See historical pictures of the Kentucky Theatre’s 100 years in downtown Lexington

The Kentucky Theatre, a downtown Lexington landmark, will celebrate its 100th birthday the entire month of October.

And why shouldn’t it? The historic theatre might be old, but it has survived plenty over the past century — renovations, COVID pandemic shutdowns, a fire, technology improvements and more. And it did so while keeping Lexington entertained with countless shows, movies, concerts and even UK basketball broadcasts.

The entertainment began Oct. 4, 1922, in a $250,000 theatre on East Main Street that was recognized architecturally as one of the finest in the South. Prices were $.25 and adults, $.10 for children. For evenings, Sundays and holidays, adults were charged $.30.

Historical pictures show how the theatre changed with Lexington: New marquee with neon lights, movie trends and music shows.

And the Kentucky Theatre made Lexington feel like Hollywood with several red carpet premieres with the stars, the first being in 1956 and the latest in 2010 with Oscar nominated actress Diane Lane.

This story was originally published September 22, 2022 at 10:00 AM with the headline "See historical pictures of the Kentucky Theatre’s 100 years in downtown Lexington."

Brian Simms

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-379-9041

Brian Simms has been with the Herald-Leader for 20-plus years, most recently reporting and editing coverage of restaurants, bars, food and bourbon. He is also a photographer and manages the newspapers photo archive that dates back to the late 1930s. Support my work with a digital subscription