Downtown Theatre
65 Main Street,
Warrenton,
VA
21086
65 Main Street,
Warrenton,
VA
21086
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Pitts' Theaters Inc., R/C Theatres
Functions: Retail
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Pitts Theatre, New Fauquier Theatre, Pitts Fauquier Theatre, Fauquier Theatre
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The Fauquier Theatre was an Art Deco style cinema which was opened prior to 1936. It was operated by the Pitts Theaters Inc. When the theatre was acquired by R/C Theatres in 1969, it was renamed the Downtown Theatre.
Since the theatre closed in or around 1975 the building has been gutted and converted into retail space. The marquee, box office and all of the other features which distinguished the building as a theatre have been removed resulting in a rather unremarkable façade.
Contributed by
John Coursey
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
This house opened in 1932 as Pitts' Fauquier Theatre. An article in the May 21 issue of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star reported on a benefit performance for the Warrenton Fire Department Auxillary that had been held the previous night, and referred to Pitts' Farquier Theatre as “…a handsome new building in the chain controlled by the local man….” The article gave the seating capacity as 530, and said that “…last night every seat in the white section was taken, with some standing while a large number of the seats in the colored section were occupied.”
The house was still called Pitts' Fauquier Theatre when it was on a list of the twenty-five houses operated by the Pitts' Theatres chain in 1949.
Circa 1936 postcard added courtesy of Karen Draddy.
This article from the Farquier Times, February 5, 2017, says that the Farquier Theatre opened on January 10, 1931. Pitts Theatres operated the house until 1969, when the chain was sold to R/C Theaters. The house was closed on May 12, 1974. The auditorium, which backed up to Third Street, was subsequently gutted and filled with three floors of offices.
The current street view shows the entrance area has been split into 3 separate storefronts. It appears they kept whatever original pitched entryway the theatre had, on two of the storefronts. The third had it’s interior space extended out to the sidewalk border.
The vintage photo shows the marquee over the bay on the right. The other two bays were probably always storefronts. Except for one suite with an entrance on Third Street, access to the offices in the former auditorium is from a parking lot north of the building.
Ah, I see what you are saying. The marquee looked wider than that to me, but you are probably correct.