Carolina Theatre
226 N. Tryon Street,
Charlotte,
NC
28202
226 N. Tryon Street,
Charlotte,
NC
28202
8 people
favorited this theater
Built in 1927, the Carolina Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Charlotte. Despite a successful multi-decade run, the theatre closed in the 1970’s and was torched by arsonists in 1980. Very little is left of the original interior, with its Spanish-Revival style murals, but the shell is viable and could be used to rebuild a new auditorium.
The city of Charlotte is still deciding whether to earmark $13.8 million for the restoration of the shuttered Carolina Theatre. Estimates are that the theater would need roughly $16 million to reopen as a performing arts and community center that would seat between 1,000 and 1,200 patrons.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 109 comments)
1981 photo of the Carolina Theatre.
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The local media has reported that the city council is again extending the time frame for the developer to purchase the Carolina. The hope is that the economy can recover enough to support this development and construction could begin by 2011.
Mark: I had been wondering about the status of the Carolina and then read your July 1 post. Thank you, but the key words are “the economy” so hopefully it will recover enough to support construction in 2011.
Thanks Chuck for the 1981 photo as I had never seen that one. Now on that corner there is nothing except the brick building that housed the auditorium.
Charlotte let several theatres fall to highrises and having an “Uptown” as they call it.
Found an old ticket stub from a young woman’s 1928-30 scrapbook:
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Thanks Patricia Nc.I left you a post on SOUTH PARK CINEMAS.
Patsy, I don’t know if you ever received an answer regarding the WBT Briarhoppers, but if not…they were a country quartet that performed regularly on WBT-AM radio dating back to at least the 1930s. If you go out Nations Ford Road headed south, the old WBT studios built in the ‘20s are still there – however, the building is fenced off.
The WBT Briarhoppers continue to perform today in their 78th year. Go to www.wbtbriarhopppers.blogspot.com for their comings and goings! I am their bass player.
“LAWRENCE OF ARABIA” played at the Carolina Theatre as a Reserved Seat Engagement Presentation on September 25,1963. I have the original ads from the Charlotte Observer. Not only “LAWRENCE” played here as a Roadshow Presentation,but also “THE SOUND OF MUSIC”,and “2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY” played here before capacity crowds at the Carolina Theatre.