“Jim” Lucas Theatre, Savannah

Posted by on Oct 25, 2011 in Destinations | 0 comments

“Jim” Lucas Theatre, Savannah

Well, the photo says it all.  While walking around the historic downtown, we stumbled on this beautiful, restored old theatre called the Lucas.

Here’s the story of the restoration and a few photos:  In 1986 the owners obtained a demolition permit and made arrangements to turn the once thriving Lucas Theatre into a parking garage. The news motivated a group of Savannah citizens who founded The Lucas Theatre for the Arts. The group pooled their resources, purchased the building and began what would be a $12 million restoration.

With a starting budget of $3 million and a looming workload ahead, the nonprofit Lucas Theatre for the Arts planned to restore the building in just a few years’ time. Several feet of water stood in the seating area, boxes were torn off the wall, all the seats were removed, the roof was leaking and the building had been stripped of its fixtures, all making the original estimated budget overly optimistic.

Supported by donations from Savannahians and celebrities such as Kevin Spacey, Clint Eastwood and the cast and crew of the film “Forrest Gump,” the complete restoration spanned nearly 13 years.

 

The ReopeningThe Lucas Theatre reopened in December 2000 with a screening of “Gone with the Wind,” and in the following months hosted Broadway shows and famous musicians. Although show attendance was high, the operation of the building proved too expensive to sustain on its own. The Savannah College of Art and Design recognized the theater as an important cultural asset in the community, and formed a relationship with The Lucas Theatre for the Arts. The theater’s future is now assured by the college’s support, which allows for a wide range of community uses in addition to top-notch entertainment such as operas from London and Italy, European orchestras, country stars, traveling repertory companies and film series.

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