Carolina Theatre

Part II

Carolina Theatre

230 North Tryon Street

Charlotte, North Carolina 

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Charlie Clayton and Billy Clayton

It's been two months since the historic Carolina Theatre reopened and with its opening came the continuation of a family affair. A story that has come full circle.

One can only imagine how Charlie felt when he first entered a restored Carolina to the tune of $90 millon after working to save the theatre for years.   

A man named Charlie who patiently waited for his dream to become reality. 

Charlie saw what others did not see.

The Carolina Theatre held special memories for thousands who attended events during its prime.  For others, it represented a piece of architectural history too important to tear down.  For 40 years, political leaders like former Councilwoman Patsy Kinsey and community activists like Charlie Clayton, Lisa Lee Morgan, Sally Van Allen and John Apple pursued development options for the Carolina Theatre.  Their steadfast and focused efforts to raise awareness of the theatre and its historical significance to Charlotte ensured the theatre's preservation.

Thank you, Charlie, Lisa, Sally and John. 

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The Best is Yet to Come...

After nearly five decades, sitting vacant, the Carolina Theatre is set to open its doors and welcome guests.  

.. It did ..

  🌟 March 24, 2025 🌟 

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The Carolina Theatre now proudly serves as the "community's living room" hosting events like town halls, annual meetings, symposiums, panel discussions, full-length films, live music, comedians and more. 

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Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

Starring

Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson 

Circa 1944

Unfortunately, like other theatres in the south, the Carolina Theatre has a history of segregation.  Blacks were prohibited from attending for decades though it changed in 1963 when Charlotte theatres began a trial desegregation period.  The Carolina Theatre began admitting blacks in small groups, but they were required to reserve seating in advance.  Within a few weeks, theatre owners dropped the reservation requirement and began rightfully admitting all patrons on the same basis.  

Sadly, the Carolina Theatre went into decline as audiences gravitated to the suburbs. When the Carolina Theatre closed in 1978, it was never forgotten!

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In 1982, the Carolina Theatre which had narrowly escaped a fire two years earlier was placed on the local historic register and the city bought the property in 1986.  In subsequent years, several efforts to restore and renovate the theatre were tried and failed.  Local citizens formed the Carolina Theatre Preservation in 1997 to help save the theatre.  

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In the spring of 2012, Foundation for the Carolinas approached the City of Charlotte  to request the Carolina Theatre be gifted to the Foundation.  The Foundation had a vested interest in the site and sought to ensure the property was a compliment to the surrounding neighborhood, a landmark for Tryon Street plus a strong civic and entertainment destination for Charlotte's Uptown.  The City of Charlotte gifted the Carolina Theatre and its associated land to the Foundation for $1 in 2023. The Foundation then spent 12 years painstakingly restoring the beloved theatre to its original glory while adding contemporary touches and technology.

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After many unsuccessful attempts to renovate and revive the theatre, the City of Charlotte acquired the building in 1986 and sold it to Foundation for the Carolinas in April 2013.  The renovation restored historical touches such as the iconic wall murals to replicate the original 1927 atmosphere as much as possible.

Construction on the restoration began in 2017.  The Carolina is part of a larger Civic Campus called Belk Place. Programming focuses on community gatherings, films, concerts and more. The ribbon cutting ceremony occurred March 24, 2025.  The first performance was March 28, 2025 featuring soprano Renee Fleming joined by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for a performance billed as "A Homecoming". 

A Wide Angle View from the Stage

.. Congratulations .. 

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 🌟 a beautiful sight to behold. 🌟 

 

 
Carolina Theatre

Part I

Carolina Theatre 

Opening Night

Circa 1927

Charles Christian Hook, Architect

(1870-1938)

and

Robert E.  Hall & Co., Designer 

New York City

Circa 1927

The Carolina Theatre originally opened as a silent movie palace.  After several decades of showing both live entertainment and films, the theatre closed in 1978.  Sadly, it remained closed for nearly 50 years before reopening in March 2025.  

The Carolina Theatre opened March 7, 1927, as part of Paramount Picture's Publix Theatre chain managed by Warren Ervin of the Publix Theatres Corporation. The Carolina welcomed a large audience who came to see the silent movie, A Kiss In A Taxi.*  Originally, movies ran for three days and vaudeville performers were on stage Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  In 1938, the theatre was renovated to accommodate sound films with the original murals replaced with acoustic tiles.  On February 10, 1956 the theatre played host to a performance by Elvis Presley.  

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The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra debuted on the Carolina Theatre stage March 20, 1932.  Perhaps most notably, Elvis Presley appeared on stage February 10, 1956 where he "shook, rattled and nearly rolled off the stage". In the 1960s, the Carolina Theatre saw a record-breaking 79-week run of the movie, The Sound of Music, which played to nearly 400,000 people (more than the population of Charlotte at the time).  The Carolina Theatre also holds the distinction of having been the first air-conditioned building in Charlotte. 

In 1953, the Carolina Theatre installed a panoramic screen to accommodate CinemaScope films.  In 1961, it was further renovated to accommodate Cinerama films.  The Sound of Music would premiere at the Carolina on March 31, 1965 and run a record 79 weeks! The 398,201 people who saw the movie were more than the population of Charlotte, at the time. 

With rising competition from suburban multiplexes, the Carolina Theatre closed on November 27, 1978 with a showing of Bruce Lee's Fists of Fury which was released September 9, 1972.

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The Carolina Theatre opened with great fanfare on March 7, 1927 welcoming a large audience to see the silent film comedy, A Kiss in a Taxi.*  The theatre was built for $750,000 and originally seated 1,450 people .. 900 in the orchestra level and 550 in the balcony level. According to a Charlotte Observer, at the time, the Carolina Theatre awed moviegoers with its wrought iron chandeliers and intricate murals. 

*A Kiss In A Taxi was a 1927 American silent comedy film starring Bebe Daniels and directed by Clarence Badger.  It was based on a French play produced on Broadway in 1925.  Paramount Pictures distributed the film.  The release date was February 22, 1927.

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"For sheer splendor and luxury, it is a creation that will provoke admiration throughout the theatrical world".

Charlotte Observer

  

Paul J. Sorg Mansion

204. S. Main Street

Middletown, Ohio

Circa 1887

This home stands as a testament to timeless craftsmanship.

The Paul John Sorg castle cost $1 million (over $24 million today) to build. The Sorg Romanesque limestone castle includes a $100,000 addition added which was comprised of a north wing with ballroom, a front porch and turrets, a large carriage house and an imposing stone and iron fence around the 5 acre property.  

The main house was comprised of over 13,000 sq. ft. with 35 rooms with 12' ceilings and each bedroom having its own fireplace. The mansion also features beveled glass bookcases. The Italian tiles and marble vestibule opened to a large grand hall with the main staircase.  

Dining Room Ceiling 

Paul John Sorg

(1840-1902)

Paul John Sorg was a businessman and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.  He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and attended public school.  He was the youngest son of Henry and Elizabeth Sorg, immigrants from Germany.  Paul Sorg moved with his parents and siblings to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1852 where he was an iron molder apprentice.  He attended night school in Cincinnati.  He also served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

In 1864, Paul J. Sorg met Jon Auer, a German-born tobacco roller in Cincinnati. Auer could make tobacco, but he couldn't keep books.  Sorg knew nothing about making tobacco, but he was a good bookkeeper.  These two men organized a firm for the manufacturing of tobacco, starting a plant in Cincinnati.  In 1869, they partnered with another tobacco firm in Cincinnati.  One of the new partners lived in Middletown, Ohio and urged the newly formed company Wilson, Sorg and Company to relocate there and a new plant was constructed.  

Sorg and Auer soon sold their share of the business and immediately formed another company, P. J. Sorg Tobacco Co., to manufacture cut filler and plug tobacco.  One of their brand names was "Biggest and Best".  This new firm became one of the largest of its type in the world and Sorg became Middletown's first multi-millionaire.

 

Sorg Opera House 

204 S. Main Street

Middletown, Ohio

Cover of the first program on opening night

The Sorg Opera House first opened its doors on September 12, 1891.  Middletown's first multi-millionaire, Paul. J. Sorg, had the opera house built as a gift to his hometown.  Samuel Hannaford, who designed the Cincinnati Music Hall, was hired to design the 1,200 seat opera house. 

The image is of Gough and Galt, a clothing retailer in 1909.  It shared a wall with the opera house lobby. Sign above stairway reads "Clothing Department Up Stairs".

Image source:  Midpointe Library, George C. Crout Collection 

When the Sorg Opera house was built, there were 4 ground level store fronts.  Each space was uniform in design and were approximately 20x40 feet and had a stairwell leading upstairs to the 1st floor of the Commercial Building.  They were used as different departments or for storage. These storefronts housed numerous businesses including Ohio Electric and Gas (which had most of the 3rd floor), Middletown and Cincinnati Railroad, various clothing outlets, confectionaries, tobacco stores, a piano store, discount stores and a newspaper stand which included one named, Broadway News. 

The Sorg Opera House at Christmas.

The Sorg Opera house in Middletown, Ohio has long been "rumored" to be haunted.  Local legends tell of the ghost of Paul J. Sorg, the orginal owner, still sitting in his favorite balcony seat.  Witnesses have reported hearing a mysterious "lady in red" singing from the dressing rooms, only for her to vanish upon approach.  

 

Waterloo, New York had the first formal, village wide, annual observance of a day dedicated to honoring the war dead.  On March 7, 1966, the State of New York recognized Waterloo by a proclamation signed by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller.  This was followed by a congressional resolution and a proclamation by President Lyndon B. Johnson, officially recognizing Waterloo for starting the tradition of Memorial Day services in 1866.  

 

The Edward M. Cotter

As the world's oldest active fireboat, the Edward M. Cotter is more than just a vessel .. it's a living piece of Buffalo's rich maritime and industrial history.  Built in 1900, the Cotter has faithfuly served the Buffalo Fire Department for an incredible 125 years, protecting the waterfront and keeping the city's harbor safe through generations of change.

Preserving a century-old fireboat is no small feat.  Over the past eight years, the dedicated volunteers and supporters behind the "Keep the Boat Afloat" campaign have worked tirelessly to maintain this historic vessel, ensuring it remains not just a symbol of the past, but an active, working part of Buffalo's present and future history. 

Thanks to the volunteers and supporters, the Cotter's 72-year-old engines have been carefully repaired, countless parts have been replaced and the iconic red and white paint that defines this storied vessel has been meticulously maintained.  Their work also helped secrue a critical state grant which funed the replacement of both shafts and propellers and the relining of the forward hull.  

For this unwavering dedication to preserving one of Buffalo's most unique and cherished landmarks, the City of Buffalo honors the Edward M. Cotter with the 2025 Preservation Award for Neighborhood Preservation Organization.  

Congratulations to all those who have helped keep the Cotter afloat!

Made in the USA

in

Wooster, Ohio

Cat's Meow is so named because of a black cat mascot named Casper who is hiding somewhere on every piece thanks to crafter-turned-founder, Faline Jones!  Jones and her "crew" craft "little wooden buildings" of local, national and international landmarks that spark memories and kindle smiles on the faces of neighbors just like you.  

Cat's Meow makes little wooden replicas of buildings (including your own home), landmarks and scenes to help remember the good times in your life!

Cat's Meow prints the front of their 3/4" thick wood with colorful details.  The back includes written facts or your own story related to your home.

 

"The Big Basket"

by Longaberger Basket Company

192 feet long and 126 feet wide at the bottom spreading to 208 feet long and 142 feet wide at the roof line thus setting the record for being the World's Largest Basket Building according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.  It is one of the most famous examples of novelty architecture in which buildings are designed to mimic or represent objects associated with their function and often serve as landmarks. If you google novelty architecture on Wikipedia, the Longaberger basket headquarters is listed.

It was designed to replicate the company's best selling product though 160 times larger! Architects had initially proposed designs that were merly suggestive of a basket, until the company's founder Dave Longabergeer pointed to one of the baskets and told them

"to make it look exactly like that". 

The 180,000 sq. ft. building cost $30 million to construct and was completed in 1997.  It is 7 stories tall with a central atrium and glass ceiling to provide natural night.  It is topped by two steel handles each weighing 75 tons which are fitted with heating elements to prevent them from freezing and to protect the glass atrium below from falling ice. On each side of the top of the building are two gold-leaf-painted 'Longaberger' tags measuring 25 ft. x 7 ft.

The Longaberger Basket Building, a unique seven-story, basket-shaped structure in Newark, Ohio is a notable landmark.  It the headquarters for the Longaberger Company which sold handmade baskets.  The building is located on Ohio Route 16 on the east side of Newark. 

One of the handles going up onto the Longaberger building.

Circa March 1997

"The Big Basket" is a scaled-up version of Longaberger's signature Medium Market Basket.  Most of the cherry wood used in The Big Basket came from the grounds of the Longaberger Golf Club in Hanover, according to Jim Klein, a former president of the Longaberger Company who was present at the October 20, 2016 public tour.*

"It may appear as kitschy on the outside, but it's absolutely spectacular inside.  The basket is a symbol of overcoming adversity of what you can achieve."

Jim Klein

Klein's quote that mentions overcoming adversity is because both he and his son have dyslexia as did Dave Longaberger, himself. 

Dave Longaberger was the business visionary who not only tapped into the demand for hand-woven party baskets, but who dreamed up the idea of running his growing organization from inside of one.  Most of his employees, less farsighted than their leader, didn't take Dave's notion seriously when the plan was announced.  Perhaps they believed the house-sized basket in Dresden, Ohio (Longaberger's old HQ) pushed the absolute physical limits of basket-building science.

The entire region around Newark remains basket-happy, a legacy. The building stands at the original Longaberger Homestead in Frazeysburg, Ohio.

A Longaberger basket full of apples

on the Longaberger Homestead.

20 feet tall, filled to overflowing with large, fake apples.

Repainted and restored in 2022. 

Dave W. Longaberger 

(1934-1999)

The 10th Anniversary Longaberger Basket

Production floor of Longaberger Baskets

Circa 1998

Longaberger was once one of the largest employers

in

Muskingum County, Ohio

Krystal Maziar spins a basket while weaving a large basket

at Longaberger in Frazeysburg, Ohio

Dave Longaberger personally signing Longaberger baskets

Dave Lonaberger with daughters, Tami and Rachel.

Longaberger was an American businessman who grew up in a family of 14. He began his basket business in 1971.  He became a successful philanthropist and gave millions of dollars to the local community and to schools.  Longaberger was interested in history therefore he undertook the restoration of many historic buildings on Main Street in Dresden, Ohio and the surrounding area. 

Longaberger family photos show Dave, third from left,

 with eight of his brothers and sisters. 

Three generation Longaberger family photo of Dave Longaberger with his mother, Bonnie Gist Longaberger and daughters, Tami and Rachel.

One of the historical buildings among the many Longaberger saved was the Prospect Place Estate. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places May 10, 1979.  It is also on the Ohio Underground Railroad Association's list of Underground Railroad sites.

Prospect Place is a 29-room mansion built in 1856 by George Willison Adams in Trinway, Ohio north of Dresden. The architect was George Blackburn.  The home featured many new and, for the time, revolutionary innovations. It had indoor plumbing and allowed the home to have both hot and cold running water. Prospect Place also featured a unique refrigeration system to cool milk, cheese and butter. A primitive form of "air conditioning" was created by bringing cool basement air into the living quarters during the summer months via ducts in the outside walls of the home. 

The estate was scheduled to be demolished in 1988 though local businessman, Dave Longaberger purchased the house to prevent its destruction. Longaberger installed a new roof on the structure and increased security with the intention of restoring the home as a future Longaberger Basket Company headquarters building. Today, it is the home of the non-profit G. W. Adams Educational Center, Inc.  

*On October 20, 2016 "the big basket" opened its doors and people wept. Once the main office of the now-defunct Longaberger Company was offering its first public tour since closing in 2016, more than 600 people showed up for the occasion!  They came from small towns across Ohio.  Some driving up to four hours to make it in time.  They lined up at 11 a.m. for tours that started at 1 p.m.  The one-day-only tour was held on a Sunday, the day before Heritage Ohio announced that the famed Longaberger Basket Buiding will perhaps re-open as a luxury hotel securing the future of a building that many thought was doomed  But nobody knew this on that Sunday, so they swarmed with questions about what was going to happen to their beloved basket!

The Center Atrium 

"People were in tears and hugging each other.  They were so happy to be back in the Basket"

Joyce Barrett, Executive Director of Heritage Ohio

"It's about a building that deserves the respect."

Jeff Hall, Mayor Newwark Ohio 

Though the company closed its doors for good in 2018 the name, Longaberger is still and will always be a household name in Ohio.  At its peak in 2000, Dave Longaberger's company employed more than 8,200 people making it one of the primary employers in the Dresden, Ohio area and in the State of Ohio. The company had about 45,000 independent distributors called Home Consultants.   Along with baskets, the product line eventually included wrought iron products, pottery, wooden lids and other products. 

Longaberger, the son and grandson of basket-weavers sold America on his handmade, well-crafted Longaberger baskets with Amway-style sales associates who earned a percentage of any commissions made by the people they recruited. 

Today, the only pieces with real value are those that are signed and numbered.  The handcrafted woven maple baskets made by Longaberger Company of Ohio were a hot item in the 1990s.  While some of the baskets originally sold for hundreds of dollars, many are now available on eBay and other online outlets.

Sad Sidenote:  Many blame the company's demise on the founder's daughters:  Tami Longaberger, company CEO at the time of Dave Longaberger's passing and sister Rachel Longaberger Stukey, who was president of the Longaberger Foundation.  Overspending and mismanagement are the usual allegations.  The Longaberger Basket Company ceased operatoins in 2018 due to a combination of factors including economic downturns, changing consumer preferences and managerial challenges. While the company once reach $1 billion in sales, a combination of economic hardships and a shift away from the niche market for woven baskets led to its decline. Following the passing of the company's founder, the company faced leadership changes and potential internal struggles. And some manufacturing was moved overseas which contradicted the "Made in the USA" marketing strategy that had been a core part of the brand's identity. In May of 2015, Tami Longaberger, who had lead the company since her father's passing, resigned as Chief Executive Officer.  In June of 2018, the company filed for bankruptcy.

The Big Basket is not yet on the National Register of Historic Places though efforts are underway to have it added.  The Big Basket owner, Steve Coon, a Canton-based developer, has expressed interest in having it added to the NRHP, potentially for tax benefit and preservation purposes.  Coon purchased the building on December 29, 2017 for $1.2 million.  A pretty good deal when one learns the building cost $30 million to build!

"The more they believed in me, the more I had to make our dreams come true."

Dave W. Longaberger 

RIP