Turnage Theater
144 W. Main Street,
Washington,
NC
27889
144 W. Main Street,
Washington,
NC
27889
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The actual opening date is February 27, 1930 with Cliff Edwards in “Lord Bryon Of Broadway” along with a Vitaphone Vaudeville and a Fox Movietone Newsreel. It was named after its first manager C.A. Turnage.
According to WNCT-TV9 11PM News (Jan. 16, 2014) the Turnage Theater has reopened as of January 16, 2014.
According to WNCT-TV9 6PM News (Sep. 6, 2013): The Beaufort County Arts Council will be acquiring the Turnage Theater from Wells Fargo Bank. Plans are to reopen the Turnage in 2014.
I have just listed the property for sale for Wells Fargo. The price is $750,000. Please contact me for more information. Tom Atkins………
According to WNCT-TV9 11PM news: Wells Fargo Bank has made the highest bid for the Turnage Theater. The City of Washington and any other bidders have ten days to come up with a higher bid. Should Wells Fargo prevail, the Turnage will most likely be gutted and turned into a branch office of the bank.
The Turnage Theater is supposed to go on the auction block today; the City of Washington plans to bid on the theater.
The Turnage Theater was owned by Stewart & Everett Theatres during the 1970s. S&E built the Washington Square Mall Cinema 1 & 2 (later Cinema Triple, now Cinema 7) as the replacement for the Turnage Theater in 1976. The Turnage may have stayed open until a third screen was added to the Washington Square Mall Cinema.
Following its show on December 16, 2011, the Turnage Theater officially closed.
On November 29,2011, it was announced that the Turnage Theater will be closing due to financial difficulties.
This theatre was my first out of town emergency service call in the 60’s as I would later go into a lifetime career in projection & sound equipment.
This theater is in danger of closing as its city subsidy is running out: View link
Washington has another historical theatre, the DeMill theatre which is around the corner from the Turnage, it is not renovated although several rumors over the years have surfaced. I would love to see it restored. The Demill threatre is on Market Street in Washington, NC.
Another function of this theater is classic movies.
Washington NC has about 9,000 residents so not a small town. It is East of Raleigh.
LOL! Sure loved seeing the vintage photo and on the website there is a before and after photo of the decorative brass railing! Amazing and another fine example of what a small town can do if they pull together to bring back a 414 seat theatre rather than demolish it.
I just found out about this theatre through a magazine entitled Carolina Currents The Boating and Waterfront Magazine. Then I go to see if it is on CT and find that our very own, Lost Memory, has added this one! ;)
It fits into the cinema category because it was used as a movie theater before it became a performing arts center.
The Turnage Theater is a performing arts theater that has not yet shown a single movie. It hardly fits into the cinema category. I stopped by one day when I visited Washington because a friend told me about it and no one there was helpful, two men were arguing and a gray-haired lady was downright rude. Needless to say, I left very disappointed and do not plan on going back. I hope they learn how to treat people.