Dixie Center for the Arts

The Dixie

Former names| Astor Theater (1928-1932), Rialto (1932-1956)
Address| 212 North Vienna Street
Location| Ruston, Louisiana
Owner| Private
Type| Theatre
Genre(s)| Performing Arts, Symphony, Theatre
Seating type| Auditorium
Construction
Opened| 1928
Renovated| 1933, 1956, 1999, 2006
Website
dixiecenter.org

Dixie Theatre

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district
Contributing property

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Location| 212 North Vienna Street, Ruston, Louisiana
Coordinates| 32°31′49″N 92°38′16″W﻿ / ﻿32.53015°N 92.63775°W﻿ / 32.53015; -92.63775
Area| less than one acre
Part of| Downtown Ruston Historic District (ID100000598)
NRHP reference No.| 93001105[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| October 14, 1993
Designated CP| January 31, 2017

The Dixie Center for the Arts, also known as the Dixie Theater or simply the Dixie, is a theater-style venue located at 212 North Vienna Street in Ruston, Louisiana.

The venue originally opened as the Astor Theater in 1928. The Astor offered showings of silent films and live concerts with tickets ranging from 10 to 50 cents. In 1932 the Astor Theater underwent lite renovations with the most notable being the addition of a crystal chandelier and a change in identity from the Astor to the Rialto.[2]

In the early 1950s, the theater underwent one last name change. After being purchased from the famous Dixie Theater Corporation of New Orleans, the space was officially known as the Dixie Theater. The corporation renovated the space and re-opened in 1956. The most notable renovation to the space was the addition of air conditioning and the iconic flashing neon star which rises above the marquee.[2]

After years of neglect and disrepair, the space underwent an extensive renovation to preserve the historic venue. The Dixie Center for the Arts held a grand re-opening for the space in 2006 and has remained the proprietor of the property since.[2]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1993.[1][3][4] It was also declared a contributing property of Downtown Ruston Historic District at the time of its creation on January 31, 2017.[5]

## Tenants

[edit]

In addition to being a rent-able space for various event, many artistic and musical organizations call the Dixie their home.

* North Central Louisiana Arts Council (NCLAC)
* Ruston Community Theater

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. ^ a b c "About Us". Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
3. ^ "Dixie Theatre" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 16, 2018. with three photos and a map
4. ^ National Register Staff (July 1993). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Dixie Theatre". National Park Service. Retrieved July 16, 2018. With four photos from 1993.
5. ^ Kristi Lumpkin (September 2016). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Downtown Ruston Historic District" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018. with 34 photos and two maps Archived 2018-07-17 at the Wayback Machine

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Dixie Theater at Wikimedia Commons

* Official Site of the Dixie Center for the Arts

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U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana

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Parish seat: Ruston

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