Wells Theatre facts for kids
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Wells Theatre
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 108 E. Tazewell St., Norfolk, Virginia |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | E.C. Horn & Sons |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004312 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 19, 1980 |
The Wells Theatre is a cool place for live shows in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. It has been home to the Virginia Stage Company since 1979. The City of Norfolk owns and runs the Wells Theatre. It is part of a group of venues called The Seven Venues.
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History of the Wells Theatre
The Wells Theatre first opened its doors on August 26, 1913. The very first show was a musical called The Merry Countess. In 1916, Jake Wells added a movie screen and projector. This meant the theatre could show movies too! But live plays and shows were still the main attraction.
Famous Performers at the Wells
Many famous American performers appeared at the Wells Theatre. Imagine seeing stars like John Drew, Jr., Maude Adams, Otis Skinner, and John Philip Sousa on stage! Even dancing legends Fred and Adele Astaire and funny man Will Rogers performed there.
Theatre Through the Years
During the Great Depression, the Wells Theatre kept going strong. It continued to host vaudeville shows and movies. Around the time of World War II, the theatre added special variety shows. These shows were very popular with the thousands of sailors stationed in Norfolk. This helped the theatre earn money and stay open.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the Wells Theatre continued to show movies. In the 1960s, downtown Norfolk faced some tough times. The Wells Theatre changed to mostly showing movies.
Building and Design
The Wells Theatre building was very modern for its time. It was made with strong steel-reinforced concrete. The theatre's fancy decorations made it a flagship building for Wells Amusement Enterprises. Today, it is still a great example of Beaux-Arts style. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The theatre first had 1,650 seats. It also had 12 special boxes and three balconies. One balcony was set aside for African American audiences. It even had its own entrance and ticket booth. There was a system of stairs inside that made it easy to get around. Waiters from Wong Ping's Chinese Restaurant could even serve theatre-goers on the second-floor roof garden! The first location of Doumar's Cones and BBQ was in the downstairs lobby.
The Wells Brothers' Empire
The Wells brothers eventually ran 42 theatres in nine different states! In Norfolk, they operated many theatres. These included The Granby, Academy, Colonial, NorVa, Strand, New Wells, and the American Theatre. Otto Wells managed all their theatres from Norfolk. He used special machines to track how much money each theatre was making.
