{"nrhp_refnum":"00001434","name":"Beacon Theatre","other_names":["Broadway Theatre","DHR File no. 116-0010"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"401 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hopewell (Independent City)","county":"Hopewell","state":"VA","lat":37.30472078200006,"lon":-77.28722864499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-11-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick vaudeville and movie theater with storefronts, second-floor apartments and a third-floor meeting hall, at 401 North Main Street in Hopewell, Virginia. It opened in 1928 as the Broadway Theatre and was later renamed the Beacon Theatre.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion C at the local level for its eclectic early 20th-century design, which combines Art Deco and Colonial Revival elements. It also stands out as a rare surviving mid-size vaudeville theater, with elaborate classical plaster detailing inside. Its mix of commercial and residential space to support the theater is typical of vaudeville houses of the period.","narrative":"Opened on November 28, 1928 as the Broadway Theatre, this three-story brick building at North Main and East Cawson Streets in Hopewell combined a vaudeville and movie house with storefronts, second-floor apartments and a third-floor Knights of Pythias meeting hall. Architects Osbert L. Edwards of Hopewell and Fred Bishop of Richmond designed it, and it was built for $150,000 with seating for 981 people. The exterior mixes Art Deco brickwork and cast-stone details with Colonial Revival features, while the auditorium has classical plaster friezes, an elaborate proscenium and a cove ceiling. After a 1932 auction it was renamed the Beacon Theatre, and it hosted live acts and films until closing in 1981. It is valued for its architecture and as a rare surviving mid-size vaudeville theater. A local nonprofit rescued it in 1987 and began a major rehabilitation in 1999 to restore it as a performance and meeting venue.","period_of_significance":"1928-1950","architect_builder":"Osbert L. Edwards, Architect; Fred Bishop, Architect (building constructed by W.W. Thompson)","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival/ Modern movement - Art Deco","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Listed function is vacant/not in use; the theater closed in 1981 and a major rehabilitation began in November 1999, with the aim of returning it to use as a performance and meeting space.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.318438-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/6813/41681310/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/00001434.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001434/7a4e54d639-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001434/7a4e54d639-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Corvokarasu at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beacon_Theater,_Hopewell,_VA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Corvokarasu at English Wikipedia</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beacon_Theater,_Hopewell,_VA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681310","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon_Theatre_(Hopewell,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15197913"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/hopewell/beacon-theatre-00001434/"}