Macon native Charles
Henry Douglass, an African American entrepreneur, opened the
Douglass Theatre in Macon in 1912 to serve Macon's African American community.
The original theater was located at 363 Broadway until 1921 when it moved
into a larger space next door at 355 Broadway. The new facility accommodated
seven-hundred fifty to eight hundred patrons and quickly became the hub
of African American entertainment in Macon. As the premiere African American
performance venue in segregated Macon, the Douglass Theater operated as
a movie house and a center for live entertainment, including vaudeville
and eclectic musical acts. Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Little
Richard, James Brown and Otis Redding all graced the stage of the Douglass.
Upon the death of Charles Henry Douglass' son Peter in 1973, the theater
closed. The building was eventually purchased by the city of Macon in
1978 and after an extensive renovation, the Douglass Theater on January
11, 1997 and continues to show films and host live entertainment.
Published: 6 February 2006
© 2006 Chuck Leavell and
Southern
Spaces 
