Wells Theatre
About this property
The Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. It has housed the Virginia Stage Company since 1979. The Wells Theatre is owned and operated by the City of Norfolk and is part of The Seven Venues. The theatre opened on August 26, 1913 with a production of The Merry Countess, a Shubert musical. In 1916 Jake Wells installed a movie screen and projector, although theatrical bookings continued to occupy most of the theatre's schedule. Many of America's leading performers appeared at the Wells, among them John Drew, Maude Adams, Otis Skinner, John Philip Sousa, Billie Burke, Fred and Adele Astaire and Will Rogers. Throughout the Great Depression, the Wells continued to stage vaudeville shows and movies. Burlesque was added to the theatre's repertoire around the beginning of World War II, which provided a steady source of income by attracting thousands of sailors stationed in Norfolk. Throughout the 1940s and 50s the theatre continued to operate as a movie house also. In the 1960s the Wells shared in the general decline of downtown Norfolk by converting to an X-rated movie house and occasionally staged live burlesque shows. The backstage area became the Jamaican Room, one of Norfolk's infamous gin mills and brothels. The poured-in-place, steel-reinforced concrete structure was technologically advanced for the period. The New Wells' ornate decoration made the theatre the flagship of Wells Amusement Enterprises, and continues today as a well-preserved example of Beaux-Arts neoclassicism. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The theatre originally had 1,650 seats with 12 boxes and three balconies. The top balcony served as a segregated balcony "For Negro Audiences Only," and with had its own entrance and box office. A system of stairs made inside access easy, allowing waiters from Wong Ping's Chinese Restaurant to serve theatre patrons on the second floor roof garden before and after performances. The downstairs Trustees Lobby facing Tazewell Street housed Doumar's Cones and BBQ's first location in Norfolk. The brothers would eventually operate 42 theatres in nine states. In Norfolk, Wells operated The Granby, Academy, Colonial, NorVa, Strand, New Wells and the American Theatre. Otto managed their entire theatrical enterprise from Norfolk with multiple ticker-tape machines that allowed him to calculate each theatre's box office earnings. Media related to Wells Theatre, Norfolk, Virginia at Wikimedia Commons
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about Wells Theatre
This page lists Wells Theatre. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Wells Theatre listed on the National Register?
Wells Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1980.
What type of historic resource is Wells Theatre?
Wells Theatre is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Wells Theatre?
The period of significance for Wells Theatre is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Wells Theatre?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Wells Theatre will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Norfolk County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Norfolk County.
Explore NorfolkCounty ›More historic places in Virginia
Browse all historic places in Virginia.
View Virginiahistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Wells Theatre will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.