Oldham Theater

Mike Rogers on August 3, 2010 at 8:47 pm

Okay It was a Cumberland Amusement Company theatre.Located in McMinnville,Tenn. The owner/President was Cowan Oldham.Wonder if that is how the theatre got its name?

lostmemory on June 4, 2009 at 10:04 pm

This is another photo of the Oldham Theater.

vickeylynn on November 9, 2008 at 11:44 am

I used to go to the movies at Oldham’s Theater as a child in the 1070’s .The whole front section of seats were missing .They had it roped off so no one could go toward the screen and they also roped off the balcony .It was never used .So I doubt if there were over 600 seats by the 1070’s .I had asked about the missing seats and was told due to a previous fire .I don’t know that for sure .

unearthlygrace on March 7, 2007 at 9:26 am

~I’m sad to hear this will not be restored as a movie theater. I just moved here and was immediately drawn to the building and was hoping beyond hope to take my 3yr old to a great old Deco theater (and myself for that matter). I think a true restoration (expensive, I know) would have drawn a great crowd. Alas this seems the fate of many great and historic structures. The restoration is bittersweet.~

kencmcintyre on February 1, 2006 at 7:39 pm

Here is a 1999 link describing one family’s efforts to restore the theater:
http://www.sparta-chamber.net/libertysq.htm

JackCoursey on March 25, 2005 at 8:27 pm

I’ve haven’t been able to locate this theatre in either the Flim Daily Yearbook or IMPA. Does anyone know what year the Oldham opened and how many it seated?

RobertR on March 24, 2005 at 12:16 pm

This is a true neighborhhod house. Think how common they were and almost all of them are gone.

lostmemory on March 24, 2005 at 11:43 am

This building is supposed to be renovated as a welcome center:

“Oldham Theater grant to help renovate for Welcome Center

In September, the City of Sparta received a grant from Tennessee Department of Transportation for $399,000 to renovate Oldham’s Theater, a longtime, beloved landmark in White County.

Today, J.A. Sergio and Sons Inc. are in the process of re-constructing the theater into a welcome center, which is expected to be the hub of information for tourists.

When the project was first announced, many residents were upset about the plans, which included tearing down the back portion of the theater. The façade would remain intact, but the area that once housed the theater seating and movie screen would be demolished.

For many years, supporters of preserving the theater had conducted fundraisers in attempts to restore the aging structure. However, the well-intentioned efforts were not successful, and they soon realized the fate of the theater was evident.

Engineers evaluated the structural soundness of the brick walls that had originally stood the test of time. However, the decay was extensive. The City of Sparta was advised it would be much more expensive to restore the facility than to tear down the back walls and rebuild.

Sergio and Sons continue to work toward completion of the project".