Name/Title
371 King Street (Garden Theater)Entry/Object ID
KING.371.1Scope and Content
Constructed 1917-18; restored 1980s, 1990. C.K. Howell and David B. Heyer architects. This vaudeville theater, more than four years in construction, marked an architectural high point for the city with its use of the Beaux Arts Neoclassical style. Albert Sottile's building also became a popular venue for photo plays, as movies were called, and "vitaphone talking pictures." A central pavilion and arch is flanked by Corinthian pilasters and decorated with classical allegory figures representing music; end bays provide spaces for small shops. Those visiting the theater passed beneath the coffered barrel vault into a vestibule decorated as a garden with trellis, flower baskets, and caged singing canaries. The lobby retains its Neoclassical plaques and other decoration. The theater was extensively rehabilitated in the early-1980s to provide a venue for community performances and Spoleto concerts. In 2005, Urban Outfitters (store) opened in this building. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
File contains theater history from the book Movie Theaters of Charleston; copy 1938 photo of theater from Buildings of Charleston; newspaper articles (including 1980 DYKYC); photocopies of photos and architectural drawings, presumably submitted in support of BAR application in 2005 (no indication of approval status); documentation relating to efforts to save the building; Rosen and Associates inspection report (2004).Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
KING.371.Source or Donor
371 King Street (Garden Theater)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Commercial buildings, Theaters, Movie theatersSearch Terms
King Street, Historic buildings--South Carolina--CharlestonArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
1 File FolderArchive Notes
Finding Aids: Index to Property Files
Level of Description: FolderLocation
Location
Shelf
Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Container
PF BoxShelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentLocation
Container
PF Box 55Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Howell, C.K.Person or Organization
Heyer, David B.Related Entries
Notes
KING.371.2
Related Units of Description: King Street Survey (KING.GEN.001) and King Street "General" files (KING.GEN.002)Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 382Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
September 17, 2009Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023