Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018 - 28

HISTORIC THEATRES
IN THE MOUNTAINS
Few things anchor a small mountain
town like a historic theater. Here are
snapshots of our readers' 10 favorites.

Barter Theatre (Abingdon,
Virginia)

The Barter opened its doors in the
depth of the Great Depression,
accepting "victuals" for admission.
Known for its long list of distinguished
alums including Gregory Peck, Patricia
Neal and Ernest Borgnine, the Barter
is the State Theatre of Virginia and
welcomes more than 160,000 visitors a
year. bartertheatre.com
Grandin Theatre (Roanoke,
Virginia)

The sole surviving historic theatre in
Roanoke, the Grandin's fortunes have
ebbed and flowed since opening in
1932. Now the Castle-style theatre is
moving forward with great creativity,
with a full, four-screen movie schedule
and a multitude of community
outreach programs including a Film
Lab partnership with area public
schools.
grandintheatre.com
Historic Masonic Theatre (Clifton
Forge, Virginia)

JOHN HENLEY

Abingdon, Virginia's Barter Theatre leads the
parade of restored theaters in the mountains,
both by virtue of most votes and by having
stayed open, where many others have made
post-closing comebacks.

28 BlueRidgeCountry.com

The Historic Masonic is four floors of
architectural beauty and community
function. Originally opened in 1906,
the Beaux-Arts theatre welcomed stage
stars like Tom Mix and Tex Ritter as
well as decades of first-run movies. Reopened in July, 2016 after a $6.7 million
restoration (the monthly tours are
free), the Masonic offers a full schedule
of theatre, music, dance, and, of course,
movies. historicmasonictheatre.com

Lincoln Theatre (Marion,
Virginia)

From its grand opening in 1929 until
1974, the elegantly muraled Lincoln
was the place to go for "talkies" and live
entertainment. After sitting empty
for 27 years, the Lincoln underwent a
community based, 1.8-million-dollar
restoration and is now home to worldrenown PBS traditional music television
show, "Song of the Mountains" as well
as theatre and live music performances.
thelincoln.org
Lyric Theatre (Blacksburg,
Virginia)

Known for its iconic Tragedy and
Comedy masks outside and numerous
haunted-house stories within, the
Lyric is a fine example of the power
of community support. Interior
renovation was completed in late 1998,
and façade renovation in 2006. Today,
the Lyric is a centerpiece of downtown
Blacksburg, offering movies and live
programs seven days a week.
thelyric.com
Paramount Theatre
(Charlottesville, Virginia)

Jeffersonian neoclassical elegance
was its draw in the day, with its Greek
Revival façade and octagonal Theatre
chamber. Closed in 1974, the fully
restored and updated Paramount
reopened 30 years later and last year
received the prestigious Outstanding
Historic Theatre award from the
League of Historic American Theatres.
theparamount.net

http://www.bartertheatre.com http://www.thelincoln.org http://www.grandintheatre.com http://www.thelyric.com http://www.historicmasonictheatre.com http://www.theparamount.net

Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2018

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