Swanee Theater
200 West Avenue,
Kannapolis,
NC
28081
200 West Avenue,
Kannapolis,
NC
28081
2 people
favorited this theater
This theater was one of several in Kannapolis, NC. It is located on West Avenue and is now the Kannapolis Visitors Center. It was a smaller sister to the Gem Theater located a few blocks away.
Contributed by
Robert Harmon
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
This is a beautiful bldg.Does anyone know if it is still equiped at all as a theater?
Sadly, no. The Visitor’s Center has,for the most, taken over the building.
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!
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!
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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.
This information comes from the Gem Theater in Kannapolis website:
The Swanee Theatre
Grand opening: November 1, 1940
Seating capacity: 586
Opening picture: “Seven Sinners,†featuring Marlene Dietrich
The Swanee Theatre (now Cannon Village Visitor Center) closed on December 31, 1971 after the showing of its two movies.
Swanee back in the day.
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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!