Booker T Theater

This is a recent photo of the Booker T Theater and here is a close-up photo.

Click on the photo gallery on this page. The fourth photo in the slideshow is the Booker T:
http://tinyurl.com/ybh9b7

Here is a 2007 photo of the former Booker T Theater.

There was another Booker T theater in Reidsville, NC in the early sixties. The chain that ran both theaters, presumably, was Booker T Theaters, headquarted in Raleigh. Fred Levi was president and general manager. The Rocky Mount Booker T is not listed as one of the chain's theaters in the 1963 motion picture almanac, for unknown reasons.

By the way, the 2007 photo was one of the better ones I've seen in a while. I don't think rehab is in this theater's future.

One final note - it looks like there's a hyphen on the marquee, so maybe it should be the Booker-T Theater.

Now that you mention it, I noticed that there is a hyphen on the marquee. Maybe the correct name is Booker-T Theater. This is a December 2007 photo.

According to Bowers' "Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments" page 551, there was a "Lyric" theatre in Rocky Mount equipped with a Reproduco organ made by the Operators Piano Co. I could not find a page for the Lyric, so I am putting this here for the time being.

I am told that the Booker-T was originally built about 1919 as the Lyric. The building is up for restoration but may not be used as a cinema.

Go to
http://www.rockymountnc.gov/planning/douglas/Master%20Plan%20Presentation_files/frame.htm and select the link to Booker T

Oops, it was opened as the Savoy, not the Lyric!

Here another photo.

This is a 2009 close-up view.

You'd think someone could board up the uppers windows in the last three years.
At least try and prevent further damage from the elements. Especially if renovation is implied on the website. Even their photo shows the current condition.

You'd think someone could board up the upper windows in the last three years.
And at least try and prevent further damage from the elements.
Especially if renovation is implied on the website. Even their photo shows the current condition.

The booker-T was operated by Booker-T Theatres thru 1955 and then by Bijou Amusement Co. until it closed in 1975.

There was another theatre a couple doors down from the Booker-T at 117 E. Thomas, anyone know what the name of that theatre was?
The address for the Booker-T
125 E. thomas St.
Rocky Mount, NC 27801

do you know where one could possibly find pictures of the inside of this theater ?