Allen University has plans in motion to reopen a historic movie theater that has sat dormant for 60 years in Columbia’s Waverly Neighborhood.
The Carver Theatre, originally one of only two movie theaters built for African American theater goers in the city, is set to reopen in the next 15 to 18 months, according to an Allen University spokesperson. The building will be used as a first-run cinema and as a space for “local meetings and presentations.”
“We're extremely excited about reopening the Carver Theatre” said Tiana Scarlett, the university’s director of marketing and communications. “We are in the initial planning stages right now.”
Scarlett said the theater was “second on our agenda to the Allen University Athletic facility."
Once reopened, Carver Theatre will be one of the only downtown Columbia cinemas, alongside the Nickelodeon Theatre on Main Street.
The news was first reported by the Columbia Business Instagram account.
According to Historic Columbia, a local history organization, the theater was built in 1942 and named after Dr. George Washington Carver. The theater opened with John Wayne’s “Dark Command” that year and became a hit with the students attending Allen University and Benedict College. It closed in 1962.
Historic Columbia described the theater as an anchor business for the block, which housed several other Black businesses as well. Those included a bank, newspaper and a restaurant, among others.
According to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Carver Theatre was also home to weekly talent shows that were inspired by Harlem’s “Amateur Hour.”
