Colonial Theatre (South Hill, Virginia)
History
Built in 1925, the Colonial Theatre was the only theatre in Mecklenburg County for over two decades. The venue originally housed vaudeville shows and musical performances before undergoing conversion first into a theatre for silent movies and later for modern motion pictures. Many notable entertainers performed at the theatre during its lifespan, including Joan Crawford, Clara Bow, and Minnie Pearl.
The area's post office was housed for a time on the building's first floor, while a Masonic lodge was located on the third. The theatre closed in the 1970s and remained so until a community fundraising drive brought about a renovation effort in the early 2000s. The building reopened in 2011 as the Colonial Center for the Performing Arts, featuring a 400-seat theatre, two lobbies and a welcome center on its main floor, as well as an art gallery and offices on the second floor and a ballroom on the third.