Tos Theatre
201 W. Main Street,
Claxton,
GA
30417
201 W. Main Street,
Claxton,
GA
30417
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Tos Theaters
Previous Names: Italian Garden Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Italian Garden Theatre was opened in 1927. It was renamed Tos Theatre in 1940, and was operated by Tos Theatres Inc. of Claxton, GA. It was still operating in 1950.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
The theater in 2008: View link
Rear of auditorium, 2008: View link
2011 article about an effort to restore the theater: View link
I can’t find the exact address of the Tos Theatre, but the block of buildings it is part of is on the north side of Main Street between Broad and Grady Streets. The theater is closer to the Broad Street end of the block.
This web page from the Evans County Parks and Recreation Department has a slide show of photos of the restoration project, plus a link to a .zip file with renderings, a floor plan, and a site plan of the project.
There is also a link to a .pdf text about Salvino Tos and his theater. The house was built in the mid-1920s and originally operated under the name Italian Gardens. It was renamed the Tos Theatre after a remodeling and expansion in the 1940s. The Tos Theatre closed in 1976.
32.161295,-81.908612 I believe this will put you right in front of the theater.
The building to the left of the theatre was a service station and Feber Mincey, the owner of Tos theatres had his home office on the second floor.
Does anyone know if Claxton restored the Tos Theater, I sure hope so, any update would be appreciated.
This article was posted at statesboroherald.com on January 17 this year. It says that restoration of the Tos Theatre is proceeding, but slowly due to limited funding. The front of the building has been restored (sans signage) and the roof has been repaired. The marquee has been removed. Most of the seats were not salvageable, and the ceiling of the auditorium is missing. Four photos, two of them vintage shots, accompany the article.
The article notes that the Italian Garden Theatre opened in 1927, and was renamed the Tos Theatre in 1940. It closed in November, 1976, having been operated by the Tos family throughout its history. Tos' grandson Gil Mincey donated the theater to the Evans County Recreation Commission in 2003. Goals for the project include enlarging the stage and installing a retractable movie screen. When renovated, the auditorium will seat 452, 312 on the main floor and 140 in the balcony.