| Colonial Theatre | |
| Designated Other1: | Virginia Landmarks Register |
| Designated Other1 Date: | March 19, 2003[1] |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 301-5054 |
| Designated Other1 Num Position: | bottom |
| Location: | 220 S. Mecklenburg Ave., South Hill, Virginia |
| Coordinates: | 36.7247°N -78.1308°W |
| Architecture: | Early Commercial |
| Added: | May 19, 2003 |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Refnum: | 03000448 |
Colonial Theatre, also known as The Colonial Center for the Performing Arts, is a historic movie theater located at South Hill, Mecklenburg County, Virginia. It was built in 1925, and housed in a three-story brick building done in the Commercial Style.[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, and is used primarily for community theater productions, musical performances, and local events.[3]
Built in 1925, the Colonial Theatre was the only theatre in Mecklenburg County for over two decades. The venue originally housed vaudeville shows and musical performances before undergoing conversion first into a theatre for silent movies and later for modern motion pictures. Many notable entertainers performed at the theatre during its lifespan, including Joan Crawford, Clara Bow, and Minnie Pearl.
The area's post office was housed for a time on the building's first floor, while a Masonic lodge was located on the third.[4] The theatre closed in the 1970s and remained so until a community fundraising drive brought about a renovation effort in the early 2000s.[5] The building reopened in 2011 as the Colonial Center for the Performing Arts, featuring a 400-seat theatre, two lobbies and a welcome center on its main floor, as well as an art gallery and offices on the second floor and a ballroom on the third.[6]