Lincoln Theater
1305 Myrtle Walk,
Baton Rouge,
LA
70802
1305 Myrtle Walk,
Baton Rouge,
LA
70802
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Opened on August 25, 1950 with Alan Ladd in “Captain Carey U.S.A.” The Lincoln Theater has been a movie and entertainment showplace for Baton Rouge’s African-American community for decades. For many, the Lincoln Theater was the only venue during the era of segregation.
Despite all of the community’s support, in 1986, the theater’s business took a nosedive and the Lincoln Theater was closed.
There was talk about it reopening in May 2001, but this never happened. However, the 600-seat Lincoln Theater is gradually being restored to emulate its original appearance.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
This theater is NOT open, nor did it re-open when Dick Gregory was there in 2001. It’s hopefully about to undergo some long-overdue renovations, which will keep this historic landmark around for years to come.
Interior pictures: 1 2
Federal grant money recently allocated to restore this historical property:
http://www.wbrz.com/news/officials-looking-to-renovate-historic-lincoln-theater/
history & interior tour on this WAFB 9 News story:
http://www.wafb.com/story/28181809/saving-the-lincoln-theater-in-baton-rouge
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_2832abae-3c25-11e8-8256-ff464114e3ce.html
The City of Baton Rouge approved the $40,000 Lincoln Theatre project proposed by Reverend Albert L. Chatman in December of 1949. The architect on the project was A. Hays Town. The Lincoln was flanked by the Lincoln Barber and the Lincoln Pharmacy, the de facto secondary concessionaire of the Lincoln at launch. It also housed an African American real estate office of Guidry-Kennedy Real Estate and an African American insurance broker. For a period of time, the venue was co-owned with the nearby Hotel Lincoln, one of the City’s two African American owned and operated hotels. The Lincoln Theatre appears to have opened on August 25, 1950 with Alan Ladd as “Captain Carey U.S.A.” The Southside venue was programmed for African American audiences.
The theatre also staged live shows. Lionel Hampton played the Lincoln on March 1, 1952 and returned at least once. Bijou Entertainment Circuit took on the programming duties at the venue in its formative years. Programmatically, the Lincoln hit its stride in the late 1960s and early 1970s playing a heavy mix of Blaxploitation films with some exploitation titles interspersed. The theatre advertised with extremely large ads in the newspaper ranging from half page to double-truck spreads. Star appearances at the theater to promote film openers were not uncommon. The theatre also upgraded its projection to widescreen and stereo.
For a period of time, the venue was co-owned with the nearby Hotel Lincoln which had opened August 21, 1955. By the 1980s, the theatres were desegregated and folks preferred cinemas with multiple screens, free parking, and comfortable seating. So the Lincoln Theatre was done. But in 2018, restoration efforts began in earnest at the Theatre.
Renovation activities continue