Carolina Theater
217 S. Main Street,
Lexington,
NC
27295
217 S. Main Street,
Lexington,
NC
27295
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J. Tilden Hedrick built the Carolina Theater in 1935. It was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidairy H.F. Kincey. It was used for films and stage shows until 1945, when a fire devastated the building. A group of Lexington citizens renovated the structure, which was later named the Edward C. Smith Civic Center. The exterior is modern, but the stage remains intact.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
This link mentions the Carolina Theater. Scroll down to page five.
This opened on September 1st, 1930. you can see the opening ad at
View link
December 13th, 1948 opening ad
View link
for the new theatre. The Old Carolina’s listings stopped in 1945.
This is not a Community Center but the Edward C. Smith Civic Center of Lexington.
History of the Carolina Theatre at this link.
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Thanks Chuck.
It was an ABC THEATRE,but for some reason most their late shows on the weekends were X -rated.We never could have pulled that off in Augusta.
The Carolina Theatre as rebuilt in 1948 was designed by architect Erle G. Stillwell, according to the history site Chuck linked to in his earlier comment.
It’s probable that the original theater on the Carolina’s site, partly destroyed by a fire in 1945, was the proposed house that was the subject of this item in the June 22, 1922, issue of Manufacturers Record:
UNC’s Going to the Show collection has this page for a 1,200-seat house called the Lexington Theatre, located at 215 S. Main Street, operated by H. B. Varner and in operation by 1923.