| Richmond CenterStage | |
|---|---|
| Address | 600 E. Grace St. |
| City | Richmond, Virginia |
| Country | United States |
| Capacity | est. 1,800 |
| Type | Opera House |
| Opened | 1928 |
| Reopened | September 12, 2009 |
| Previous names | Carpenter Theater; Carpenter Center |
|
Loews Theatre
|
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| Location: | 6th and Grace Sts., Richmond, Virginia |
| Area: | 1 acre (0.4 ha) |
| Built: | 1928 |
| Architect: | John Eberson |
| Architectural style: | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: |
79003292 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | November 20, 1979 |
| http://www.richmondcenterstage.com/ | |
The Richmond CenterStage, formerly known as Carpenter Theater (also spelled Theatre) for the Performing Arts, is located at 600 E. Grace Street in downtown Richmond, Virginia. Originally known as Loew's Theatre, the movie palace was developed by the Loew's Theatres company and was designed by John Eberson. Construction of the building began in 1927 and its doors were opened in 1928.
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Largely known to Richmonders as the Carpenter Center, the structure occupies the 600 block of historic Grace Street, a one-way road traveling west through Richmond. It is surrounded by Broad Street to the north, Seventh Street to the east, Grace Street to the south and Sixth street to the west.
Its location is currently being proposed as an addition to the Grace Street Commercial National Historic District. It is not located in a City of Richmond Local Old & Historic District.
As a prominent New York architect, John Eberson conceived a design for the Loew's Theater Corporation influenced by both Moorish and Spanish baroque structures. According to architectural historian Calder Loth, "Loew's was considered the most up-to-date theater in the South when it opened on April 9, 1928."[2] Eberson was famous for having invented the "atmospheric theatre" design in which the theater walls resembled an elegant villa or streetscape under a night sky. The Carpenter Theater design evokes a Spanish setting with a faux sky ceiling containing stars and moving clouds.
Acquired in the 1980s by the Virginia Center for the Performing Arts (now known as the Richmond CenterStage Foundation), the Carpenter Theater was renamed the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts. In May 2000, the Alliance for Performing Arts conducted a feasibility study from whence major plans for restoration and rehabilitation ensued.
The structure reopened to the public on September 12, 2009 as Richmond CenterStage. Nine performing arts groups based in Richmond use the structure as a performance venue: African American Repertory Theatre, Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond Ballet, Richmond Jazz Society, Richmond Shakespeare, Richmond Symphony, SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community), Theatre IV – Barksdale and Virginia Opera. The facility has the capacity to hold smaller groups for local and regional performances as well as very large audiences for national performing acts.