Court Theatre
304 Wharf Street,
Loudon,
TN
37774
304 Wharf Street,
Loudon,
TN
37774
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The Court Theatre was opened in the late-1940’s. It was partially destroyed by fire on June 27, 1958, leaving only the lower parts of the walls standing.
Contributed by
Billy Holcomb / Don Lewis / Billy Smith
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
The Court Theatre was located on Wharf Street, a bit west of Poplar Street. I suspect, though I’m not absolutely certain, that the theater was in the (now much-altered) building that houses Annabell’s Emporium and Cafe, at 304 Wharf. I also wonder if the Court might have been a reverse theater, as the lots on that side of the block slope up toward the rear.
I attempted to do a Google Street View link, but the new Google Maps is terribly uncooperative. Here is a bird’s-eye view from Bing Maps.
Comparing the vintage photo Don Lewis uploaded with modern Google street view I’m now convinced that the Court Theatre had to have been at 304 Wharf Street. The tree partly seen west of the theater in the old photo would have been in the front yard of the old house that is still standing on that lot.
The building housing Annabelle’s probably is the theater building, or what is left of it. A new and much lower front has been put on it, and I think it might have been extended at the rear to reach Commercial Street, and the entire roof probably dates from the conversion of the building to retail use.
I now also have to second-guess my assumption that the Court might have been a reverse theater. That very tall front most likely housed a stadium seating section, and the main floor seating was probably elevated a few feet feet above street level, with the cross aisle reached by ramps or stairs up from the lobby. Converting the building for retail use would have required major reconstruction, but the existing sidewalls look old enough to have dated from the 1940s, and might be all that remains of the Court Theatre.
I went inside the Annabelle’s building on a recent visit to Loudon, and it has an unusual half-upstairs retail area that certainly could have been a balcony or projection booth, so I agree that it probably was the theatre.
Oh, I should also mention that the “balcony-area” faces the front of the building, so perhaps it was a reverse type.
At some point in time, there was a fire in the Court Theater. I have posted an undated picture that I found of the fire.
Demolished.
Jake, I wish you would document your conclusions. The current Google Maps shows the building discussed in the above comments still standing and in use as described.
The fire on June 27, 1958 completely gutted the theatre which didn’t rebuild. A new roof was placed on the former auditorium walls, and a new front was build as part of the reconfiguration to retail. I have posted a 1922 picture in the photo section.