NORFOLK, Va. — The Attucks Theatre on Church Street in Norfolk's Huntersville neighborhood has been called the "Apollo of the South."
“On this stage and in this building, you had Nat King Cole, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, and Quincy Jones,” Jay Lang said.
Lang is a longtime Hampton Roads radio and TV personality. As a concert promoter, he routinely books shows at the Attucks.
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“When I walk through this building, it’s like I can feel them saying, ‘Yes, yes, you’re keeping it alive,’” he added.
Alive and thriving, the Attucks was built in 1920 on Church Street in Norfolk so African Americans would have a place to see shows.
“Today, the Attucks is the oldest remaining theater in the country that was financed, designed, constructed, and operated by African Americans,” said event coordinator Denise Christian of Seven Venues.
This is why the Virginia Board of Historic Resources gave the Attucks a historical highway marker to inform and educate the public about its national importance.
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“It was named in honor of Crispus Attucks, who was part Native American and part African American, and was the first to die in the Boston Massacre, which became the first battle of the American Revolutionary War,” Christian explained.
A fire curtain was made to commemorate that battle.
“The fire curtain is painted with a scene of the Boston Massacre, showing British redcoats firing on Crispus. On that day, five people were killed in the skirmish,” she continued.
But it's what the Attucks means to this Church Street community that makes it special.
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“This is where people would put on their finest attire on a Saturday night after a long week of work and come in to enjoy some great entertainment,” Lang said.
“I want to be a part of it, so whenever they have shows, particularly Lindsey Webster, I’m here,” said one patron.
The Attucks has had its ups and downs, closing in 1953. However, in 1977, the U.S. Congress deemed it a historical landmark. It was then renovated and reopened in 2004, once again becoming a centerpiece for the community, hosting high school graduations and children’s recitals in the elegant landmark.
“For educational reasons, for cultural reasons, and for entertainment. To be encouraged, to be enlightened, to be uplifted, and so the Attucks has a fond place in the hearts and minds of this community,” Christian said.
This is what makes the Attucks Theatre positively Hampton Roads.
