Canova Theater

The b/w vintage photo on the site above was given to me by Big Time for a Dime author, Conover NC resident and fellow CT member, Don Barker. I now have it framed. Thanks Don.

donnie 1: Thanks for the email as I had forgotten about my post here in 2006.

Any one wishing to have information of this ‘home-town'theater let me know, via e mail. I have jsut finished a book, BIG TIME FOR A DIME, a history of all 90 theaters in the catawba valley of WNC, yes, ninety silver screens., ;; To Patsy, Clemmer is retired. Living in HKY. Mathews was not in the movies business, but in one of the most sucessful builders in WNC. We here in Conover a very glad he restored the building., other wise, like all the other theater building, it would have been demolished. It will not be a theater again. http://www.rootsweb.com/~nccconov/canova.htm

I see that Mr. Clemmer was a Hickory architect as he doesn’t seem to be listed under architects.

The opening film at the Canova Theatre was Lew Ayres in “The People vs. Dr Kildare”.

The Canova Theater closed in the late 1960’s. The building was purchased by Bobby Matthews of the Matthews Construction Company (as he loved the movies so much and it brought back memories) and it served/serves as the headquarters for his firm (which is currently listed on the internet at 210 1st Avenue South).

Is this theatre still operating as a theatre in Conover NC?