COLUMBUS, Ga. ( WRBL ) — Almost 100 years ago, the first Black theater in Columbus, Ga., opened its doors. Though those doors closed during the pandemic, Columbus Consolidated Government representatives hope to restore the venue to its original splendor and reopen by the end of the year.
According to Deputy City Manger Lisa Goodwin, the renovations to the historic building are truly a labor of love.
“It is for me, because I know what it used to be,” Goodwin said.
She still remembers going to the Liberty Theatre at its height with her grandmother, mother, aunts and cousins during the hustle and bustle of the 1960s and ‘70s. Back then, she collected the tops of soda pop bottles to exchange for entry into the theater. Two or three counted for a ticket.
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In the Civil Rights era, the Liberty Theatre was a gathering place for activists. Until 1968, when Jim Crow era laws were disbanded, it was a center of the arts for Columbus’ black community. The theatre hosted vaudeville- and minstrel shows, as well as American traditional music acts featuring jazz- and blues artists.