August 30, 1984
The Bama Theatre in downtown Tuscaloosa opened as a movie theater in 1938, and has also been a home for artistic and musical events and community and school gatherings. While many historic theaters are no longer used and have fallen into decay, the Bama Theatre has thrived as an arts and entertainment venue. Construction on the 1,200-seat theater began in April 1937, and on April 12, 1938, the Bama Theatre opened with a parade led by the University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band. “Bringing Up Baby,” starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant, was the first movie shown. On Aug. 30, 1984, the Bama Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
The marquee of the historic Bama Theatre in downtown Tuscaloosa, the city’s cultural center. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Kevin Ledgewood)
The Junior League Gallery in Tuscaloosa’s Bama Theatre hosts exhibits and shows by the Tuscaloosa Arts Council, in addition to local artists. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Kevin Ledgewood)
An exterior relief sculpture on the historic Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by David Smith)
Bama Theatre, Tuscaloosa, 2010. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
Bama Theatre, Tuscaloosa, 2009. (Brettstout, Wikipedia)
The Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre performs the Adventures of Tom Sawyer in the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County, in April 2010. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
Construction of the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County, during the late 1930s. The building was designed by Birmingham architect David O. Whilldin and built by the city using federal Public Works Administration funds. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of the Bama Theatre Archives)
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
