National Historic Landmark

Playmakers Theatre

Chapel Hill, Orange County, North Carolina
Listed
June 23, 1971
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
71000605

About this property

The Playmakers Theatre, originally Smith Hall, is a historic academic building on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Built in 1850, it was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture, as an important example of Greek Revival architecture by Alexander Jackson Davis. It is now a secondary venue of the performing company, which is principally located at the Paul Green Theatre in the Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art. Playmakers Theatre is located in the northern portion of the UNC campus, on the south side of East Cameron Avenue next to the College of Arts and Sciences, and across Cameron from Old East, also a National Historic Landmark. The building has the form of a Greek temple, built out brick with a stuccoed exterior. At its eastern end is a gabled portico, supported by fluted columns that have Corinthian capitals modified to include ears of corn and leaves of tobacco, two important North Carolina crops. The gable is fully pedimented, with modillioned eave and rake edge. The walls of the building have pilastered bays, the pilasters supporting a simple entablature. Smith Hall was built in 1850, as part of a campus improvement plan begun in the 1830s. Andrew Jackson Davis had been retained to oversee alterations to Old East and Old West, and develop an overall plan for the campus. Its original purposes was as a social venue. After also being used as a laboratory, bath house, and law school, it became a theater in 1923. The theatre was the home of the Carolina Playmakers, although as their successor, PlayMakers Repertory Company uses the Paul Green Theatre in the Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art as their primary venue. National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, North Carolina List of National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina

Location

Chapel Hill, Orange County, North Carolina
35.90670, -79.05019

Categories

ARCHITECTUREPERFORMING ARTS
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

Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Naval Armory at UNC-Chapel Hill
Industrial
0.2 mi
Carolina Inn
Industrial
0.3 mi
Old East, University of North Carolina
Industrial
0.4 mi
Chapel Hill Historic District
Early Republic
0.4 mi
West Chapel Hill Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Stoneman's Raid — Chapel Hill NC
1865Civil War
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Playmakers Theatre listed on the National Register?

Playmakers Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Playmakers Theatre?

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

Is Playmakers Theatre a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Playmakers Theatre has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Playmakers Theatre?

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

Can I research the history near Playmakers Theatre?

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