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The Rogers Theatre Block has been a center of cultural, social and political activity for Shelby and Cleveland County since its construction in the late 1930s. Named for its original owner, Robert Hamer Rogers, the theater first opened in 1936 showing Love on the Run starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable. Built in sections through the early 1940s, the theater's grey limestone façade exhibits Art Deco details and is the only example of this popular 20th-century architectural style in Shelby. The Rogers Theatre was designed by noted architect Charles C. Benson of Wilson, North Carolina. Considered one of North Carolina's finest historic theaters, the Rogers is owned by its founder's son and anchors one end of Shelby's main street.
The theater has been little altered, still retaining its original marquee and a signage mast above which reads "theatre" that was an early addition to the theater. The 1,000-seat theater was constructed with a working vaudeville stage, as this type of traveling entertainment was still very popular in the western part of North Carolina at the time of its construction. Between movies, live acts took the stage. The Rogers Theatre held live performances and showed films well into the 1980s. In the mid-1980s famous North Carolina movie producer Early Owensby used the building to showcase many of his productions. In 1999 the Rogers Theatre Consortium formed to lead the effort to restore the building and to bring back an important film and performing arts center. The National Trust for Historic Preservation singled out the Rogers Theatre in 2001 when it was included on its "11 Most Endangered Properties" list, as one of the country's threatened independent movie theaters, and designated the theater as an official project of the "Save America's Treasures" program. The Rogers Theatre Block is located at 213-221 E. Marion St. in the Central Shelby Historic District. The theater is currently undergoing a restoration and is only open for special events. |
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