Lincoln Theater

dallasmovietheaters on May 28, 2026 at 2:39 pm

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.

gumbo123 on July 18, 2018 at 8:36 am

history & interior tour on this WAFB 9 News story:

http://www.wafb.com/story/28181809/saving-the-lincoln-theater-in-baton-rouge

CSWalczak on July 2, 2012 at 10:17 pm

Interior pictures: 1 2