Step Inside Historic Movie Theaters Left Frozen In Time

See inside these stunning derelict picture houses

The glitz and glamor of Hollywood movie stars once wowed audiences inside these fascinating old picture palaces. Now derelict and abandoned to the sands of time, the silver screen magic may be long gone but there's still something magical about these breathtaking buildings. Here’s your chance to take a look inside, thanks to photographer Leland Kent of Abandoned Southeast, who captured five derelict theaters in all their faded glory. Click or scroll on to take a step back in time...

Historic 1920s theater in Spartanburg, South Carolina

Full of vintage charm, the historic Carolina Theater, pictured here in 1949, was part of the iconic Montgomery Building in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Constructed in 1924, the huge office block is 10 stories high by nine bays wide. It’s a steel-frame skyscraper, originally home to textile businesses, and a theater was the perfect addition to this glamorous creative hub. Your eye is drawn to the elaborate billboard and logo in this retro snapshot, not to mention the fine floral motifs on the window-ledge above.

Renaissance-style interior

Architects Lockwood, Greene & Company designed the building, which was named after Captain John H. Montgomery, a prominent textile merchant of the area, and the theater opened in 1925. Inside, you can see fine Italian Renaissance-style detailing on the walls and ceiling. It has a grand palazzo-style interior on a huge scale – just look how big the stage is! Pale pink and white paintwork give a refined and elegant finish.

Sad state of decay

Here, you can get a good look at the beautiful Italianate carvings on the ceiling and the intricate floral and figural motifs. Sadly, the ceiling is crumbling and the fine décor is covered in layers of grime. In its heyday, the theater had a box office, chandeliers, and 1,300 seats set over three levels. The stage is proscenium-style, meaning it’s set back or arched, offering a window into the drama. There’s also an orchestra pit and trap door for surprise entrances and exits! 

Toxic stage curtains

Although the word ‘asbestos’ on the decorative curtain fills modern audiences with horror, this toxic material was widely used in theaters as a safety feature until the 1980s. Asbestos is very fire-resistant so it was used to protect audiences from flames. Sadly, this meant that theater workers were exposed to toxic asbestos fibers when curtains became worn out. The theater offered nightly plays and musicals until the arrival of film. In 1940, a week-long showing of blockbuster Gone with the Wind attracted adults and teenagers alike. 

Elvis is in the building

Excitement only increased when the King came to town! Music icon Elvis Presley performed to a packed house in 1956. But by the 1970s, the theater's glory days were past, and with audiences dwindling over the decades, the building was abandoned for almost 50 years. Luckily it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011, protecting it from the wrecking ball. Here’s the lobby, with a suitably theatrical swirling balcony incorporated into the ceiling. 

Rescued from ruin?

The second-floor wrought-iron railings provide a last glimpse of glamor, contrasting against the crumbling walls and ceiling. Property records show BF Spartanburg bought the building from Cypress Lending Group for $680,000, according to Abandoned Southeast. In 2018, the Montgomery Building had a $30 million renovation but the theater was neglected. A ray of hope comes from Preservation South Carolina, a non-profit group aiming to raise funds to protect the theater.

Crumbling neo-Renaissance theater in New Orleans, Louisiana

Captured here by Leland Kent of Abandoned Southeast, and dripping with old-world glamor despite its dilapidation, Loew's State Theater in New Orleans opened its doors in 1926. It was built by Scottish-born theater architect Thomas W. Lamb for Loews Incorporated, the parent company of film industry giant, Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Look at the grand neo-Renaissance-style arches with gold detailing! This was no doubt a truly magnificent place to spend a Saturday night at the pictures.

A picture palace is born

As you can see, the abandoned space is palatial, with beautiful floating balcony boxes running down the side wall. It seated 3,335 theater-goers who originally enjoyed the latest vaudeville and silent movies before talking pictures took over. The venue is said to have had an orchestra pit, organ, dressing rooms, and even a kennel in the basement for animal acts, which once housed lions and tigers from a visiting circus!

Beauty under threat

When it was turned into a fashionable multiplex in 1976, sadly some original features were lost. Marble in the lobby was reportedly covered with plastic panels and valuable chandeliers were sold. Here is a surviving Tiffany chandelier with iridescent beading designed to shimmer under stage lights. In 1984, the building was under threat again as a new owner wanted to tear it down to build condos. Thankfully, authorities blocked the bid. Theater operator Rene Brunet, Jr. took over and restored many of its historic features.

Liking this? Click on the Follow button above for more great stories from loveMONEY

Grand marble interior

No expense was spared in building the theater. Notice the gorgeous marble interior columns with scroll tops and the intricately carved botanical and classical motifs adorning the walls. The theater is rumored to have cost $1.5 million to build at the time. The suitably theatrical red and yellow drapery remains remarkably intact, but the rest of this grand interior is showing tell-tale signs of neglect, with water damage visible on the stage.

From film to music madness

Looking ready to collapse, two old movie projectors stand among a tangle of wires and discarded photographic film strips are strewn on the floor. The walls and ceiling are peeling badly, showing signs of water damage. The theater got a new lease of life as a concert venue, hosting big music names such as Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Morrissey, Korn and Sheryl Crow. Later, raves were held in the grand old theater, until a drug-related death made it the centre of several DEA undercover investigations.

Failed rescue attempts

It's so sad to see the elegant gold decorative detailing on the balcony front flaking off, while some of the seats have fallen out of alignment. The venue closed for a short time in 2005, after flooding following Hurricane Katrina. Two years later, it shut permanently due to fire code violations. Attempts to revive the theater have failed. In 2014, a developer bought it for $3.5 million but sold it just a year later after discovering renovations would cost $40 million. To this day, the old theater remains empty and decaying.

Eerie abandoned theater in Florence, South Carolina

Easily the spookiest of this crop of historic theaters, the O’Dowd Theater in downtown Florence, South Carolina opened in the late 1920s. Originally built in Art Deco style, film showings included midday matinees and a weekend evening film – each for just a few cents! Sadly now, the dilapidation in this derelict space is extreme. This shot shows a partially collapsed stage, crumbling walls and ceiling debris scattered all over the ground. Front row chairs are ripped out as if a storm had blown through the building.

Left in a sorry state

In this ground-level shot, you can see the extent of the devastation, with exposed brickwork showing through the ripped ceiling and piles of fallen tiles littering the stage. Apparently, the theater showed cowboy movies three times a week, as well as airing cartoons and serials, which were popular predecessors to TV dramas.

Disaster strikes

 These spooky stairs look ready to crumble under your feet and a glass light appears to have fallen down and smashed on the floor by the column. While the O'Dowd Theater was renamed the Carolina Theater in 1935, the original structure sadly burned down in a 1939 fire, during a mid-week screening of a disaster film about a devastating earthquake. Fortunately, nobody was killed or even seriously injured, but the audience rushed out into the street as firefighters battled the blaze.

Tragedy avoided

It was said that the fire started in the projection room. The owner was concerned about a family who lived above that room, but luckily, they turned up safe a couple of days later. Firefighter Roger Cook was praised for his bravery, after he led the audience outside avoiding a panicked stampede. In this shot, the screen looks more like a demolition site than a theater! A mass of cables and steel poke dangerously out of the exposed brickwork.

The grime of decades

You'd need nerves of steel to spend time inside this spooky old ticket office, crowded with cans of Coke long past their sell-by date. The theater was rebuilt in 1940 and remodeled several times over the decades. Another fire in the 1950s destroyed the roof, so steel beams were added to replace the original wooden ones. The 750-seat venue was last a functioning theater in the 1970s. Later, it was used by a church congregation until the 1980s. When the church closed, the theater was left dilapidated and decaying.

A change of fortune?

Would you dare to take a seat in this abandoned cinema? Soon you may be able to! The City of Florence acquired the building with plans for a $2 million redevelopment transforming the space into an event facility with a 250-seat venue for concerts, weddings, or conferences. It will be equipped with a restaurant kitchen to cater the events. Construction was set to begin in 2021, but it’s unclear how the project is progressing as the last reports seem to be from that same year. We can't wait to see what the future holds...

Decaying mid-century movie theater in Bessemer, Alabama

This crumbling building was once at the heart of the bustling entertainment district in lively Bessemer, Alabama. The Lincoln Theater was created in 1948 as a 400-seater picture house to show the latest Westerns, horror flicks, romance movies and thrillers for an African-American audience during the segregation era, according to Abandoned Southeast. Now, its smart blue and white tiles are peeling away, windows are missing and the marquee billboard is gone.

Technicolor dreamland

Movie-going was a popular pastime in Bessemer, with the Birmingham suburb having three cinemas and one drive-in theater during the early 20th century. The double entrance doors with circular windows must have felt like a gateway to another world for mid-century film fans, eager to be astounded by the latest technicolor dramas. But as entertainment trends shifted, the Lincoln Theater closed in the 1970s. It was repurposed as a furniture storage space until recently. Pictured here is the old box office booth, with its glass splintered. 

Step back in time

Step back in time and check out this snapshot of the Lincoln Theater in its original glory from 1948. Check out the fabulous retro logo and the lettering in the centre, while captivating vintage film posters adorn the front wall. Wonderfully, a restoration project has been launched to rescue this historic building and others in the area. It’s called the Holland Project, led by a local family with a celebrity connection.

A Hollywood rescue

Looking somewhat eerie here in the dim light, the wooden cinema seats seem to be scraped of their yellow paint inside the derelict building. Thankfully, the Hollands have stepped up to save this wonderful old theater. The family has a Hollywood actor son, Andre Holland, who starred in Academy Award-winning 2016 film, Moonlight. He has also appeared in TV favorite Law & Order, big-screen movie Selma and Netflix hit, Passing. 

Entertaining the next generation

Look at these fabulous vintage projectors, with old movie reels on the countertop and piled on a chair. The machines look in good condition, despite being abandoned for decades. Andre Holland bought the theater in 2017 for about $40,000, according to a local newspaper. The Holland Project plans to transform the old picture house, which is about 7,500 square feet, and preserve it for future generations.

Scenes from the past...

Evocative of a pre-digital world, this tangled film roll has been discarded by a Lincoln Theater camera operative from the past. A very basic flyer suggests the cinema opened occasionally during the 1980s as the advertised film, Beverly Hills Cop II, is from that decade with a rock-bottom $1 price to match! Once renovated, the theater will be a non-profit venture, with an emphasis on African-American cultural heritage. It was awarded a $21,000 grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts to aid its restoration. 

Dilapidated Art Deco theater in Green Cove Springs, Florida

This impressive Art Deco theater was built in 1937. It has a flat roof, a recessed entrance and a huge marquee jutting out, bearing the Clay Theater logo. Located in Green Cove Springs, Florida, the updated exterior has horizontal and vertical line decoration in keeping with the original aesthetic. In the 1940s, the theater was popular with sailors from the nearby naval air station, who visited in their striking white uniforms on a Friday night.

Striking exterior

In this close-up of the ticket kiosk with its jaunty pink paint, you can almost imagine a queue of film-lovers lining up to see the latest show. Only a bit of damage to the top-left corner of the wood, a few ripped decals and the suspiciously reasonable entrance fee of $6 for adults and $4 for children betrays the fact it’s been abandoned for years. 

Setback by sickness

The lobby looks well-kept with an attractive pendant light hanging from the ceiling, while the snack bar once offered a tempting array of soft drinks, popcorn, candy and hotdogs. The theater's original balcony was converted to another screen in 1992 with 224 seats downstairs and 78 upstairs, says Abandoned Southeast. Sadly, the Clay Theater closed in 2009 and was put up for sale due to the owner’s declining health.

Magical movie interior

Imagine being seated in this cool auditorium! Although the interior is not original, it’s suitably elegant and the two decorative pendant lights give a subtle nod to its Art Deco past. Apparently, two brothers tried to breathe life back into the theater when they leased it in 2012. Offering the lowest movie ticket prices in Clay County, they hoped to attract a crowd, but sadly it didn’t work out. After just 18 months, the venue closed permanently in 2014. 

Vintage film projector

A very vintage movie projector has been abandoned here. The technology is obsolete but it almost looks as if it could whir back into life! Check out the massive film spools next to it. Water damage on the floor is the only sign rot may have set in. In 2017, the historic building was bought by the Clay Theater Events group, a husband-and-wife team hoping to reopen the venue. But they couldn't turn a profit without having a full house every night, which was much too tall an order, sadly.

Revived as a wedding venue

How strange to see this vintage British sports car – apparently a 1960s Sunbeam Alpine – abandoned in the courtyard behind the old theater! The tangle of vines grasping the car indicates it’s been there for a long time. Fortunately, Clay Theater Events pivoted their plans and decided to renovate the theater and turn it into a unique wedding venue. According to the group's website, they had 50 bookings by opening day! You can check out the renovation here.

Liked this? Click on the Follow button above for more great stories from loveMONEY