a local cinema. He appointed Kenneth Jones to be the manager of the theater. At the time, Hollywood Theater was one of three movie venues in the area open to Black patrons, the others being Durham’s Carolina Theater and Wonderland Theater.
Following its establishment in 1939, the Hollywood Theater drove the once-popular Standard Theater out of business. The Standard Theater, which had been open since 1924, was owned and operated by African American entrepreneur, Durwood O’Kelly.The Hollywood Theater, as a white-owned business, sourced a great deal of their customers from the Standard Theater, proving to be the ultimate cause of its closure in the same year.
This photo is NOT the Egyptian Theater in Boise ID.
The Ardmore Theater was located at 120 South Hawthorne Rd. It opened August 10 1945 and the first film shown was Best Foot Forward starring Lucille Ball. In 1948 the US Post Office took over the space and remained there until 1962. That entire block was demolished 30 years later.
This photo is not the location of the Ardmore Theater. It was on on the 100 block of Hawthorne Rd. just above First St. This photo is 1510 W. First Street which was a Kroger Grocery Store.
When were these hieroglyphic columns removed? Except for the scarab motif above the screen, the renovated theater is small and bland compared to its original grandeur.
What happened to the hieroglyphic columns that bracketed the screen? $70 million? This looks like a shrunken ghost of its original 1166 seat splendor.
Where are the hieroglyphic columns that originally bracketed the stage?
Re. Bill’s question: The theater closed sometime in the early 80’s if memory serves. The building was not demolished, but it was converted to office space. It is the white building directly across the street from Foothills Brewery.
It’s good to hear from you Mr. Scott! I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos of yourself (Jackie Gantt) from the glory days of the Carolina. Would love to see any photos you have of the Carolina if you could email them to me: imagotwist@gmail.com
Hi Cyclone, I’d love to see these photographs. If you want to post your dad’s photos, you can email them to me and I’ll be glad to do it. My email is: imagotwist@gmail.com
Hi r. bell! I am collecting images of the Carolina for a possible website to preserve the memory of that great theater for our generation, but especially those too young to remember it…. Do you have any photos of the Carolina or bands onstage there? I didn’t know about the Go Go place above Woolworths but would love to see any photos or publicity about it or the Carolina if you have it.
The Reynolda Cinema was not in Reynolda Manor Shopping Center, but across the street from it. Reynold Manor is at the corner of Fairlawn and Reynolda Road, not Silas Creek Parkway.