Palace Theater, Jonesboro LA (photo courtesy of Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation)
A north Louisiana theater which was one of the focal points during the civil rights movement is awarded a $750,000 grant from the National Park Service for the first phase of a major restoration project. Janice Simmons, the assistant director of Greater North Louisiana Community Development Commission, says the money will go towards much-needed repairs for the 102-year-old Palace Theater in Jonesboro.
“The first phase will encompass a new roof, windows, exterior shoring up in order to preserve the building because it’s in a pretty bad state of disrepair right now,” Simmons said.
In 1965, the year after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, then-U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach sued the theater in Jackson Parish, along with two nearby restaurants, for refusing to admit Black patrons. In response, the theater and restaurants opted to close down rather than serve Black patrons. Dr. Herbert Simmons Jr., the co-founder of the Greater North Louisiana Community Development Commission, says it’s all the more reason why restoring the theater is of utmost importance.
“In the process of renovating the theater, we want to preserve those areas that certainly highlight what African Americans went through in the 1960s,” Simmons said.
In all, the renovation will cost up to $4 million and will take place over the course of up to five years. Simmons says they have big plans for the theater when the renovations are complete.
“We will host educational tours; we’ll have forums again focusing on the civil rights movement, past and present,” Simmons noted.
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