Donk's Theatre
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Donk's Theatre | |
   | |
| Location | 259 Buckley Hall Rd., Hudgins, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°28′17″N 76°19′35″W / 37.47139°N 76.32639°WCoordinates: 37°28′17″N 76°19′35″W / 37.47139°N 76.32639°W |
| Area | less than 1 acre |
| Built | c. 1946-1947 |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Demolished | 2016 (collapsed) |
| NRHP Reference # | 10001185[1] |
| VLR # | 057-0069 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 28, 2011 |
| Designated VLR | December 17, 2009[2] |
Donk's Theatre was a historic movie theater located at Hudgins, Mathews County, Virginia. It 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. The movie business was declining due to TV, 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 remains will have to be demolished; the owners have said that they will save the marquee.[4]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.[1]
References
- 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 1/24/11 through 1/28/11. National Park Service. 2012-08-17.
- ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 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.
