Saluda’s Treasure; Our “Picture Show”

The Saluda Theater

               From the day it opened in 1936 with a Shirley Temple movie until the day in 1981 when the last reel wound to a stop, the screen went dark, and the lights went out, the Saluda Theater has remained until this day a familiar landmark on the courthouse square.

               Its history takes us back to a simpler time when television had not entered every home; when Saturday matinees and nighttime showings of feature films were highlights of the week in small town America.  There are few in Saluda County of a “certain age” who do not remember waiting with anticipation as those beautiful lights began to dim, signaling the beginning of “the show.” 

               By 1987 the once vibrant theater still stood on the square, but its paint was peeling, its doors were closed, and its marquee was empty.  To the casual observer it was just an old building, rotting away, forgotten, a relic of happier days.  But there were those who remembered and dared to dream of what could be if enough people cared.

               It was in this spirit that the newly organized Saluda County Historical Society formed a committee to investigate the purchase of the theater.  The results of their investigation was a proposal “That the Society agree to restore the theater and the adjoining building, if Saluda County and the Town of Saluda will purchase the theater and the SCE&G Building.”

               To support their recommendation, the committee delved into the history of the building and found that it had sufficient historical significance to justify its restoration.  Mrs. Neal Gunter Able, widow of Eugene Able, built the Saluda Theater in 1935-1936 at a cost of $25,000 and opened it on July 4, 1936. Mr. Eugene Able had opened the first theater in Saluda in 1911 in the Able Building.  Mrs. Able had played the piano for the silent movies shown there.  When talking movies came in, a man from North Augusta rented the downstairs part of the Able Building and put in a talking picture show which later caught fire.

               After Mrs. Able built the Saluda Theater, she leased it to Albert Burlewich who ran it from 1936 until July 1939 when James Robert (Buck) Herlong, Mrs. Neal Able’s grandson, finished high school and rented the theater.  She bought new equipment at this time (1939).  Mr. Herlong had worked for Mr. Burlewich and knew the business.  He ran the projectors, changed the marquee and billboards, and went to Charlotte three times a week to pick up films. From 1939 until 1942 when he went in service during WWII, Mr. Herlong ran the theater.  In his absence his mother, Mrs. Thelma Able Herlong and his grandmother, Mrs. Neal Alble, ran it until his return in 1946.  At that time he purchased the theater and  owned and operated it until it closed.

               The Saluda Theater was designed by an architect from National Theater Supply which had branches in New York, Memphis, and Charlotte.  Mr. Coke Bradley built the theater under the supervision of the Charlotte architect.  Mr. J.W. Bradley worked with Mr. Coke Bradley.  Mr. John Forrest was carpenter; Mr. Fred Long and Mr. Shuler Coleman laid the bricks; Mr. Guy Able did the electrical work and Mr. Charlie Duffie did the plumbing.

               The building was heated with steam.  The boiler was behind the theater where the museum is today.  When the building was first built, it had a washed air system which sprayed water and cooled the air, working as air conditioning in the summer.  The society has replaced this system with a modern heating and cooling unit.

               The theater was built in the Art Deco style of the period, and it opened for talking movies only nine years after the first talking movie was made.  It is exactly as it was when it was built except for the front doors.  Heavy glass and metal doors have replaced the original French doors.  The theater seats 300 people downstairs and sixty in the balcony.  The original lights and seats are still there.

               For forty years the theater was the center for entertainment in Saluda County.  The movies changed four times a week, and for the price of admission, ten cents for children and fifteen cents for adults, the movie goer could experience life far removed from his own little corner of the world.

               For a number of years after the Historical Society acquired the theater, work progressed steadily on its restoration.  A major task was the stabilization of the building itself.  The south wall which had been connected to the Able Building had to be refinished.  It had allowed water to come through to the balcony, causing it to sag on that side.  The outside had to be painted and has since been painted a second time.  New curtains were purchased for the stage which was extended for modern plays and programs.  Seats were repaired and upholstered, carpet runners were added, sound and lighting equipment were added for stage productions, dressing rooms were constructed above the museum, the lobby was refurbished and a number of other improvements were made. 

               After that, the restoration slowed almost to a standstill.   The Historical Society acquired two historic houses, The Bonham House and the Marsh-Johnson House.  Both are over 200 years old and have required a great deal of time, effort, and funds in preserving and restoring them. The Society feels that now is the time to turn part of our attention back to the theater. 

               As part of our commitment to use of the theater as a community center, the society rents it to individuals for the production of plays, dance recital, beauty contests, musical programs, children’s entertainment and other civic events. For this reason it should be in good condition.  The Society has no plans to change the interior but to continue its restoration, taking it back to the way it would have looked to the theater goer in 1936 when it was built.  However, much work still remains to get it there.  The seats, which were restored initially, now need repairs.  The restrooms (which are male and female) need to be modernized.   We continue to investigate ways to improve the appearance of the walls without sacrificing the acoustical quality which the wall tiles provide. 

               In the beginning, the society knew, in undertaking this restoration, that it would be a long, involved process, but the consensus of many with love and affection for the theater thought it was worth it, both for the town and county now and for generations to come.  This theater is one of the very few remaining of its kind anywhere.