Sottile Theater facts for kids
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Gloria Theater
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| Address | 44 George St. Charleston, South Carolina United States |
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| Coordinates | 32°47′3″N 79°56′8″W / 32.78417°N 79.93556°W |
| Owner | College of Charleston |
| Operator | College of Charleston |
| Type | small movie palace |
| Capacity | 785 |
| Current use | performing arts venue |
| Construction | |
| Opened | August 20, 1927 |
| Reopened | 1990 |
| Years active | 1927-1974, 1990-present |
| Architect | C.K. Howell and J.D. Newcomer |
The Sottile Theatre is a historic building in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. It belongs to the College of Charleston. This theatre is a popular place for many local and national performing arts groups. For example, the famous Spoleto Festival USA uses it. The theatre has 785 seats and was first built in the 1920s.
Contents
Discovering the Sottile Theatre's Past
The Sottile Theatre was built by Mr. Albert Sottile. He was the President of Pastime Amusement Company. A famous architect named C.K. Howell designed the theatre. Construction began in 1922.
The Gloria Theater Opens
The theatre first opened on August 20, 1927. It was originally called the Gloria Theater. The first movie shown was After Midnight starring Norma Shearer. With 2,000 seats, it was the biggest theatre in South Carolina at the time.
A Place for Shows and Movies
The Gloria Theater was used for both live shows, called vaudeville, and movies. It was designed to be a smaller version of the grand movie palaces of that era. A very special event happened here: the South Carolina premiere of the movie Gone with the Wind. Some of the actors, including Alicia Rhett from Charleston, were there!
Changes Over the Years
The theatre was updated in 1966. It mostly showed movies until it closed its doors in 1975.
Bringing the Theatre Back to Life
The College of Charleston bought the old Gloria Theater in 1976. They wanted to fix it up and use it again. For ten years, the building was just used for storage.
The Big Renovation Begins
In 1986, Dr. Harry M. Lightsey, Jr., who was the College of Charleston President, started to restore the theatre. It reopened in February 1990. The college worked hard to keep the theatre's original look. They also added new features.
- A modern heating and air conditioning system was installed.
- The stage was made bigger.
- The area for the orchestra was also expanded.
- A new two-story section was added for dressing rooms and storing scenery.
Hidden Art: The Murals
In 2011, during improvements, workers found two huge murals hidden under ceiling tiles! These paintings were done on canvas by Italian artists from New York City in the 1920s.
- One mural shows a centaur and nymphs in a forest.
- The other shows classic figures celebrating music and drama by the sea.
These beautiful murals were first seen when the theatre opened in 1927. The College of Charleston has begun to restore them. One mural has been taken down for safekeeping and repair. The other is still hanging, showing its age, but it's a cool part of the theatre's history for everyone to see.
The Sottile Theatre Today
The main part of the theatre still has a beautiful blue dome ceiling. It looks like a shimmering sky with twinkling stars made from lights! The side archways have fancy ironwork. The stage is framed by decorative molding.
The lobby areas were completely redone. A new lobby was built on the second floor for people going to the balconies. This second-floor area opens onto a covered porch that looks out over George Street.
Today, the Sottile Theatre hosts many different performing arts events. It's used for College of Charleston shows and programs. It also hosts many community and private events.
