Roxy Theatre
131 E. Broughton Street,
Savannah,
GA
31401
131 E. Broughton Street,
Savannah,
GA
31401
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Lucas & Jenkins, Inc., Weis Theatres
Previous Names: Arcadia Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Opened on October 4, 1911 as the Arcadia Theatre. It had almost 700-seats. By 1936 it was operated by Lucas & Jenkins Inc., an affiliate of Publix. It was taken over by the Weis Theatres chain, remodeled and renamed Roxy Theatre on May 10, 1941 with Bob Crosby in “Rookies on Parade”. The Weis family were also owners of the Savannah Theatre and the East Side Theatre, both in Savannah, as well as the Bibb Theatre in Macon.
The Roxy Theatre was demolished in 1954 and a Woolworth’s store was built on the site. The adjacent Avon Theatre still survives.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
The June 7, 1941, issue of Boxoffice said that Fred G. Weis had recently opened the Roxy Theatre in Savannah. The item said that the Roxy was located on the site of the Arcadia Theatre, a Lucas & Jenkins house which Weis had taken over early in 1941.
Though the phrasing of the June 7 item made it sound as though the Roxy was new construction, a February 8 Boxoffice item about the takeover had said that Weis and his partners, operating as F&W Theatres, intended to remodel the Arcadia and perhaps give it a new name. As four months would have been little time for demolition and rebuilding, it’s most likely that the Roxy was in the same building as the Arcadia, which would thus be an aka.
Picture of the round marquee/entrance is/was the Avon (actual auditorium was across the lane on Congress St) I understand in early times there was a small theatre in this entrance section call the Bandbox. The Roxy was to the left of the Avon where Woolworths was later located.
Edit: Not Congress St, it was State St that was south of Broughton. The Avon auditorium was on State St.
“Historic Signs of Savannah,” by Justin Gunther (Google Books preview,) says that the Roxy Theatre was demolished to make way for a Woolworth store that was opened in 1954.
This is the Avon. The Roxy (my favorite dumpy theater)was on the corner of Abercorn and Broughton and became Woolworth’s.
The December, 1911 issue of Motography had this news about the Arcadia Theatre:
The Arcadia Theatre commenced operations on October 4th, 1911, with its newspaper advertisements concluding in 1931. Subsequently, Weis Theatres reopened the venue under the name Roxy on May 10th; however, operations ceased in 1953.
(rewritten by CoPilot). Grand opening ads posted.
The description’s opening year of 1931 for the Roxy is mistaken. The Boxoffice item about the Roxy’s opening cited in my first comment is from 1941. The Arcadia was still listed in the FDY that year, though listed as closed. The date May 10 is probably correct though.
The two pictures that only show the replacement should be deleted. We can use one of the postcards, which actually show the theater.