East Side Theatre
718 E. Broad Street,
Savannah,
GA
31401
718 E. Broad Street,
Savannah,
GA
31401
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The $100,000 venue opened August 14, 1946 with Toddy Pictures Company comedy Pigmeat “Alamo” Markham and John “Rastus” Murray “Fight That Ghost.“ The new build structure originally held 675 seats as designed by Oscar M. Hansen.
Savannah Morning News article from January 13th, 2020 about the uncertain future of the Eastside Theater and changes over the decades to the surrounding neighborhood. Includes photos of the theater and old newspaper ads, and an interactive map of locations of other Savannah cinemas:
“Former Eastside Theater Faces Uncertain Future, Possible Disappearance”
And another from January 11th about the theater’s history, what it meant to the community, and moviegoing in Savannah in those days:
Savannah’s Last Standing Blacks-Only Theater Remembered as Refuge, Community Space"
The Eastside Theater is also listed in the book “African-American Theater Buildings: An Illustrated Historical Directory, 1900-1955” by Eric Ledell Smith.
I am surprised that this theater has not been saved.
Boxoffice of November 24, 1945, said that work was progressing on the Eastside Theatre in Savannah, and the new theater “for colored patronage” would open by February 22 the next year. The house was designed by Savannah architect Oscar M. Hansen.