State Theatre
National Register Listing
Street Address:
110 Main Street, Greenwood, SC (Greenwood County)
Alternate Name:
Greenwood Community Theatre
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817724023
Description and Narrative:
The 1935 single-screen State Theatre, designed by Erle G. Stillwell, features an aesthetic consistent with the Eclectic Revival style. The steel-framed masonry building stands on the west side of Main Street in the Greenwood’s Uptown commercial district. Red brick with terracotta ornamentation characterizes the theater’s exterior. The current marquee likely dates to ca. 1953, but has been heavily modified since its installation. Although the storefront and windows are replacements, the façade retains secondary doorways that served as a separate entrance and exit for Black patrons during segregation. The building’s interior layout remains largely unchanged. The lobby retains its original terrazzo floor, and the auditorium features historic seating. The theater’s balcony has been altered slightly to accommodate sound and lighting equipment used by Greenwood Community Theatre, which has operated there since 1978. The theater features a proscenium stage with a fly loft above. The State Theatre is the town’s only purpose-built movie theater remaining from the early 20th century and one of Greenwood’s most intact historic theater spaces of any type, making it significant to local entertainment history. Beyond providing first-run motion pictures during the heyday of indoor motion pictures, the State Theatre provided residents and visitors with a venue for live entertainment, public meetings, instruction, and philanthropic events and programming. New suburban theaters and multiplexes, like the Apollo I built in 1972, drew customers away from the downtown State Theater, which closed in 1978. Listed in the National Register May 23, 2024.
Period of Significance:
1935 – 1972
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Entertainment/Recreation
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
May 23 2024
