The building at 2102 Belcourt Ave. has held many names over the past century. It was Hillsboro Theatre when it first opened its doors as a silent film house in 1925, and in the decades since it has been known as Belcourt Cinema and Watkins-Belcourt, among other titles.Â
These names reflect changes in ownership as well as changes in programming. The building has hosted not only films, plays and concerts — it was also the home of the Grand Ole Opry for a brief stretch in the mid-1930s. It has also been brought back from the brink of demise on more than one occasion. In all that time, one thing has remained steady: This building, the gem of Nashville’s Hillsboro Village, has maintained its status as a bastion for the arts in the middle of the city.
That gem — now a thriving nonprofit cinema center, having undergone significant renovations in the past decade — is less due for a polish than it was in years past. Even so, with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts being terminated and other sources of federal funding for arts organizations drying up nationwide, institutions like the Belcourt are at risk — and in need of support and celebration.
On Sunday, the once-scrappy little theater celebrates its 100th birthday, with a slate of centennial programming planned for the coming months. In this week’s issue, we explore the past, present and future of the Belcourt. Scroll down to read more. —D. PATRICK RODGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Talking to Belcourt historian and archivist Teddy Minton about celebrating the Nashville institution’s rich history
The local institution provides a successful blueprint for independent theaters moving forward
