Bruton Heights Movie Theatre

wsasser on August 11, 2016 at 7:54 pm

Bruton Heights Theater was held in the School auditorium at Bruton Heights School – a Black school in Williamsburg, Va

This was in the days of segregation.

The school served as a school for the Black Community from 1940 – 1966.
After integration it served the community until 1989.

Prior to the opening of the Bruton Heights Theater, there were few movie venues for Blacks in Williamsburg.

The Apollo on Bypass Road operated from 1934 to 1938 before closing

The New Theater, at Nicholson & Botetourt, operated from 1934 to 1936.

The only other venue was a Black only parking section at the Stockade Drive In Theater on Richmond Road from 1941-1963.

The Bruton Heights Theater operated from 1941 to 1954 per the Motion Picture Daily Annual Publication.

Some ads appeared in the Williamsburg Gazette over the years but not on a regular basis.