9. Liberty Theatre
The Liberty Theater first opened in Columbus in late April, 1925. The theatre was the only one in Columbus that African Americans could attend during the Jim Crow era. Roy E. Martin, a prominent white businessman, owned the theater chain. The theatre was one of the few cultural centers for the black community in Columbus besides the churches. The theatre is a brick building located at 813 8th Avenue and contained a full stage where plays could be performed by local groups, a balcony and a stage loft. The Liberty Theatre had a total of 600 seats including those in the balcony, which means that, for a while, this theatre had having the largest seating capacity of any motion-picture theater in Columbus. During the silent movie era, local bands provided entertainment. The Liberty Theatre also hosted vaudeville and minstrel shows. Many remarkable blues and jazz performers played at the Liberty Theatre, but none were more famous than Columbus native, Gertrude Pridgett “Ma” Rainey, who achieved national recognition as the Mother of the Blues and a prominent figure in the African American community. The end of segregation combined with the decline of road shows, the Liberty Theatre to gradually fade in popularity and eventually closed in 1974. Martin donated the Liberty Theatre to a group of William H. Spencer High School alumni called the Owlettes. The Liberty Theatre reopened in 1997.
Submission composed by Devonte Hall on April 18th 2017
Location: 813 8th Avenue
References and Further Reading Cyriaque, Jeanne. Reflections: African American Theatres in Georgia. Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network. Vol 1, No 3. 2011
https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset?assetID=f19db6a1-4d82-4788-82bc-7050bb5b1fe3