Vista Theatre
329 Main Street,
Altavista,
VA
24517
329 Main Street,
Altavista,
VA
24517
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The Vista Theatre was opened in 1936. It has been closed since December 24, 1989, when a fire broke out inside the theatre. The last movie to play was “All Dogs Go To Heaven”. The facade and marquee have since been restored, but the interior is still a mess.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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The Vista Theatre seated 850 people and was located on Main Street.
The fire was Christmas Eve 1989. “All Dogs Go To Heaven” which was released November 17, 1989 remained on the marquee for years according to locals. “Ernest Saves Christmas” 1988 and “Batman” 1989 had also played there previously.
A house called the Vista Theatre was listed at Altavista in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, but it was not this one. It’s possible that the 1914 Vista was the same house that was later called the Liberty Theatre.
The modern Vista Theatre was built in 1936, according to this article from The News & Advance of May 29, 2021. At that time, the City of Altavista had recently bought the property and intended to fund a study for a possible renovation and reuse of the house as a multi-purpose theater. The article features about three dozen photographs of the derelict theater.