Georgia Theatre

215 N. Lumpkin Street,
Athens, GA 30601

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Related Websites

Georgia Theatre (Official)

Additional Info

Previously operated by: Lucas & Jenkins, Inc., Paramount Pictures Inc.

Functions: Concerts

Styles: Art Deco

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 706.850.7670

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News About This Theater

The Georgia Theatre

The Georgia Theatre was built in 1936. It was still operating as a movie theatre in 1950.

In the early-1980’s it was known as the Carafe and Draft movie theater, with movies and occasional live music. After the Carafe and Draft movie theater closed, the theater sat empty for a few years. Around November of 1989 the Georgia Theatre re-opened as a live music venue.

Sadly, the Georgia Theatre was gutted by a fire on 19th June 2009. Work began almost immediately to rebuild the theatre within the existing original walls. It was reopened in August 2011.

Contributed by Lost Memory

Recent comments (view all 27 comments)

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on August 20, 2010 at 8:08 pm

Yes,Sharples.this was on the AP,the Augusta Chroncile picked up the story and I saw it with a picture the Marquee in color.Thanks for getting this on.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on August 5, 2011 at 5:23 pm

In Augusta’s METRO SPIRIT there is a nice story on the progress of the GEORGIA,With Color pictures.Volume22 August 4 2011.Weekly. themetrospirit.com

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on August 5, 2011 at 5:23 pm

In Augusta’s METRO SPIRIT there is a nice story on the progress of the GEORGIA,With Color pictures.Volume22 August 4 2011.Weekly. themetrospirit.com

DonSolosan
DonSolosan on August 23, 2011 at 12:23 pm

Status should be changed to OPEN. Here’s an article on the restored theater:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/16/georgia.theatre.reopens/index.html?&hpt=hp_c2

JACKTHOMPSON
JACKTHOMPSON on April 2, 2012 at 6:26 pm

memories of watching KING KONG on Christmas night about 1953 and later seeing Z, which i liked so much that i watched last 2 hours even though one contact lense popped out.I later took my religious aunt to see JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. I asked her how she liked it and she replied “unusual intrepretation”

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on April 3, 2012 at 10:06 pm

nice comment Jack.Thank Goodness it was saved,Wish the Palace would have made it.

Matt Ceccato
Matt Ceccato on December 21, 2012 at 2:32 pm

In the 90s, this was the closest Athens came to a cinema and drafthouse. I saw a Looney Tunes festival, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and “I Shot Andy Warhol” here. That mainly happened on Mondays-Wednesdays, and mostly during the summer.

Among the concerts I saw here were Mojo Nixon and They Might Be Giants.

David_Schneider
David_Schneider on January 15, 2016 at 3:50 pm

I’ve heard that R.E.M.(they’re from Athens) shot their video for “Shiny Happy People” (1991) at this theater.

I visited Athens in August of 2009 and saw the theater in its burned state.

Glad to see it has reopened.

The link to the official site listed on this page didn’t work for me when I clicked on it but this one did.

JRHagan
JRHagan on June 22, 2019 at 9:05 am

Extensively used in the Foo Fighters video “ A Matter of Time ” which was coincidentally produced in & around the time of major restorations to this beautiful building. I would like to think they had something to do with saving & restoring this Theater. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKWue-pYLzM

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on May 24, 2022 at 8:58 pm

An article in the October 13, 1936 issue of Film Daily listed 22 theaters either recently opened or under construction in Georgia, and the Georgia Theatre at Athens was among them. It was opened by Lucas & Jenkins, who already had the Palace Theatre in Athens. The article didn’t specify which houses had already opened, so the Georgia might not have opened until early 1937.

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