Vacant since 1994, a Somerset icon is set to reopen as it nears its 100th anniversary

A near century old icon of one Southern Kentucky town’s past is receiving a facelift as it plans to reopen following close to three decades in the dark.

Open from 1922-1994, Somerset’s revered Virginia Theater has a tentative reopening of spring 2022 according to Mayor Alan Keck. After a more than $2 million renovation, it will primarily feature live music and theatre events but also be available for rent.

The Virginia was a key attraction in the days when the downtown area in Somerset, as in many other cities, was the retail, business and entertainment center of the community. There was another theater in downtown, the Kentucky, as well as large department stores and restaurants.

That changed with improvements to U.S. 27. Retail businesses moved to the wider road where there was more room for parking, leaving gaps in downtown. The Kentucky Theater was torn down, and the Virginia closed.

Somerset hopes Virginia will help revitalize downtown

Efforts to restore the Virginia have created some optimism for the future of downtown, where several businesses have opened in recent years.

The city acquired the Virginia Theater for $1 in October 2020 from the Downtown Somerset Development Corporation, which had owned it since 2003, under the condition that it be functional by the end of 2022. If not, then ownership will be returned to the development board.

To accommodate this, the city put out Requests For Proposals (RFPs) to find an event company to book live music inside the theatre and a marketing firm to brand and promote it.

“The (Downtown Somerset Development Corp.) was excited that someone was going to take the project and run with it,” said Keck. “After 20 years of talking about it we are finally going to do something.”

When it opens just in time for its 100th anniversary, the Virginia will host multiple types of live entertainment. With live music being the main show, community theatre, comedy and dinner, movies nights are also options. The space will also be available for weddings and other private events.

Virginia Theater sat vacant, deteriorated

The theatre had fallen into a decrepit state due to a partial roof collapse scattering debris throughout and opening up the interior to the elements. The estimated cost of getting it back into proper shape is between $2 and $2.3 million and the city is paying for it as part of a $13 million municipal bond initiative.

“It’s a big price tag, but the outpouring of community support for the project has been so positive that we didn’t want that to stop us,” said Keck. “Of all the projects we’ve taken on in the last 30 months, I’m not sure there’s been another with as much universal support as this.”

Virginia Theater memories, good and bad

One of the community members who’s been an avid fundraiser and supporter of restoring the Virginia Theatre is Kirby Stephens. Growing up in the city in the 1960’s and 70’s, Stephens recalled spending a lot of time during his younger years just down the street from the theatre at the Pulaski Bakery, owned by his father, that later became Amon’s Sugar Shack. One of his fondest memories was seeing Stephen Speilberg’s “Jaws” on the big screen there in 1975.

“I have seen starts, stops, delays and lurches forward with downtown Somerset’s revitalization efforts,” said Stephens. “However, I have always believed in its potential… I believe next year’s reopening of the Virginia Theatre will only add to the momentum of the exciting changes happening in Somerset.”

Even though Stephens and many others hold fond memories of the Virginia Theatre, other members of the community didn’t find it as welcoming. During the Jim Crow era, Black patrons were confined to a separate viewing section in the theatre positioned out of sight behind a four-foot tall wall. They also had a separate entrance.

The city plans to acknowledge this blemish on the theatre’s history, along with other significant moments, on a timeline in the theatre’s entrance.

“That’s a way for us to signal that we want to build bridges,” said Keck. “Sometimes you have to tear down before you can build back up. I like the symbolism of clearing the space out while still acknowledging its past as we start anew in making it a space where everyone feels welcome.”

The Virginia Theatre revival is among several projects Keck has pushed since taking office in January 2019. Others include an effort to create a private, four-year university in town and a plan by Horse Soldier Bourbon to build a distillery.

“I campaigned on it and still believe that art, music and food uniquely bring people together,” said Keck. “None of those subjects are partisan. We feel like a lot of our city’s growth is because we’ve focused on the right things and found ways to bring folks together to build community. The Virginia is just another step in that direction.”

Virginia Theatre

Where: 218 E Mt. Vernon St., Somerset

Reopening: Spring 2022

Events: Live music, theatre, movies and available to rent

This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.