Temple Theatre (Sanford, North Carolina)
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Temple Theatre
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Temple Theatre, March 2007
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| Location | 120 Carthage St., Sanford, North Carolina |
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| Coordinates | 35°28′52″N 79°10′44″W / 35.48111°N 79.17889°WCoordinates: 35°28′52″N 79°10′44″W / 35.48111°N 79.17889°W |
| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | 1925 |
| Built by | Joe W. Stout Co. |
| Architect | Flanagan, Eric G. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Modern Movement |
| NRHP Reference # | 83001895 |
| Added to NRHP | September 8, 1983 |
The Temple Theatre is an historic performance center in Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina. The Temple Theatre was built in 1925 by Robert Ingram, Sr. (owner of the Sanford Coca-Cola Bottling Company), at a time when Sanford had a population of only 3,500. The name "Temple" comes from being located next door to what was once Sanford's Masonic Lodge. The following quote ran in a 1925 issue of the Sanford Express, "In erecting this modern theater, he has spared no expense to make it an up-to-date playhouse." It is a 50 feet wide-by-92 feet deep, two-story, brick building decorated with cut stone details in a blend of Colonial Revival and Art Deco styles.
For several decades, the Temple served as Lee County, North Carolina's principal seat of entertainment. Located half a block from the railroad station, the Temple was a frequent for the shows and stars of Vaudeville. Years later, the Temple became a touring house for the road shows of the 1930s (including burlesque), and then a movie theater. During the 1960s, the Sanford Little Theatre and the Footlight Players used the Temple for their community productions. In 1965, the Temple Theatre closed.
The rebirth of the Temple Theatre began in 1981 when Mr. Robert Ingram, Jr., the son of the theatre's original owner, donated the building to the citizens of Lee County. Through the efforts of Sam Bass, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and received a large challenge grant from the North Carolina Legislature. It is located in the Downtown Sanford Historic District. Lee County citizens and businesses matched the grant, along with a significant grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The building was gutted and the vandalized shell of Temple Theatre was refurbished with the comfort of both the patron and performer in mind. In 1984, Temple reopened as a community theater under the director Kathy DeNobriga. The first show at the newly renovated Temple was Chicago. Ticket prices for an individual show were $3 and $4. A season ticket of 4 shows was $12. All shows were produced by the Footlight Players, and The Temple paid the bills and sold the tickets. The staff of the Temple at that time was Kathy DeNobriga, Director; Trip May, Tech Director; Sheila Brewer, Office Manager, Frank Nunally, Bookkeeper and Corrina Wicker, Box Office. In April 1986 Trip May took another position and Tim Morrissey was hired as Technical Director. One of the first things he did was to enlist the help of Sam Bass and the two of them built the cover over the orchestra pit, which is removable.
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