National Register of Historic Places

Dixie Theatre

Ruston, Lincoln County, Louisiana
Listed
October 13, 1993
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
93001105

About this property

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. 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. 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. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1993. It was also declared a contributing property of Downtown Ruston Historic District at the time of its creation on January 31, 2017.

Location

206 N. Vienna St.
Ruston, Lincoln County, Louisiana
32.52967, -92.63810

Categories

ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Federal Building
Industrial
0 mi
Ruston USO
Industrial
0.1 mi
First Presbyterian Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
Ruston State Bank
Industrial
0.1 mi
Ruston Central Fire Station
Civil War
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Dixie Theatre listed on the National Register?

Dixie Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 13, 1993.

What type of historic resource is Dixie Theatre?

Dixie Theatre is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Dixie Theatre?

The period of significance for Dixie Theatre is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Dixie Theatre?

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