A Brief History of the Historic Ritz Theatre
The Ritz Theatre, located within the Old Town Brunswick National Register Historic District, was built in 1899 to house the Grand Opera House, retail establishments, and the general offices of the Brunswick & Birmingham Railroad. Originally, The Grand Opera House, a three-story Victorian Building featuring ornate brick and stone work, was built for the legitimate stage. Later, it served as a theatre for vaudeville.
In the 1920’s as motion pictures became the rage, The Opera House was converted in a movie palace. To give the building a more modern art deco look, the first-story brickwork was covered with Carrara glass and an elaborate marquee and cascading sign were added. Thus, the Grand Opera House became The Ritz Theatre. In 1956, the world premier of A View from Pompey’s Head, filmed primarily at the Oglethorpe Hotel (the grand hotel that used to sit across from The Ritz), was introduced by the film’s star, Richard Egan, at the Ritz Theatre.
The Ritz Theatre (and single movie houses in general) fell into decline in the 60’s and 70’s. In 1981, the City of Brunswick purchased the Ritz, and again, the theatre was modernized and substantially altered; however, the Ritz sign was left intact. The extensive reconstruction of the Ritz was due in part to the collapse of the roof over the auditorium. This phase was completed in 1983.
Under the management of the Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association (GIAHA) since 1990, The Ritz returned to its roots as a live performance space and a place for community and cultural events. The Ritz benefited from SPLOST dollars in 2000-01 to replace the roof, address life safety and accessibility needs, and made some substantial improvements to the auditorium. Between 2010-2016, The Ritz was fortunate to receive grant funds from the Fox Theatre Institute in Atlanta that allowed all 58 windows on the building and the Ritz sign to be restored. Additional dollars from a later SPLOST assisted in upgrading lighting and sound equipment for the theatre and allowed for the installation of much needed restrooms in the balcony. In 2024, The Ritz Theatre was awarded a grant from Fox Gives and the Georgia Council for the Arts to assist with replacing the HVAC system for the auditorium.
There are still many projects in this wonderful old building - two unusual floors that could be converted to usable space being the most prominent. The Ritz hosts an average of 50-60 events per year which include Golden Isles Arts & Humanities programs like the Annual Performing Arts Series and Cinema Gourmet to name a few, along with a variety of rentals of local, regional, and national events. The Ritz Theatre was, is, and always will be an important piece of the fabric that is Historic Downtown Brunswick.
