Beacon Theatre
401 N. Main Street,
Hopewell,
VA
23860
401 N. Main Street,
Hopewell,
VA
23860
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Originally opened as the Broadway Theatre in 1920, it was renamed Beacon Theatre in 1930. It remained in operation until 1981. Six years later, a campaign was launched to restore and reopen the Beacon. The theater reopened in 2005, and while the restoration of the Beacon continues, it is used today for special events.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
Here is a photo of the theater without the marquee:
http://tinyurl.com/2bldmk
Does anybody have any information about the organ that was originally in the Beacon? In the Petersburg newspaper’s coverage of the grand opening there is mention of the $20,000 organ but nothing more about it.
Here is another photo of the Beacon Theater.
Here are some details about the renovation:
http://tinyurl.com/5sby23
Here are two photos of the Broadway:
Photo1
Photo2
This is the National Register of Historic Places registration form for the Beacon Theater.
My grandmother worked at The Beacon for a while I believe during the 50’s and into the 60’s. My mother also worked there briefly as a concessionist during the early 60’s or late 50’s. I remember my grandmother telling me about how some of the customers complained of rats in the theater while watching the movie. She also managed the Bluebird and Walnut Mall theaters as well. There was another theater called The Century in Petersburg (which was beautiful in its day) that she worked at as well before they demolished it way back in the late 60’s I think.
Photos of the Beacon Theatre.
View link
View link
The Beacon closed for the first time on June 30, 1962. It reopened under new ownership several months later. Hopewell didn’t support it, however, and it closed and reopened several times until it closed permanently. Before it closed for the last time, its name had been changed to the Town.
It is interesting that nobody has mentioned the Beacon’s run as a porn house. The run with porn probably contributed significantly in keeping the wrecking ball at bay.