History

Arthur Lucas was one of Savannah’s leading theater operators in the early twentieth century, and the theater that bore his name on Abercorn Street was his flagship venue. Opened in 1921, the Lucas Theatre presented first-run films and live entertainment to a clientele drawn from across the Georgia coastal lowcountry. The Italian Renaissance Revival design, with its arched arcade at street level and richly ornamented auditorium, placed the Lucas among the architectural showpieces of the downtown historic district.

The theater operated continuously until 1976, when changing entertainment economics and suburban competition led to its closure. A series of demolition proposals triggered a grassroots preservation campaign that lasted two decades and ultimately resulted in restoration funding from private donors, the City of Savannah, and the Savannah College of Art and Design. The restored Lucas Theatre reopened in 1999 and has been managed by SCAD since, serving as a venue for film premieres, concerts, and community performances alongside SCAD’s own programming.

The theater stands within Savannah’s National Historic Landmark District, a 2.2-square-mile grid of twenty-two historic squares laid out by James Oglethorpe in 1733 and considered one of the finest examples of urban planning in North America. Several of the district’s twenty-two squares are within a few minutes’ walk of the theater.