26-03-2025
Liberty Theatre 100-year celebration
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — Established in 1925, The Liberty Theatre was the first and only African American theater in Columbus. This year, the theatre turns 100.
On Thursday, the theatre's board and the City of Columbus held a news conference to announce the many events they will have for the centennial anniversary celebration.
Click here for a list of events.
Oz Roberts, Co- Chair of the Liberty Theatre Board says, 'We're actually trying to make sure that the community realizes the jewel that we have in the community.'
He adds, 'We're trying to celebrate this liberty, this building, so we can actually open it up in a grand fashion here shortly.'
Roberts told News 3 , his father worked at the Liberty Theatre, so he was always there.
'The theatre was a safe haven for kids in the community. I saw my first movie here at the Liberty Theatre,' Roberts says.
Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley made remarks at the news conference. Here, he also reminisced on his personal experience with the theatre.
Hugley says, 'I think about the fact that some 55 years ago I walked from Phenix City, Alabama, across the 14th Street Bridge. I had to come to this theater to see a movie, and we used RC cola Caps, bottle caps to get into the theater. But I'm actually old enough to have walked here and used bottle caps to enter this facility and watch movies.'
The City of Columbus recently took ownership of the liberty theatre. Hugley explained the city has spent millions of dollars to renovate and restore the theatre back to its original glory.
Former Columbus council member Mimi Woodson serves as the Chair for the Liberty Theatre Cultural Arts Center. She says the theatre is the heart and soul of the community.
Woodson says, 'We want the community to have input…we want to do as much as possible of the vision of our community and preserve, really preserve this history, because generations after generations need to know their history.'
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