The Garden Theater – A Bright Past
(Three part series-Part 1)
Ninety-eight years ago, in July of 1921, Dr. C.B. Walters broke ground on a new, state-of-the art building in downtown Louisa with a steam shovel. The upstairs was to be used as offices for Dr. Walters. The downstairs was divided into two rooms. The first was used as a modern pharmacy. The second was leased for use as a picture show.
The theater opened on New Year’s Eve, 1921. The theater presented stage shows starting in 1922 with the Lyceum series. The series included the Boston Male Quartet and Princess Nadonia Indians. The stage frequently hosted circus acts, magicians, and live music.
The twenties were the age of silent movies. Miss Spencer would play during the movies, coordinating her music with the action that was taking part on the screen. On August 5, 1926, talking movies were introduced to The Garden Theater. A new sound system was installed in 1929.
Modernization began again in 1938. A new wide screen was installed along with a new stereo sound system, air conditioning, and a new projector. This is also when the grand marquee and front was built.
The theater continued to be a hub of entertainment for Louisa until the late 70s. It’s hard to go anywhere in Louisa without finding someone with great memories of the Garden Theater. In a post on Facebook, many commented with memories of seeing their first movie in the theater, spending weekends there, and the low cost of popcorn.
In celebration of the past of the building, the new owners, Tim and Lelia Robinson, have begun construction to restore the theater to its former glory. Mountain Movers Theatre Company is hosting two sets of summer camps for the children of our community. Each camp will end with public performances. For more information on camp registration, Mountain Movers Theatre Company, public performances, and ticket sales, visit www.mtnmoverstheatre.com
Oh gosh I remember so many great times going to the Garden Theatre when I was a teenager!!!! Not only to watch movies but also to see my uncle n the band, the Class of 37!! They were GREAT!!!!! I’m 63 now, born n the old General Hospital n 1955, Louisa will always be my hometown, I really miss the way it was when I was growing up.
I saw the first and last articles. Would love to see the second, too. I have two articles coming up about entertainment in Louisa. Some about early TV, some about Hollywood and its influence. The Garden was a big, big part of life during my time growing up. Glad to see it is being restored.
I was the last one to work at the Garden Theater, and when i saw the other photo recently here on the Lazer with “Annie Hall” on the marquee… all of those memories came flooding back because i was the one who put up that marquee and it was the last movie that was shown at the theater. I ran concessions fri, sat, sun, and mon and cleaned the theater each day, and Eddie Blankenship ran the film. I’ll always have a special place in my heart not just for the theater itself and all the great memories, but for Francis Cain because she gave me my first payroll job. My how times have changed seeing that nowadays you couldnt even be put on a payroll at 14 years old. 😄