Donk's Theatre was a historic movie theater located at Hudgins, Mathews County, Virginia.
History and description
Donk's Theatre was built in 1946–1947, and was a vernacular rectangular building constructed of rusticated cinder and concrete block, painted white and cream with Art Deco style details. The building measured 50 feet by 100 feet, and consisted of the central theatre entrance, storefronts, and a 504-seat auditorium. The theater operated as a segregated venue for motion pictures until passage of federal civil rights legislation in 1964. In the following years the movie business was declining and the theater closed in 1970. It reopened in 1975, as a live country music concert hall.[3] On January 22, 2016, the roof of Donk's collapsed due to heavy snowfall from a winter storm, as did several of the outside walls. Little survived, and what remained required demolition; the owners said that they would save the marquee.[4]
The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011,[1] and was removed from the National Register in 2017.[5]
References
- ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 1/24/11 through 1/28/11. National Park Service. February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ James S. Sease, Esq. and Joanna Nix (May 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Donk's Theatre" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying five photos
- ^ Michael Martz (January 23, 2016). "Roof collapses on historic Donk's Theater, known as "Virginia's Lil Ole Opry"". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ National Park Service (February 17, 2017), Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 2/6/2017 through 2/10/2017, archived from the original on March 8, 2017, retrieved March 8, 2017.
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