Historic Tennessee Theatre – Knoxville, TN

The Tennessee Theatre opened on October 1, 1928 as a grand movie palace in downtown Knoxville, TN. In its early years, it premiered several films as a first-run movie house and hosted some interesting small scale stage shows such as Tom Mix and his cowboy caravan and Hadji Ali, a master of controlled regurgitation.

In the early 1980’s, the theatre was purchased by James A. Dick who ensured its future as a performing arts venue. Soon after the purchase, both the Knoxville Opera and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra became resident companies. In 1996, it was turned over to a newly formed non-profit, the Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation, which quickly began planning for what would be a $28 million dollar restoration and stage house expansion.

Since re-opening after the renovation in 2005, the Tennessee Theatre has become a premier performing arts venue for the East Tennessee region, hosting Broadway and touring shows and welcoming more than 1.7 million patrons into its lovingly preserved interior.

The Historic Tennessee Theatre is a member of the Theatre Affiliates Program, a national initiative by the Theatre Historical Society.  This program has three objectives:  to connect historic theatres into one network, to develop a national database of historic theatres, and to archive the information and history of our theatres within the THS American Theatre Architectural Archive.  Participation in the program is free to all theatres in the United States and abroad.

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For nearly fifty years Theatre Historical Society of America has been celebrating, documenting, and promoting the architectural, cultural, and social relevance of America’s historic theaters. However, we can’t do it alone.  Support from cinema lovers, architects, historians and people like you are paramount to our success.  Become a member today, and help us preserve the rich history of America’s greatest theatres.