Lucas Theatre for the Arts, Historic theatre in downtown Savannah, United States
The Lucas Theatre is a theatre on Abercorn Street in Reynolds Square, Savannah, designed by architect Claude K. Howell in the Spanish Baroque style and opened on December 26, 1921. Its interior has a large dome and marble floors, and its exterior carries a large wrought iron marquee. It seats about 1,700 and was built on the site of the Houston–Johnson–Screven House, demolished in 1920.
Arthur Lucas, an Atlanta businessman who owned dozens of Georgia theatres including Atlanta's Fox, named this 1921 house after himself. Architect Claude K. Howell designed it in Spanish Baroque style; it opened on December 26, 1921, on the site of the 1784 Houston–Johnson–Screven House, demolished in 1920. It closed in 1976, was slated for demolition in 1986, and reopened in 2000 with a screening of Gone with the Wind.
The venue hosts a mix of live performances and film screenings that draw people from across the region. Visitors come to watch concerts, theatrical shows, and participate in the city's film festival throughout the year.
The theatre stands on Abercorn Street on the east side of Reynolds Square, within the Savannah Historic District, so it is reached on foot from the surrounding downtown streets. The auditorium is entered from the square side; the 1920s building has no step-free route at every entrance, so visitors with mobility needs should arrange access in advance.
The Wurlitzer organ, built in 1925, was disassembled, stored in a barn and damaged in a fire before the American Theatre Organ Society helped restore it; it was reinstalled in 2023 with seven ranks of pipes added to the original eleven.
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