It was 70 years ago today, October 13, 1935, that the Lee Theatre in
Richmond opened.

Known today as VCU's Grace Street Theatre, the building originally
opened in 1935 as the Lee Theatre, a neighborhood movie theater showing
second-run films. It served for a brief period in the late 1950s/early
1960s as an art house theaer. In 1965 it became known as the Lee Art
Theatre and began presenting adult films along with burlesque style
dancers. VCU purchased the property in 1993 and after extensive
renovations the building re-opened in 1996 as VCU's Grace Street
Theatre. The theater is now the primary performing venue for VCU's
Department of Dance and Choreography.  The 225 seat theater is also
available to the Richmond community to rent for films, lectures, and
other events.

Visit this online exhibit, www.library.vcu.edu/jbc/speccoll/lee.html, to
learn more about the theater's history.  The web site was created by
staff in the Special Collections and Archives department at the James
Branch Cabell Library, VCU Libraries.

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