The Georgia Theatre is a historic landmark and prominent venue in downtown Athens, Georgia, with a business that rose from the ashes to reach success.
The original building was founded in 1889, but has been home to many businesses throughout the years, including the Athens YMCA, a music store, movie house, hotel, and furniture company before finally becoming the Elite Theatre in 1935, later renamed the Georgia Theatre.
On June 19, 2009 a fire devastated the theater. “It’s like having a death in the family,” said Bill Anderson, the man behind the old movie theater’s transformation into one of Georgia’s most popular destinations, in a 2009 interview with the Augusta Chronicle.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, expected costs of rebuilding the historic site were high, causing a controversial decision by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to accept donations for rehabilitation. It was the first time the organization had assisted a for-profit business.
Trust President Mark McDonald said, “It’s benefiting the Georgia Theatre, the public…and the musical culture of Athens…It was a critical need,” in a 2009 interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, $300,000 was raised to assist the venue’s comeback, and the Georgia Theatre Company thanked the Athens community for helping to rebuild the concert hall “as a labor of love.”
The majority of this funding came from a benefit concert hosted by the award winning Zac Brown Band, a product of the Athens music scene, CNN reported.
“Even though it’s a different place, it’s still the same, it’s still the grand old theater,” theater production manager Ric Wallace told CNN in 2011.
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The restored building opened its doors in 2011 and by 2015, it reached a record level of success, with the ticket company Pollstar rating the theater number 15 in the world, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.
With the rebuilding of the theater came a rejuvenation of the business as a whole, which used this loss as a force for change and growth.
Performances at the venue have become more popular and successful, and the company expanded to include a rooftop restaurant and bar, merchandise, and private events held through renting out the theater space.