Strand Theatre
325 Granby Street,
Norfolk,
VA
23510
325 Granby Street,
Norfolk,
VA
23510
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Loew's Inc.
Architects: Claude Knox Howell
Functions: Dance Studio
Previous Names: Victoria Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The 1,400-seat Victoria Theatre was built as a vaudeville/movie theatre opening on December 4, 1911 with 7-acts of vaudeville. By 1916 it became a full time movie theatre and was renamed the Strand Theatre. In 1923 it was equipped with a Robert Morton 3 manual organ. I think that sometime in the 1930’s or early-1940’s it was gutted and converted to the downtown Hofheimer’s shoe store.
As of 1995 it was empty. It might not look much like a theatre from Granby Street, but it’s unmistakable from the rear.
Contributed by
Bob Jensen
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
Hey Chief,try to get inside and recon for any interior features.
Yes you could enroll in a Pilates course and take photos of the interior.
KEN MC, I think Pilates Center rents space from TRDance Center (Todd Rosenlieb Dance Center) so the function should be changed to “Dance Studio”
GHAMILTON, not a bad idea, but I live in the Chicago area.
MIKEMOVIES, very funny, even if I did live in Norfolk, that Pilates stuff looks a lot like Yoga. A long time ago I had a girlfriend who took me to her Yoga class, I was so bored I couldn’t wait for it to be over and I never went back and I got rid of the girlfriend! As far as going to the dance studio, I feel about that like I do Yoga. HA HA!
Chief Jensen
haha I am not interested in pilates or yoga myself. Lifting a can of beer gives a great workout. No need to spend additional money on classes.
According to the 1936 AFY Yearbook, the Strand at that time seated 1,000.
There was a Strand Theatre operating in Norfolk at least as early as 1916, when it was mentioned in The Moving Picture World in both January and February.
The only mention of the Victoria Theatre I’ve found in any theater publications of the period is in the 1912-1913 Cahn guide, which gave no details but said the house was showing vaudeville and pictures.
The June 10, 1911, issue of Engineering Record listed bids that had been received for the construction of the Victoria Theatre in Norfolk. The architect was C. K. Howell of Richmond.
1969 photo added via wsasser, from the Norva Theatre CT page. (Hofheimer’s signage visible. Likely previous Strand marquee.)
Per JGKlein on the Norva Theatre page on August 19, 2017 at 10:47 am:
Across the street (from Norva Theatre) is “Hofheimer’s”, a shoe store at 325 Granby St. in Norfolk. This building was the location of the former Victoria Theatre, built in 1911 as a vaudeville/movie theatre. By 1916 it was renamed the Strand and operated as a full time movie theatre. As of 2017, the same building that was once the Victoria Theatre is still standing.
Opened as Victoria on December 4th, 1911 per:
Renamed Strand October 31st, 1914. Ad posted.
Newspaper ads and listings stopped in 1935 for this theatre.