Columbia Theater
134 N. Louisville Street,
Harlem,
GA
30814
134 N. Louisville Street,
Harlem,
GA
30814
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Inside work still on hold,front of marquee is great.
Need to update the address in the header given on 3/16/11.
The correct addres for the Columbia Theatre
135 N. Louisville St.
Harlem., GA. 30814 This will map right to the theatre.
they are slowly now rewiring parts of the Theatre and plan to remove the raised floor,hopefully soon.
Nice looking marquee.
I have been inside and long time ago the theatre floor was leveled off for businesses that used that space. SO inside it really looks like a hardware store could be there. I never got to the booth,but i think some of the equipment might still be there.
I drive by there quite a bit and have tried until I am blue in face to get these folks to look into Cinema Treasures and answer questions.
The pictures look very nice. Any chance on restoring the Laurel and Hardy murals on the side.
Some 2009 photos of the Columbia Theatre.
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Well, I sent a Letter to the Editor about Cinema Treasures and how the locals could add stories. “YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER,BUT YOU CAN’T MAKE HIM DRINK IT.” They printed the letter. HAD such a big write up in the paper about old employees and how they loved theCOLUMBIA. “YOU CAN LEAD…….
OCTOBER 29 2009
THE COLUMBIA THEATRE in Harlem will turn the lights on the rebuilt marquee. They hope the town shows up and shows support.The Mayor quoted in the COLUMBIA TIMES-NEWS said “ IN our little town it will add alot of neat color"
The $69.000 project was partially funded by a $40,000 state grant.The story goes to state The project architect recommended a larger stage capable of holding two simultaneous productions,and reducing the flooring and theatre seating.
The marquee will set witha timer to come on everynight.
The Drive in in THOMSON was called THE MELODY DRIVE IN no REBEL DRIVE IN. My mistake.
I drove by the Columbia Theatre the remade marquee is up and workers were working outside the theatre. Hopefully, it will be open for local productions and maybe a film/ dvd show. I wish more local would get interested, but i have talked to some residents of this small town that feels it is waste of time. Wrens,Ga. about 20 miles away has an old theatre that was gutted fot future businesses.
Back in 1977 while we were busy readying Columbia 1 and 2 for the big grand opening for Colmbia County and Augusta, none of us ever thought that right up 1-20 in Harlem sat a vacant rat infested closed theatre called the Columbia.
The Columbia was your typical small town theatre. It probably sat about 500 people. It had a small concession stand and an ample supply of grade-B movies and serials. Since it served a rural section I’m sure it played quite a few 2 or 3 reeler Republic pictures. I’ve never been in the booth; I tried several times but the door was locked. I’m sure the 35mm projectors are long gone. If the new Columbia Theatre shows films I’m sure it will be on video — sadly just like the Imperial in Augusta.
The theatre was run by Bill and Nan Griffin during the 1950s to the mid 1960s when it went dark. Some blamed Augusta’s growing market, others blamed Thomson GA with its very nice downtown theatre and a drive-in called The Rebel. Television however really put the nail in the coffin. It affected several Augusta Drive-Ins, and I believe the Columbia suffered the same fate. The good news is the Columbia is getting a marquee that matches the original in color, and the theatre will be open for local productions. Harlem wants it to be the place to be!
Oliver Hardy was born in Harlem and every October the city celebrates his birthday with a huge celebration. Thousands pour in from all over the world. Now Harlem will have a link to Hollywood.
Larger, and I mean much larger cities like Charlotte tore down every downtown theatre and today they suffer. A small town like Harlem at least saved the building even if it was for the local natural gas company.
I’ve added the Columbia Theatre with the Campus Theatre in Milledgeville GA with the Oliver Hardy tie-in between the two towns.
The cost of restoration was up to 750K by March 2006:
http://tinyurl.com/57wqzf
On October 1st, the annual Oliver Hardy Festival was held in Harlem, Georgia. Oliver Hardy was born in this town. That would explain the Laurel and Hardy mural on the theater building. This theater is being remodelled: “It was exciting to see the old Columbia Theater open once again – at least the lobby area where they were selling ice cream as a fund raiser to remodel the building into a modern, multi-functional, community arts center. Architect drawings were on view, and it will be a wonderful place to visit when the remodelling is completed – it’s just in the very early stages at this point”.
Another brief article that I found from the Augusta Chronicle by Charles Lord, a Columbia County historian.
“On Aug. 11, 1949, Harlem got a modern cinema with the opening of Columbia Theatre. With a brick facade, cinderblock walls, concrete floors and flashing marquee, it was Columbia County’s only theater.
The proprietor was Bill Griffin, who had operated a theater in Gibson, Ga. It was said to be fireproof at the time and had a seating capacity of 500. This theater showed the best first-run films from 1949 until about 1963.
With the popularity of television and competition from new theaters in Martinez and the Augusta suburbs in later years, the Columbia theater closed.
But many today have vivid memories of the movies on the giant silver screen at the Columbia Theatre that brought a little Hollywood fantasy to the residents of Columbia County".