Wells Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in downtown Norfolk, Virginia
. It currently houses the Virginia Stage Company which has called the Wells Theatre home for the past 33 years. The Wells Theatre is owned and operated by the City of Norfolk and is part of The Seven Venues.
On August 26, 1913, the Wells opened to a capacity house, The Merry Countess, a Schubert musical. In 1916, Jake Wells installed a movie screen and projector making the Wells the most dazzling first-run movie house in the Southeast, although legitimate bookings continued to occupy most of the theatre’s schedule. Many of America’s leading performers appeared at the Wells: John Drew, Maude Adams, Otis Skinner, John Philip Sousa, Billie Burke, Fred and Adele Astaire and Will Rogers, among many others. Throughout the Great Depression, the Wells continued to stage vaudeville shows and movies. By the beginning of World War II, burlesque was added to the theatre’s repertoire, which provided a steady source of income by attracting thousands of sailors stationed in Norfolk. Moviegoers of the 1940s and 50s remember its double and triple features. 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
first location in Norfolk.
The brothers would eventually operate 42 theatres in nine states. In Norfolk, Wells operated The Granby, Academy, Colonial, Norva Theatre
, 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.
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. It currently houses the Virginia Stage Company which has called the Wells Theatre home for the past 33 years. The Wells Theatre is owned and operated by the City of Norfolk and is part of The Seven Venues.
On August 26, 1913, the Wells opened to a capacity house, The Merry Countess, a Schubert musical. In 1916, Jake Wells installed a movie screen and projector making the Wells the most dazzling first-run movie house in the Southeast, although legitimate bookings continued to occupy most of the theatre’s schedule. Many of America’s leading performers appeared at the Wells: John Drew, Maude Adams, Otis Skinner, John Philip Sousa, Billie Burke, Fred and Adele Astaire and Will Rogers, among many others. Throughout the Great Depression, the Wells continued to stage vaudeville shows and movies. By the beginning of World War II, burlesque was added to the theatre’s repertoire, which provided a steady source of income by attracting thousands of sailors stationed in Norfolk. Moviegoers of the 1940s and 50s remember its double and triple features. 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
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
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
Doumar's Cones and BBQ
Doumar's Cones and BBQ is a restaurant located at 1919 Monticello Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia. Originally an ice cream business at the Ocean View Amusement Park, the creator, Abe Doumar, is regarded as having created the world's first ice cream cone....
first location in Norfolk.
The brothers would eventually operate 42 theatres in nine states. In Norfolk, Wells operated The Granby, Academy, Colonial, Norva Theatre
Norva Theatre
The NorVa is a performing theatre located in Norfolk, Virginia. The NorVa's name consists of an abbreviation relating to its location.The NorVa was the brainchild of local music venue entrepreneurs Bill Reid and Rick Mersel, who have also developed the NTelos Wireless Pavilion and have ties to the...
, 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
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
earnings.