Westhampton Theatre
5706 Grove Avenue,
Richmond,
VA
23226
5706 Grove Avenue,
Richmond,
VA
23226
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Cineplex Odeon, Neighborhood Theatres, Regal Entertainment Group
Architects: A.O. Budina
Styles: Colonial Revival
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Dec 9, 2012 — Happy 50th, “Lawrence of Arabia”
- Dec 15, 2011 — Art House Theaters: Cinema of Dreams
- Jun 18, 2010 — "Jaws"... Happy 35th!
- May 14, 2010 — Please Post Today, May 14 --- "Jaws," Happy 35th
The Westhampton Theatre is a 1938 built movie house that was originally a single screen theatre with a balcony. It opened on March 5, 1938 with Joel McCrea in “Wells Fargo”.
On December 18, 1981 the balcony was converted to a second screen.
The Westhampton Theatre was last operated by Regal showing foreign and independent films that would otherwise not be seen in Richmond. It was closed March 20, 2016 and was due to be converted into retail and office space. However it was demolished in December 2016.
Contributed by
Neal Jackson
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Recent comments (view all 23 comments)
This opened on March 5th, 1938. It’s grand opening ad has been uploaded in the photo section.
Rumor has it that the Westhampton will close at the end of this summer and be demolished. Can anyone confirm this?
Article from Richmond.com scheduled to close this year.
http://www.richmond.com/business/local/article_a4bc37f6-32a1-5122-8def-7662f8708a14.html
That is sad news, there have been rumors it would close for several years. But it is still open at the moment and I urge anyone who hasn’t been there to go and check it out before it closes. There are some wonderful architectural details inside. This theater has anchored this vibrant neighborhood for over 75 years and it will be sorely missed.
The most recent news I heard is that this theater will close in May. Has anyone heard any updates?
The Westhampton closed last night (March 20, 2016). There was no advance notice, although it was well known that it would close sometime this year. I saw a lot of good movies there over the past 45 years, but recently attendance had dropped. There is a lot of competition these days for the entertainment dollar and it is a little surprising that this theater lasted for 78 years. There are a lot of good memories wrapped up in the place and I’ll miss it!
Sad to see this theater close as it is the last first run theater in town that is not an ugly multiplex. I have a long history with the Westhampton going back to November of 1967 when I first visited there to see GONE WITH THE WIND. I have certainly spent many hours over the last five decades there as movies and exhibition styles have changed.
Was on business in town about 16 or 17 years ago and had the good fortune to catch a movie there (plus a few at The Byrd).
I’m sorry to report that the Westhampton Theater building was torn down about six months ago. The developer said something about preserving the façade of the building, but there’s nothing left to preserve now. It’s sad, it was a lovely old art deco building and a local landmark. It was in excellent condition right up until the last.
Became a twinplex on December 18th, 1981. Grand opening ad posted.