Dixie Center for the Arts

The Dixie Center for the Arts, also known as the Dixie Theater or simply the Dixie, is a theater-style venue located at 212 North Vienna Street in Ruston, Louisiana.

Dixie Center for the Arts
The Dixie
Former namesAstor Theater (1928-1932), Rialto (1932-1956)
Address212 North Vienna Street
LocationRuston, Louisiana
OwnerPrivate
TypeTheatre
Genre(s)Performing Arts, Symphony, Theatre
Seating typeAuditorium
Construction
Opened1928
Renovated1933, 1956, 1999, 2006
Website
dixiecenter.org
Dixie Theatre
Location212 North Vienna Street, Ruston, Louisiana
Coordinates32°31′49″N 92°38′16″W
Arealess than one acre
Part ofDowntown Ruston Historic District (ID100000598)
NRHP reference No.93001105[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 14, 1993
Designated CPJanuary 31, 2017

The venue originally opened as the Astor Theater in 1928. The Astor offered showings of silent films and live concerts with tickets ranging from 10 to 50 cents. In 1932 the Astor Theater underwent lite renovations with the most notable being the addition of a crystal chandelier and a change in identity from the Astor to the Rialto.[2]

In the early 1950s, the theater underwent one last name change. After being purchased from the famous Dixie Theater Corporation of New Orleans, the space was officially known as the Dixie Theater. The corporation renovated the space and re-opened in 1956. The most notable renovation to the space was the addition of air conditioning and the iconic flashing neon star which rises above the marquee.[2]

After years of neglect and disrepair, the space underwent an extensive renovation to preserve the historic venue. The Dixie Center for the Arts held a grand re-opening for the space in 2006 and has remained the proprietor of the property since.[2]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1993.[1][3][4] It was also declared a contributing property of Downtown Ruston Historic District at the time of its creation on January 31, 2017.[5]

Tenants

In addition to being a rent-able space for various event, many artistic and musical organizations call the Dixie their home.

  • North Central Louisiana Arts Council (NCLAC)
  • Ruston Community Theater

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-01-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Dixie Theatre" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 16, 2018. with three photos and a map
  4. National Register Staff (July 1993). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Dixie Theatre". National Park Service. Retrieved July 16, 2018. With four photos from 1993.
  5. Kristi Lumpkin (September 2016). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Downtown Ruston Historic District" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018. with 34 photos and two maps Archived 2018-07-17 at the Wayback Machine

Media related to Dixie Theater at Wikimedia Commons


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