Dock Street Theater
The
Dock Street Theater in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, may be the
single most photographed spot in the city. It is also one of the most
important in America. Why? It was the first building in America designed
solely for theatrical performances.
But the theater is not the same one that opened in 1736. In 1740, the
building was destroyed by fire. When another building was constructed on
the site in 1809, it opened as the Planter's Hotel. When the hotel was
remodeled in the 1930s, a stage and auditorium in the style of the 18th
century were constructed, and the building reopened in 1937 as the Dock
Street Theater.
The building now serves its original purpose, and the city of
Charleston has retained an important part of its history.