Drive down Church Street any given evening and you’re likely to catch the bright red and blue glow of the Attucks Theatre sign. Proudly hanging over the building, which was constructed and operated completely by African-Americans in the early 20th Century, the sign has seen many famous faces walk under it to take the historic stage at the “Apollo of the South.” Duke Ellington. Louis Armstrong. Cab Calloway. Ruth Brown. B.B. King. The Great Ella Fitzgerald. Just a few of the marquee names who’ve graced the hallowed halls of the Attucks.
Built in 1919 by the Twin City Amusement Corporation, a group that consisted of black doctors, lawyers, pharmacists and businessmen from Norfolk and Portsmouth, the Attucks opened the following year as a major hotspot for live entertainment. For decades, it would serve as a place where African Americans could gather, perform and be entertained with dignity in a time when it was in short supply.
Setting the Course
SevenVenues Event Administrator Denise Christian says that by opening in 1920, Attucks charted the course for other Black theaters to follow. That includes Harlem’s Apollo Theater, which technically opened earlier, but did not feature Black performers until 1934. Christian recalls hearing stories of Duke Ellington, who would perform primetime shows in Downtown Norfolk, and then make a beeline to the Attucks for midnight jam sessions that often lasted until 4 a.m.
Besides being a premier theater for African-American performers, the Attucks also served as a first-run movie theater and was home to several offices and stores, including an ice cream parlor. Remnants of these offices can still be seen throughout the building’s three main levels. Christian says the Attucks housed professionals, supported Black entrepreneurship and was often championed in the Norfolk Journal and Guide, a leading black southern newspaper of the time.
“It was a catalyst for other economic development,” Chrisitan says, adding that the Journal and Guide helped guide African American travelers to spaces where they were welcome.
Bringing Down the Curtain
When the theater originally closed in 1955, the building weathered decades of neglect. It saw retail conversions, roof leaks and plenty of termite damage. Christian joined the restoration effort in 1993. After years of persistence, “we opened in October, 2004,” she says.
During restoration, it was quickly decided that the theater’s massive fire curtain — which depicts Crispus Attucks, an African American long regarded as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre — would be saved. The textile, which is at least 30 feet wide and just as high, weighs 500 pounds and is a stunning visual reminder of the sacrifices African Americans have often made in the name of freedom. Painstaking work was undertaken to encapsulate the curtain’s many asbestos fibers, Christian says.
“The team was careful. They were not trying to make it look like a new curtain, obviously.”
Standing in the dim theater as the curtain lowers, it’s easy to imagine countless opening nights, ovations, curtain calls and classic performances the room has been witness to.
Black Voices & Visions
Today, the Attucks is widening its scope. Through “Black Voices & Visions,” presented in partnership with Norfolk Arts, the theater has embraced visual art alongside performance. The 1,500 square foot gallery features 60 original works of art selected by Joan Rhodes-Copeland, who also runs the Church Street Aspire Gallery. The gallery features Hampton Roads-based artists, and most works are for sale.
“This is the first art exhibit we’ve had in the building,” Christian says. The gallery showcases local African American artists, transforming the historic space into a space that is both intimate and inspiring.
The works will rotate twice per year. Visitors can see the current exhibit through April 3, 2026 by attending any ticketed performance at the Attucks or during Arts at the Attucks events. Learn more about events at the Norfolk Arts website.
