Theatres of Louisville - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

As with all older American cities, Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

has several generations of theatres, spanning from live stage theatres to large ornate downtown theaters to standalone neighborhood theaters to modern multiplexes. A great deal of the older theatres have been razed, or their buildings converted to other purposes.

"Years active" refers to years the building was actively used as a theatre. Due to renumbering and consolidation over the years, the address given may not exactly correspond to the modern building or lot at that location.

Name	Years active	Address	Notes
Alamo Theatre	1916-c. 1930	444 S. Fourth St.	Razed. Also called the Ohio (different than the later one on 4th St.)
Aristo Theatre		1603 S. Fourth St.	Razed. Also known as The Ritz and The New Ritz
Avenue Theatre			Razed
Bard Theatre	1941-?	2470 Bardstown Road	Razed in 1998. (After closing as a movie theater, the former Bard was converted to a nightclub called Armando's Palace, and then later, after significant remodeling, became a health club that operated on two stories, and included a small pool and indoor track.)
Baxter Avenue Theatre	1996-	1250 Baxter Ave	Apex Theatres. Located in Mid City Mall. Eight screens.
Baxter Theatre		1055 Bardstown Rd.	Building still stands, after a brief period as a youth center, part of back auditorium was razed and interior gutted, theatre converted to a restaurant/sports bar. Theatre originally called The Lincoln when first opened. Called The Airway in the 1950s
Bijou		211 S. Fourth	Razed; Also called The Columbia
Bijou		104 E. Liberty	Razed; Also called The Liberty
Bijou		1230 W. Walnut	Razed; Also called The Olio and The Victory
Broadway Cinemas	1999-2004	1211 W Broadway	Converted from a Winn-Dixie building into 10-screen complex. It was an effort to bring a theater back to the predominantly black West End, after the last of 6 area theaters, Cinema West, closed in 1975. Broadway Cinemas failed due to slow ticket sales and trouble with its creditors. The building was converted again into retail space.
Broadway Theatre	1915-1960	816 E. Broadway	Closed. Originally vaudeville, later featured radio performances by a then unknown Gene Autry Gene Autry Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s... . Building has been restored, currently retail/showroom space for an office furniture company.
Brown Theatre	1925-	317 W. Broadway	Stopped showing films in 1962. Currently operating as a concert/live performance venue in conjunction with The Kentucky Center The Kentucky Center The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, located in Louisville, is a major performing arts center in Kentucky.The Kentucky Center also hosts artworks by Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, John Chamberlain, Jean Dubuffet and others.... .
Buckingham	1820-1897	223-27 W. Jefferson	Razed; Burlesque. Owned by John Henry Whallen John Henry Whallen John Henry Whallen was a Democratic Party political boss in Louisville, Kentucky during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in New Orleans, he moved with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio in his youth. As a boy during the Civil War he served the Confederate Army in Schoolfield's Battery as a... .
Bunbury Theatre Company	604 South Third Street/ The Henry Clay Building	(502) 585-5306 - www.bunburytheatre.org	Performing at The Bunbury Theatre, the company renovated the space in 2007. The 144 Seat theatre rivals any in the tri-state region. Operating since 1985, Bunbury's Professional/Avocational Theatre Company continues to offer a five show season of live theatre.
Capitol Theatre		2129 S. Preston	Neighborhood theatre. Building later converted to retail space.
Carriage House		1101 S. Fourth St.
Casino		317 S. Fourth St.
Cherokee		1589 Bardstown Rd.	In the late 1980s it was converted into a nightclub called The Cherokee Blues Club. Bad management and parking problems forced it to close in 1994. Now it is a well known music store called The Doo Wop Shop. http://www.doowop.com/flat/Doo_Wop_Shop_Music_Store.php
Cherokee		326 W. Market
Cinema West	?-1975	3312 W. Broadway	Last theater in the West End until the brief Broadway Cinemas from 1999-2004.
Clifton		2003-5 Frankfort Ave.
Colonial		1801 W. Market
Cozy Theatre	?-1965	3105 S. Third St.	450 seats. Closed in 1965. Razed.
Crescent Theatre	1926-?	2862 Frankfort Ave	Closed. Also called The Masonic. Art theatre in the 1960s, became a porn theatre before closing. Building eventually became the Brasserie Deitrich restaurant, which opened in 1988 and closed in May 2003. In 2004 the property was purchased by investors to be turned into condos.
Crescent Air Dome		2322 Frankfort Ave	Closed.
Crown Theatre		1215 S. Seventh	Razed
Crystal		456 S. Fourth St
Crystal		314 W. Market
Dixie 4		4921 Dixie Hwy	Razed. Currently the site of Factory Card Outlet and Rent-a-Center Rent-A-Center Rent-A-Center is an American public furniture and electronics rent to own company based in Plano, Texas. The company was incorporated in 1986 and as of 2010 operates 3,007 company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico, accounting for 38% of the rent-to-own market in... .
Dixie Dozen Cinemas	1993-	6801 Dixie Hwy	Republic Theatres. Originally owned by Associated Theatres. 12 screens.
Dixie Drive-In Theatre		5131 Dixie Hwy	Closed. Pleasure Ridge Park area.
Dixie Theater		941 S. Preston	Closed. Also called The New Dixie. One of four theatres open to blacks before desegregation.
Downs		3423 Taylor Blvd	Razed; First called The Aljo
Dreamland	1904-?	444 W. Market
East Drive-In Theatre	1948-?	Shelbyville Rd	Also called: Drive-In Theatre. Razed. Outdoor.
Gayety	1910-1936	323 W. Jefferson St.	Razed; Burlesque
Globe	1880-	2010 Portland Ave.	Once a Vaudeville Theater, renamed Nelligan Hall in the '30s and adopted as area Democratic Campaign Headquarters and home to the North End Social Club. Artists have recently renovated into an artists' studio/gallery/performance space. - www.NelliganHall.org
Grand Theater		607-11 W. Walnut St.	Closed. One of four theatres open to blacks before desegregation.
Highland		1014-16 Bardstown Rd.	Later called Shibboleth Hall
Highland Amusement Co.		919 Baxter Ave.	Later became the Gem.
Highland Park	1924-?	4506 Park Blvd.	Razed; First called Hi-Land/New Superba. Highland Park Highland Park, Louisville Highland Park was a city near and eventually neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky that was razed as a part of the expansion of Louisville International Airport...
Hilltop Theatre	1920-?	1757 Frankfort Ave.	First theatre in Louisville's east end. Building still stands, currently retail/warehouse space for a novelty company.
Hippodrome	1920-?	144-146 W. Market St
Hopkins	1905-?	133 W. Market St.
Ideal Theatre	1912-?	2315 W. Market St.	Razed sometime after 1983. Listed individually on National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... .
J-Town 4		9601 Taylorsville Rd
Kentucky Theater Kentucky Theater The Kentucky Theater was a theater and performing arts center at 651 S. 4th St., located in the theatre district of downtown Louisville, Kentucky in the United States of America.Built in 1921, the building served for sixty years as a movie house...	1921-	649-651 S Fourth St.	Theater had been recently operating as a live performance/concert venue, with occasional film presentations, but is currently closed. Designed by Louisville firm Joseph and Joseph, original interior included Italian marble and chandeliers from Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... .
Kenwood Drive-In	1949-2009	7001 Southside Dr	Closed Jan 2009 by National Amusements.
Knox Theatre		311 W Oak St	Also called the Tower Theatre. Theatre razed, front entrance still stands.
Lakewood Drive-In Theatre		Highway 3 & Highway 62	Closed
Lincoln Theater			Closed (ALSO SEE: Baxter Theatre 1055 Bardstown Road)
Louisville Science Center IMAX Theatre	1988-	727 W Main St	Located in the upper floors of the Louisville Science Center Louisville Science Center The Louisville Science Center, previously known as the Louisville Museum of Natural History & Science, is Kentucky's largest hands-on science museum. Located in Louisville, Kentucky's "Museum Row" in the West Main District of downtown, the museum operates as a non-profit organization...
Lyric Theater	1926-?	604 W. Walnut Street [1]	Closed. One of four theatres open to blacks before desegregation. In 2003, proposed to have its name live on as a youth center to be called the Grand Lyric Theatre. Closed by the late 1980s, part of the Walnut Street corridor, a center of a black-owned businesses and entertainment venues.
Macauley's Theatre Macauley's Theatre Macauley's Theatre was the premier theatre in Louisville, Kentucky during the late 19th and early 20th century. It opened on October 18, 1873 on the north side of Walnut Street between Third and Fourth Streets, and was founded by Bernard "Barney" Macauley, a prominent Louisville actor since the...	1873-1925		Razed in 1925
Majestic Theatre			Razed
Mary Anderson Theatre		612 S. 4th Street	Closed in the 1970s. 1405 seats. Named for Mary Anderson Mary Anderson (stage actress) Mary Anderson was an American stage actress.-Early life:... . Theatre was gutted in the late 80's and converted into office space. Designed by William J. Dodd William J. Dodd William J. Dodd was a Canadian-born American architect and designer who worked mainly in Louisville, Kentucky from 1886 to 1912 and in Los Angeles, California from 1912 until his death. Dodd rose from the so-called Chicago School of architecture, engineering and design innovations of the late 19th... and Kenneth McDonald.
Movie City		9070 Dixie Hwy
National Theatre (also known as B. F. Keith Theatre)	1913-1952	500 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard	Razed in 1953
New Superba Theatre			Razed
Oak Theatre		Dixie Highway & Oak Street	Razed
Ohio Theatre	1941-	655 S. 4th Street	Razed, facade and front entrance still stands, converted to retail space. Art Deco Art Deco Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and... style.
Orpheus Theatre			Razed
Oxmoor Cinemas		Oxmoor Mall, 7900 Shelbyville Road	Closed. Multiplex theater consisted of a total of six screens, two larger ones located on the ground floor level and four smaller screens located on the second floor of the Oxmoor Mall.Converted to retail space.
Palace Theatre The Louisville Palace The Louisville Palace is a theatre, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, located in the city's theater district, on the east side of Fourth Street, between Broadway and Chestnut Street. It has a seating capacity of 2,700 people and is owned by Live Nation...	1928-	625 S Fourth St	Also called: Loews, State, United Artists, United Artists Penthouse. Theatre has been restored and now functions as a live concert/performance venue, with occasional film presentations. Facade and interior designed by John Eberson John Eberson John Eberson was an American architect best known for his movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre fashion.Born in Czernowitz, Austro-Hungarian Empire , Eberson went to highschool in Dresden and studied electrical engineering in Vienna. He arrived in the United States in 1901 and at first...
Parkland Theatre			Razed. Parkland Parkland, Louisville Parkland is a neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Its boundaries are 34th Street on the west, West Broadway on the north, Woodland Avenue on the south and 26th Street on the east.... neighborhood.
Parkway Drive-In Theatre		2702 Millers Ln	Closed
Pix Theatre			Razed
Preston Drive-In Theatre		6705 Preston Hwy	Even though it was still doing very good business it was purchased by the Furrow's Home Improvement chain in the early 1980s and immediately razed. Furrow's closed and the building became a Salvation Army store. The building is currently empty and for sale.
Rex Theatre			Razed
Rialto Theater	1921-1968	616 S.Fourth St	Razed in 1969. Designed by the Louisville firm Joseph and Joseph, opened in May 1921. Featured Italian Renaissance Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe... style facade and a white marble staircase, seating capacity of 3,500.
Rodeo Theatre			Razed
Savoy Theater	1890-	211 W. Jefferson St.	Initially called the Grand Opera House, was Vaudeville, then Burlesque, then film theatre. Building razed following extensive damage resulting from arson in 1989. Was scheduled for demolition and amid Louisville's downtown "porno district" by that point.
Scoop Theatre	1910-1940s		Building still stands, converted to office/retail space in 2000. Originally known as the Walnut Street Theatre, was a vaudeville house until 1930 when it began showing films. Possibly designed by John Eberson John Eberson John Eberson was an American architect best known for his movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre fashion.Born in Czernowitz, Austro-Hungarian Empire , Eberson went to highschool in Dresden and studied electrical engineering in Vienna. He arrived in the United States in 1901 and at first... . Then known as the Ritz briefly and the Drury Lane Theatre from 1933 to 1940. Acquired its eventual name in the 1940s when it was a popular newsreel Newsreel A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers... theatre. Converted to convention space by James Graham Brown James Graham Brown James Graham Brown was an American businessman and real estate developer best known as the builder of the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky and for his philanthropy. Born in Madison, Indiana, he moved to Louisville in 1903 and founded, with his brother and father, the W.P. Brown and Sons Lumber... in the early 1950s.
Shelby Theatre			Razed
Showcase Cinemas Louisville	1965-2004	3408 Bardstown Rd	National Amusements National Amusements National Amusements, Inc. is a privately owned theatre company based in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. The company was founded in 1936 as the Northeast Theatre Corporation by Michael Redstone.... . Closed. 13-screen, A local Christian church had expressed interest in purchasing the site, but the deal fell through. Building was recently demolished. 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) site.
Showcase Cinemas Stonybrook		2745 S Hurstbourne Pky	National Amusements
Skyway Drive-In Theatre		3609 Bardstown Rd	Closed
Southpark Drive-In Theatre		9205 National Tpke	Closed
Star Theatre			Razed
Strand Theatre		Chestnut St.	Razed. Also called: Shubert Theatre.
Sun Theatre			Razed
Tinseltown Louisville	1997-	4400 Towne Center Dr	Cinemark Theatres
Twilite Drive-In Theatre	1950-?	4015 Crittenden Dr	Razed. Also called: Twin Drive-In, Twilight Drive-In
Twin Drive-In Theatre			Closed
Uptown Theatre	1928-1989	1502 Bardstown Rd	Closed. Part of The Schuster Building, the theatre's auditorium was razed in 1994 but the former front entrance and lobby area remain as part of the building fronting Bardstown Road. Louisville's first sound theater, also had an orchestra pit. 1000 seats.
Valley Drive-In Theatre		Dixie Hwy S	Closed
Village 8 Theatres		4014 Dutchmans Ln	Apex Theatres
Vogue Theatre	1939-1998	3727 Lexington Rd	Closed. Theatre gutted and converted in 2006 to a retail center called "The Vogue", marquee was restored and is still prominent. As a theater, the Vogue was known in later years for its long run showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Was described by the Courier-Journal as "perhaps the last genuine neighborhood movie house in Louisville" at the time of its closing.
Walden Theatre		233 W Broadway
West End Theatre			Razed
Westonian Theatre			Razed
Wood's Theatre			Razed

[1] The Lyric Theatre was actually at 601 W. Walnut per a 1929 advertisement.

See also