Grand Theater
Why it's listed
Downtown Cartersville's Grand Theatre, at 2 Wall Street, is a 600-seat movie house built in 1924 and remodeled in 1929. Its load-bearing brick walls include portions of an earlier theater on the site that burned. The front facade is faced in off-white terra-cotta and carries Beaux Arts detail: paired pilasters with Corinthian capitals, segmental window hoods, balustrades, urns, swags and consoles. Flanking the recessed entrance are two small stores. Inside, a marble-faced ticket booth, vaulted lobby and restroom ceilings, and plaster medallions survive, though the auditorium has been remodeled several times. The theater was listed for its architecture, its commercial role and its place in theater history. It reflects the 1920s boom in ornate small-town movie theaters, stood across from the depot in the business district, and was run by Manning and Wink, a company operating theaters in north Georgia and Tennessee. The first talking picture shown in Cartersville played here on May 9, 1929.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the theater is significant in architecture, commerce and theater. It is a small-town example of the ornate movie theaters built across the country in the 1920s, a major commercial enterprise in downtown Cartersville, and a facility built specifically to show motion pictures. It hosted the first talking picture shown in Cartersville on May 9, 1929.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84000893, listed June 28, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2 Wall St., Cartersville |
|---|---|
| County | Bartow County |
| Listed | June 28, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000893 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924, remodeled 1929 |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture, Performing Arts |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in entertainment use, with work in progress; condition rated good and altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Cartersville Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 34.16643, -84.79540 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84000893.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q42431616
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.