Carolina Theatre
529 N. Main Street,
Hendersonville,
NC
28792
529 N. Main Street,
Hendersonville,
NC
28792
1 person
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Showing 26 - 32 of 32 comments
Do you have any stories on the JOY DRIVE IN or THE HENDERSONVILLE Drive in? Someone up there i know went to the Drive in. ONLY bad thing about The JOY was a railraod track went right by ;probably to those Drive ins IN Knoxille,Tenn.
My mother worked in the outside ticket office of the Carolina Theatre in the mid 1950’s. Mr. Reed/Reid was the manager and she worked with a cute petite blond, Becky and a couple of high school age young men I remember….Paul and Theo…they were ushers, ticket takers and worked the concessions. I was in the 2nd – 4th grade at Rosa Edwards Elementary School at the time. I would walk from school to the theatre and wait for her to get off work around 5:30 in the evening. Got to watch free movies and get free popcorn. Admission was around $.25 for kids under 12. When I was younger she worked a block down between 5th and 4th avenue in the State/Fox Theatre. I think the location now is a jewelry store…The Goldsmith by Rudy. It wasn’t nearly as nice as the Carolina. Brings back lots of memories from my childhood in Hendersonville
I FOUND OUT THE NAME OF THE THEATRE ACROSS FROM THE OLD CAROLNA. IT WAS CALLED THE SKYLAND ARTS CINEMA AND WAS IN THE BALLROOM, ADINNER THEATRE. I WAS TOLD HE WAS OPEN FOR ABOUT 10 years. IT WAS LOCATED INSIDE THE SKYLAND HOTEL.
JIM NORTHINGTON WENT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE CAROLINA THEATRE AND QUICKLY PUT TOGETHER A THEATRE WITH 35MM PROJECTION. HE TOOK THE BALLROOM OF A OLD DOWNTOWN THEATRE AND MADE A MOVIE THEATRE. FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CANNOT REMEMBER THE NAME, BUT HE SHOWED A LOT OF ARTY FILMS THAT DID NOT PLAY AT THE NEW FOUR PLEX FOUR SEASONS CINEMAS THAT TOOK THE PLACE OF THE CAROLINA. I HAVE SINCE HEARD THE OWNERS OF THE FOUR SEASONS SOMETHING CALLED EPIC CINEMAS HAS FINALLY CLOSED THE 4 PLEX. A 12 PLEX NOWS HANDLES HENDERSONVILLE’S MOVIEGOERS.FOR THE RECORD EPIC RUNS THE 12 PLEX.
jennifermichael is correct about the conversion year. The April 17, 1972, issue of Boxoffice ran an article saying that work was progressing on the conversion of the Carolina Theatre into a twin, with one auditorium on the main floor and the other in what had been the balcony. The article said that seating would be reduced to 921. The entire front of the house was to be rebuilt as well.
The final design of the project was done by Charles L.L. Guy, after preliminary work had been done by architect William B. McGee of the Asheville architectural firm Six Associates. Construction was done by a local company, Hendersonville Custom Builders.
The fire that destroyed the original Carolina Theatre was reported by the May 18, 1940, issue of Boxoffice to have taken place on May 10. The report said that only the walls were left standing. I’ve been unable to find anything in Boxoffice about the rebuilding and reopening, though.
But Wilby-Kincey must have found temporary quarters in Hendersonville during the rebuilding, as there are mid-1940 references to the company’s Auditorium Theatre there. If Hendersonville had a municipal auditorium, that was probably where the movies played until the new Carolina Theatre was completed.
There was an earlier theater called the Queen in Hendersonville. Its equipment and lease were offered for sale in a classified ad in the June 2, 1932, issue of New England Film News.
The burned Carolina was probably the theater that was earlier called the Rex. Drawings and plans of the Rex can be seen here at the University of North Carolina web site. Accompanying text (click the “more” link to see it) says that it was the second Rex Theatre in Hendersonville, that it opened in 1924, and was rebuilt after a 1932, reopening in 1933, and then burned again in 1940. Design for the 1932 rebuild is attributed to architect Erle G. Stillwell, who had his offices in Hendersonville. The atmospheric style of the 1932 rebuild was said to “…resemble an Italian garden with elaborate decorations.” Though the site does not specify that the rebuilt Rex of 1933 was called the Carolina Theatre, I find the Carolina Theatre mentioned in Boxoffice as early as 1938, and haven’t found a single reference to the Rex.
The site also fails to say who the architect was for the 1940 rebuilding of the Carolina, but it seems very likely that it would have been Erle Stillwell once again. He was still practicing in Hendersonville in 1940, and was then a member of the advisory board of Boxoffice Magazine’s Modern Theatre Planning Institute.
WE must not be talking about the same theatre. THIS THEATRE WAS TWINNED IN THE EARLY 70s I saw Paper Moon there in 1973. also WALKING TALL int early 70s My cousin ray rogers worked this theatre in the booth and later in management. it was owned by alocal showman Jim Northington. He ran the Joy and Hendersonville Drive ins. I clearly remember going downstairs were the restrooms were located and got at least 100 one sheets and lobby cards. I found an original 2001 poster i treasure today. the SMALL THEATRE WAS BUILT WHERE THE BALCONY WAS IN THE OLD CAROLINA> IT SEATED 143. THEY MOVED THE BOOTH DOWNSTAIRS FOR THO OLD THEATRE BEHIND THE CONCESSION STAND. THE MAIN THEATRE WAS REDUCED TO 643 seats when the booth was built downstairs behind the concession stand. I saw PALE RIDER in The old theatre. I am pretty sure the small twin had xenon light while downstairs in think they still used carbon arcs. NO THIS THEATRE WAS TWINNED IN THE 1980s. THE JOY DRIVE IN IN HENDERSONVIILE WAS A VERY NICE DRIVE IN > HOWEVER THE HENDERSONVILLE DRIVE IN HAD A BOXED TYPED SCREEN AND WAS VERY BAD> TOWARD THE END IT PLAYED A LOT OF X RATED FARE> I ONLY VISTED THESE THEATRE SINCE I LIVED IN AUGUSTA GEORGIA WHERE I AM DOING A HISTORY ON OUR THEATRES.
This theatre opened in 1930 and was lost in a fire in 1939.It was then rebuilt with an atmospheric auditorium and reopened in 1940.It was twinned in 1984 and closed in 1986.There was also another theatre on this site prior to the Carolina which was also lost as a result of fire.