Donk's Theatre

Last updated
Donk's Theatre, 2012 Donk's.jpg
Donk's Theatre, 2012
Donk's Theatre
Donk's Theatre site in Hudgins.jpg
Site of the former theatre in 2017
USA Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location259 Buckley Hall Rd., Hudgins, Virginia
Coordinates 37°28′17″N76°19′35″W / 37.47139°N 76.32639°W / 37.47139; -76.32639
Arealess than 1 acre
Builtc. 1946 (1946)-1947
Architectural styleArt Deco
Demolished2016 (collapsed)
NRHP reference No. 10001185 [1]
VLR No.057-0069
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 28, 2011
Designated VLRDecember 17, 2009 [2]
Removed from NRHPFebruary 7, 2017

Donk's Theatre was a historic movie theater located at Hudgins, Mathews County, Virginia.

Contents

History and description

Donk's Theatre was built in 1946–1947, and was a vernacular rectangular building constructed of rusticated cinder and concrete block, painted white and cream with Art Deco style details. The building measured 50 feet by 100 feet, and consisted of the central theatre entrance, storefronts, and a 504-seat auditorium. The theater operated as a segregated venue for motion pictures until passage of federal civil rights legislation in 1964. In the following years the movie business was declining and the theater closed in 1970. It reopened in 1975, as a live country music concert hall. [3] On January 22, 2016, the roof of Donk's collapsed due to heavy snowfall from a winter storm, as did several of the outside walls. Little survived, and what remained required demolition; the owners said that they would save the marquee. [4]

The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011, [1] and was removed from the National Register in 2017. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural Bridge (Virginia)</span> State park in Virginia, USA

Natural Bridge is a geological formation in Rockbridge County, Virginia, comprising a 215-foot-high (66 m) natural arch with a span of 90 feet (27 m). It is situated within a gorge carved from the surrounding mountainous limestone terrain by Cedar Creek, a small tributary of the James River. Consisting of horizontal limestone strata, Natural Bridge is the remains of the roof of a cave or tunnel through which the Cedar Creek once flowed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudgins, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Hudgins is an unincorporated community in northern Mathews County, Virginia, United States. It lies north of the community of Mathews, the county seat of Mathews County. Its elevation is 10 feet (3 m). Although Hudgins is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP Code of 23076.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Church (Talleysville, Virginia)</span> Historic church in Virginia, United States

St. Peter's Church is a historic Episcopal church near Talleysville, Virginia, United States. Built in 1703, the church was designated as "The First Church of the First First-Lady" by the Virginia General Assembly in 1960 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on March 2, 2012, as an exceptionally well-preserved colonial-era church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Albemarle County, Virginia</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Albemarle County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Mathews County, Virginia</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Mathews County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central State Hospital Chapel</span> United States historic place

Central State Hospital Chapel is a historic chapel located on the grounds of Central State Hospital near Petersburg, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. It was built in 1904, and is a simple, 1 1/2-story brick structure measuring 80 by 50 feet, with a front gable roof and Late Gothic Revival details. The building features lancet window openings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydenstricker School</span> United States historic place

Sydenstricker School, also known as Pohick School #8 and Upper Pohick Community League Hall, is a historic one-room school located at Springfield, Fairfax County, Virginia. It was built in 1928, and is a one-story, front-gabled structure, covered in weatherboard, painted red with white trim, and topped with a metal roof. Also on the property are a contributing combination storage shed and three-hole privy, the original privy pit, and a large metal flag pole, donated in 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakton Trolley Station</span> United States historic place

Oakton Trolley Station is a historic trolley station located at Oakton, Fairfax County, Virginia. The Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway, which operated electric trolleys that travelled between Fairfax City and downtown Washington, D.C., from 1904 to 1939, constructed the station in 1905. The building has a three-story vernacular frame. It has a rectangular plan, with a wrap-around open porch, weatherboards and a tin roof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purcellville Train Station</span> United States historic place

Purcellville Train Station is a historic railway station located in Purcellville, Loudoun County, Virginia. The station is adjacent to the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Trail. The Southern Railway constructed the station in 1904. The station is a one-story, rectangular frame building with a hipped roof and deeply overhanging eaves supported by triangular knee braces. It was a station on the Washington and Old Dominion Railway and later, the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad from 1912 until the line closed in 1968, with passenger service ceasing in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crenshaw House (Richmond, Virginia)</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Crenshaw House, also known as Younger House and Clay House, is a historic home located in Richmond, Virginia. It was built in 1891, and is a three-story, Victorian Italianate style brick townhouse. The house was altered by the architectural firm of Noland and Baskervill in 1904. It features a flat roof decorated with a Doric entablature and copper cresting, a full height three-sided bay window, and an entry porch supported by paired Doric order columns. At two meetings in November 1909, a group of women met at the home to form what would become the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia (ESL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Rolfe Apartments</span> Historic apartment building in Richmond, Virginia

John Rolfe Apartments is a historic apartment building located in Richmond, Virginia. The building was built in 1940, and is a two and three-story, ten-unit, International style brick building. The rectangular building has concrete copings at the edges of the staggered flat roofs. The building's sloped setting is park-like with a heavy buffer of trees to the south and an open lawn and trees along the north property line. The building is considered a rare and early example of International Style residential architecture in the city of Richmond and the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Street Banking Historic District</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

The Main Street Banking Historic District is a national historic district located in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The district encompasses 19 contributing buildings located south of the Virginia State Capitol and west of the Shockoe Slip Historic District. It is the location of a number of buildings built for or occupied by banking institutions. The district includes representative examples of the Late Victorian and International Style architecture built between about 1865 and 1965. Notable buildings include the Virginia Employment Commission Building (1960), the 700 Building (1964), the Ross Building (1964), the Fidelity Building (1965). Located in the district is the separately listed First National Bank Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Biscuit Company</span> United States historic place

Southern Biscuit Company, also known as Interbake Foods, Inc. and Famous Foods of Virginia (FFV), is a historic factory building located in Richmond, Virginia. The original section was built in 1927, and is a six-story, reinforced concrete building. It was subsequently expanded four times through 1951. The building features a water tower and distinctive roof-top sign. The sign has three rows of letters spelling "HOME OF", "FFV", and "COOKIES AND CRACKERS". The facility closed in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryland Hall (Richmond, Virginia)</span> United States historic place

Ryland Hall is a historic academic building located on the University of Richmond campus in Richmond, Virginia. The building was originally built for Richmond College, which together with Westhampton College became the University of Richmond in 1920. It was designed by architect Ralph Adams Cram and built in 1913 in the Collegiate Gothic style. The brick, stone, and concrete building consists of two parallel wings, Robert Ryland and Charles Ryland halls, set apart by a connecting loggia. The three- to four-story building features leaded glass windows with Gothic tracery, decorative concrete sculptural elements, and a gable roof with slate shingles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tayloe Rogers House</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Tayloe Rogers House is a historic home located in Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1936–1937 and is a 1+12-story, rustic Colonial Revival style dwelling. The main section is flanked by one-story wings. It has a gable roof and features large exterior end chimneys. The house is built of re-used materials from an earlier building on the property that had collapsed as well as other older structures in the area. Also on the property is a contributing springhouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Hills (Warm Springs, Virginia)</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Three Hills is a historic home located near Warm Springs, Bath County, Virginia. It was built in 1913, and is a 2+12-story, frame and stucco Italian Renaissance style dwelling. It consists of a central block with flanking two-story wings and rear additions. The house has a Colonial Revival style interior. The front facade features a single-story, flat-roofed portico. Also on the property are the contributing small formal boxwood garden, three frame and stucco, one-story cottages, and a stone and brick freestanding chimney. Three Hills was built by American novelist and women's rights advocate Mary Johnston (1870-1936), who lived and operated an inn there until her death. J. Ambler Johnston, a young architect, distant relative of the writer and one of the founding partners of the Carneal and Johnston architectural firm, designed the house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul Historic District (St. Paul, Virginia)</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

St. Paul Historic District is a national historic district located at St. Paul, Wise County, Virginia. It contains 23 contributing buildings and 2 contributing structures in the central business district of St. Paul. Most contributing resources consist of commercial buildings dating from the 1920s to 1950s. Notable buildings include the Ennis House (1887), Hillman/Ennis House, the old St. Paul Hotel (1901), National Bank building, Gaiety Movie Theater (1920s), The Lyric, and Cavalier Theater/ Phillips Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset Theater</span> United States historic place

Sunset Theater is a historic movie theater located at Asheboro, Randolph County, North Carolina. It was designed by the architectural firm of Benton & Benton and built in 1929. It is a two-story, parapet roof load-bearing stuccoed brick building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It measures approximately 50 feet by 100 feet and has a large open auditorium seating 412. The theater was purchased by the City of Asheboro in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmel Monon Depot</span> Historic train station at Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States

Carmel Monon Depot, also known as Monon Depot Museum, is a historic train station located at Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana. It was built in 1883 by the Monon Railroad, and is a one-story, rectangular frame building measuring 45 by 18 feet. It has a gable roof with wide overhanging eaves. It originally served as a passenger station and freight depot until services were discontinued in 1961 and 1974, respectively. It was moved to its present location in 1980, and in 1981 a 20-by-18-foot addition was constructed. The building was subsequently renovated and houses a local history museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway Theatre (Cape Girardeau, Missouri)</span> United States historic place

Broadway Theater, also known as the New Broadway Theatre, Fox Broadway, Kerasotes Broadway Theatre, was a historic vaudeville house and movie theater located at Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It was erected in 1921, and was a two-story, red brick building with a white, glazed brick façade. The building consisted of the theatre/storefront zone on the first level and a second zone with office space on the second level.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 1/24/11 through 1/28/11. National Park Service. February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. James S. Sease, Esq. and Joanna Nix (May 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Donk's Theatre" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying five photos
  4. Michael Martz (January 23, 2016). "Roof collapses on historic Donk's Theater, known as "Virginia's Lil Ole Opry"". Richmond Times-Dispatch . Richmond, Virginia. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  5. National Park Service (February 17, 2017), Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 2/6/2017 through 2/10/2017, archived from the original on March 8, 2017, retrieved March 8, 2017.