Dixie Center for the Arts explained

Dixie Center for the Arts
Nickname:	The Dixie
Address:	212 North Vienna Street
Location:	Ruston, Louisiana
Type:	Theatre
Genre:	Performing Arts, Symphony, Theatre
Opened:	1928
Renovated:	1933, 1956, 1999, 2006
Owner:	Private
Former Names:	Astor Theater (1928-1932), Rialto (1932-1956)
Seating Type:	Auditorium
Website:	Embed: yes Dixie Theatre Nrhp Type: indcp Location: 212 North Vienna Street, Ruston, Louisiana Coordinates: 32.5302°N -92.6378°W Added: October 14, 1993 Area: less than one acre Refnum: 93001105 Partof: Downtown Ruston Historic District Partof Refnum: 100000598 Designated Nrhp Type: January 31, 2017 Nocat: yes

The Dixie Center for the Arts, also known as the Dixie Theater or simply the Dixie, is a theater-style venue located at 212 North Vienna Street in Ruston, Louisiana.

The venue originally opened as the Astor Theater in 1928. The Astor offered showings of silent films and live concerts with tickets ranging from 10 to 50 cents. In 1932 the Astor Theater underwent lite renovations with the most notable being the addition of a crystal chandelier and a change in identity from the Astor to the Rialto.^[1]

In the early 1950s, the theater underwent one last name change. After being purchased from the famous Dixie Theater Corporation of New Orleans, the space was officially known as the Dixie Theater. The corporation renovated the space and re-opened in 1956. The most notable renovation to the space was the addition of air conditioning and the iconic flashing neon star which rises above the marquee.^[1]

After years of neglect and disrepair, the space underwent an extensive renovation to preserve the historic venue. The Dixie Center for the Arts held a grand re-opening for the space in 2006 and has remained the proprietor of the property since.^[1]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1993.^{[2] [3]} It was also declared a contributing property of Downtown Ruston Historic District at the time of its creation on .^[4]

Tenants

In addition to being a rent-able space for various event, many artistic and musical organizations call the Dixie their home.

• North Central Louisiana Arts Council (NCLAC)
• Ruston Community Theater

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana

References

1. Web site: About Us . 2014-01-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140203030835/http://www.dixiecenter.org/About.html . 2014-02-03 . dead .
2. Web site: Dixie Theatre. State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation . July 16, 2018. with three photos and a map
3. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=93001105}} National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Dixie Theatre]. National Park Service. National Register Staff. July 1993. July 16, 2018. With .
4. Web site: National Register of Historic Places Registration: Downtown Ruston Historic District. State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Kristi Lumpkin. September 2016. July 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180717125055/https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/attachments/Parish31/Scans/31030001.pdf. July 17, 2018. dead. with 34 photos and two maps

External links

• Official Site of the Dixie Center for the Arts