Loew's Grand Theatre facts for kids
| Address | Peachtree & Forsyth Streets Atlanta |
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| Owner | Loew's Theatres |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1893 |
| Demolished | 1978 |
| Years active | 1893-1978 |
| Website | |
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Degive's Grand Opera House
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Loew's Grand Theater ca. 1920
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 Location in Downtown Atlanta
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| Location | 157 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | Nixon & Lindsey, Thomas W. Lamb (1931 interior remodel) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000427 |
| Added to NRHP | June 17, 1977 |
The Loew's Grand Theater was a famous movie theater in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. It was first known as DeGive's Grand Opera House. This theater was located at the corner of Peachtree and Forsyth Streets. It became very famous because it hosted the big premiere of the movie Gone with the Wind in 1939. Many of the film's stars were there for this special event.
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A Home for Movies
The Loew's Grand Theater mostly showed films from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). MGM was a movie studio owned by Loews, which also owned the theater. There was even a sign under the theater's marquee that said, "The Home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures."
Even after 1948, when a court case meant movie studios could no longer own theater chains, many MGM films still premiered in Atlanta at this theater. Some of these popular movies included Singin' in the Rain, Ben-Hur from 1959, and Doctor Zhivago.
History of the Grand Theater
Building the Opera House
The theater was originally built in 1893. It was called DeGive's Grand Opera House. A businessman and Belgian consul named Laurent DeGive built it. This grand building hosted many concerts and traveling opera shows.
People sometimes confuse this theater with DeGive's first opera house. That one opened in 1870, four blocks south of the Grand Theater. It was at the corner of Marietta and Forsyth streets. It's easy to get them mixed up because Laurent DeGive had his name carved clearly above the entrance of the Grand Theater.
Becoming a Movie Theater
The Loews company bought the Grand Opera House in 1927. They changed it into a movie theater. Architect Thomas W. Lamb led the renovation. The theater had one large screen and could seat 2,088 people.
The Fire and What Happened Next
On January 30, 1978, the theater was badly damaged by a fire. The land where the theater stood was very valuable. However, the theater could not be torn down right away because it was a historic building. This made many people wonder if the fire was set on purpose, but this was never proven. The Georgia-Pacific Tower was later built on the site where the theater once stood.
Some parts of the old building were saved and reused. Bricks from the theater were used to build a popular Atlanta restaurant called Houston's. This restaurant has a special plaque in its waiting area that remembers the theater. Also, a beautiful chandelier from the Loew's Grand now hangs in the center of The Tabernacle. This building in Atlanta used to be a church and is now a concert venue.
