• Ritz Theatre

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  The Fox Theatre Institute recently completed a window and paint restoration project for the Ritz Theatre in Brunswick, Georgia. The Ritz Theatre is located within the "Old Town Brunswick" National Register Historic District.
  
  The theatre was built in 1898 to house the Grand Opera House, retail establishments, and the general offices of the Brunswick and Birmingham Railroad. Originally, the Grand Opera House, a three-story Victorian building featuring ornate brick and stone work, was built for the legitimate stage. Later, it served as a theatre for vaudeville.

• Morton Theatre

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  The Morton Building was constructed in 1910 by Monroe Bowers Morton, also known as Pink. He was a prominent, local African-American businessman who owned over 30 buildings in Athens.
  
  The building was home to local African-American businesses including the office of Dr. Ida Mae Johnson Hiram who was the first African-American woman to be licensed to practice medicine in the state.

• DeSoto Theatre

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  At a construction cost of $110,000.00, the DeSoto Theatre opened for business in August of 1929. With a seating capacity of approximately 1,000, the DeSoto was one of the seven largest movie venues in Georgia.
  
  The DeSoto Theatre served the region as one of the main sources of entertainment for Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama for the next fifty years.
  
  In 1982 the DeSoto closed as a movie theater but soon reopened as the permanent home of the Rome Little Theatre, a non-profit community theater organization.

• Imperial Theatre

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  Augusta's Imperial Theatre began in 1917 as a vaudeville showcase named The Wells Theatre. It was founded by impresario Jake Wells and was designed by architect G. Lloyd Preacher in the Victorian Renaissance style for a cost of $47,792.00.
  
  Today the Imperial Theatre is a vibrant arena for entertainment, with a full season of musicals, dance, concerts, comedy and more. It is noted in the National Register as critical to the character of the Broad Street Historic District.

• Rylander Theatre

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  Walter Rylander, Sr. began the construction of the future Rylander Theater in 1919.
  
  This theater was to be a civic auditorium, a stage for the performing arts and a movie theater.
  
  After a year and a half, the Rylander Theatre opened the doors for its first live performance, the hit play Lightnin on January 21, 1921, and was called "The Finest Playhouse South of Atlanta."

The Fox Theatre Institute is the only comprehensive theatre preservation organization in the United States and is the premiere resource for historic theatre restoration and revitalization in Georgia. By offering break-through mentoring programs, preservation expertise, operational counseling, and educational opportunities, we can motivate and nurture those theatres seeking guidance. Our goal is to create a movement of progress that will foster arts development, preservation standards, community building, and economic development for historic theatres as well as sustain arts communities throughout Georgia.

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