Richardson Theatre

121 N. Townville Street,
Seneca, SC 29678

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on February 14, 2024 at 4:14 pm

A history or the Oconee County library system says that “[t]he Seneca Library opened in April 1953 in the Laurel Room of the Richardson Theater on Townville Street.” The page gives no clue as to what the Laurel Room was, or if it was an essential part of the theater. If it was, then the Richardson must have been closed in or before 1952. The library moved to another location in 1956.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on November 4, 2014 at 5:05 pm

This item appeared in the May 13, 1935, issue of Motion Picture Daily:

“SENECA, S. C— A trip into the Piedmont hills would not be complete without calling on that charming couple, the Richardsons. Kenneth and the missus took us through their new theatre, the culmination of a dream that has been some 13 years in the making. Their new house will open May 1 and has been entirely built by local labor and contractors. This theatre will be known as the Richardson and will seat 500.”
The NRHP nomination form for the historic district in which the theater is located says that the Richardson Theatre opened in 1920, but I think that might have been a different theater operated by the Richardsons. Their Seneca house called the Star Theatre was mentioned in the March 5, 1924, issue of Motion Picture News. It’s possible that the Star Theatre was also called the Richardson Theatre at some point, but I haven’t found evidence that it was.

This web page has a couple of programs from the Richardson Theatre, from 1936 and 1937. The page also mentions (at the bottom) that the Star Theatre was listed in the 1927 Film Yearbook.