Swanee Theater

200 West Avenue,
Kannapolis, NC 28081

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Related Websites

Swanee Theatre (Official)

Additional Info

Functions: Live Music Venue, Special Events

Styles: Art Deco

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 704.935.0149

Nearby Theaters

Former Swanee Theatre as The Visitor Center, 2010 photo courtesy of the Cannon Mills, Kannapolis, NC 1887-2003 Facebook page.

This theater was one of several in Kannapolis, NC. It is located on West Avenue and following its closure it became the the Kannapolis Visitors Center. It was a smaller sister to the Gem Theater located a few blocks away. The Swanee Theater was restored in 2022 and reopened as a live music & events venue.

Contributed by Robert Harmon

Recent comments (view all 9 comments)

ghamilton
ghamilton on December 28, 2005 at 2:13 pm

This is a beautiful bldg.Does anyone know if it is still equiped at all as a theater?

UAGirl
UAGirl on March 7, 2006 at 6:01 am

Sadly, no. The Visitor’s Center has,for the most, taken over the building.

eagleart
eagleart on July 20, 2006 at 5:24 pm

There was a third theater in Kannapolis called The Dixie Theater. There was a grocery store occupying it until about 2 months ago. It’s scheduled for demolition!

eagleart
eagleart on October 22, 2007 at 4:29 pm

If any of you ever get a chance to visit Kannapolis, stop by this Visitor’s Center. They have photos inside of the theater in the ‘40s. And then go to The Gem Theatre!

View link

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 27, 2009 at 7:25 pm

The December 21, 1940, issue of Boxoffice Magazine ran an item telling of personnel shifts at various Kannapolis theaters resulting from the recent opening of the Swanee Theatre.

kenbob62
kenbob62 on April 22, 2009 at 10:18 am

Swanee back in the day.

View link

buffalodavid
buffalodavid on March 6, 2012 at 11:35 pm

Spent many a Saturday afternoon there, with 50’s and 60’s Sci Fi and horror flicks. Downstairs was a gigantic basement, where the town kept all it’s Christmas decorations. The front row of seats was a good thirty feet from the screen, so you didn’t look up at it. No balcony, and no real stage. It was an easy theatre for a kid to seek into. And I did. A lot!

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on August 22, 2017 at 8:43 pm

2010 photo added as The Visitor Center, courtesy of the Cannon Mills, Kannapolis, NC 1887-2003 Facebook page.

ncmark
ncmark on February 15, 2023 at 8:39 pm

Restored and reopened as a live music and event venue. A marquee similar to the original has been put back over the entrance. A picture is added of the restored exterior.

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