Old Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Sit-in Demonstration Site
Brown Theatre
| | 315 West Broadway | |
Photographed by Shane Oliver, July 26, 2021
1. Sit-in Demonstration Site Marker
Constructed in 1925 as a live performance venue, the Brown Theatre was soon converted into a movie theatre in 1930 to respond to the changing economic realities of the Great Depression. Through the 1950s, the Brown served as a first-run movie theatre; however, like the other half-dozen theatres located along Fourth Street, it did not admit African Americans.
Advocating for an open accommodations law, the NAACP Youth Council, joined by the adult NAACP and white members of the Unitarians for Social Action, picketed in front of the Brown Theatre during a 1959 screening of the film Porgy and Bess. Later, the Brown was one of the theatres on Fourth Street targeted for demonstrations during the "Nothing New for Easter' business Boycott" of 1961. Like all of its neighboring business establishments, the Brown Theatre fully integrated upon passage of the Public Accommodations Ordinance of 1963.
Today the Brown Theatre hosts diverse performances and regional audiences. Representative of the change that has occurred in Louisville since 1963, the Brown hosted a ceremony in 2013 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Public Accommodations Ordinance.
May, 2014
Erected
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Unitarian Universalism (UUism) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.
Location. 38° 14.77′ N, 85° 45.438′ W. Marker is in Louisville, Kentucky, in Jefferson County. It is in Old Louisville. It is on West Broadway (U.S. 150) just west of South 3rd Street (Kentucky Route 1020), on the right when traveling west. The marker stands in front of the Brown Theatre. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315 W Broadway, Louisville KY 40202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Ohio River Valley. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Sit-in Demonstration Site (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Weissinger-Gaulbert Apartments (about 300 feet away); YMCA Building (about 300 feet away); J. Graham Brown (about 300 feet away); Sit-In Demonstration Site (about 700 feet away); Murray Atkins Walls (about 800 feet away); a different marker also named Sit-In Demonstration Site (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mary Anderson (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Louisville.
Other markers no longer nearby. Louisville Free Public Library (was about 700 feet away but has been confirmed missing); George Denison Prentice (was about 700 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 272 times since then and 15 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on August 5, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
