The former East Side Theater at East Broad and Gwinnett streets has a potential new owner with plans to renovate and reopen the 1940s-era building that once served as a movie theater for Black residents during segregation.

However, the acquisition of the property, and subsequent theater restoration, is dependent on the potential buyer being able to develop the vacant parcels to the side and behind the building, according to the project’s architect.

Those plans for the site require a height variance that would allow for the construction of two 4-story buildings and one 5-story residential structure, according to the application submitted by Jerome Elder, whose J Elder Studio is designing the project. The maximum height currently allowed is three stories. The exact number of units is still being determined, but currently the developer expects the complex to have between 80 to 90 apartments, with parking included, along with some commercial space, Elder said Thursday. The building heights would also be “stepped back” to the rear of the structures away from the streets, he said.

Elder declined to identify the contracted buyer but said they are local and they understand the concerns of not only the shortage of housing in Savannah but the shortage of affordable housing in the city.

“So we are in the very early stage of design and we are exploring ways to design something that will give opportunities for a wider range of pricing,” he said. 

Bicyclists ride past the former East Side Theater at East Broad and Gwinnett streets. Eric Curl/Sept. 20, 2023

The parcels next to and behind the theater (beyond two homes with a different owner) are scheduled to be considered for the height variance. Site plan included with public notice of variance request.

Built in 1946, the vacant building at 718 E. Broad St. originally served as a movie theater for Black residents during segregation. The former East Side Theater was designed by architect Oscar M. Hansen and built by Fred G. Weis, who also built what is now Trustee Theater on Broughton Street.

In more recent years, the building housed the Hungry World Mission and a storage warehouse. The building’s current owner, Omega Properties & Investments, purchased the property in 1977 via the corporation’s late owner, according to property records.

The former theater is just outside of Savannah’s Downtown Historic District and does not have the same protections from demolition as properties within the district.

The variance request is scheduled to go before the Savannah Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday for consideration. The petition does not include the theater, which would not require a rezoning or design review, since no major changes are planned and it is outside the Downtown Historic District, according to Elder. The parcels under consideration for the height variance include a vacant lot located next to the theater on its north end and behind the theater – beyond four narrow parcels owned by other property owners – along undeveloped property across from the East Gwinnett Street viaduct. The two homes directly behind the theater are not part of the project and are not included in the zoning petition.

The theater’s contracted buyer intends to retain the building’s current structure, with no additions, and rehabilitate a portion of it for use as a theater once again, while also potentially including a market, similar to Atlanta’s Krog Street Market, with small spaces and a shared eating area, Elder said.

“We’re excited about the conversations with stakeholders and for the opportunities for collaborations and just re-envisioning this building,” Elder said.

However, some concerns have been raised since notices of the proposed development went out to surrounding property owners. 

Nearby resident Michael Higgins said he did not know about the proposed zoning variance until Sept. 15 when he saw a notification sign leaning against the East Broad side of the building and that insufficient notice was given of the upcoming zoning board meeting. In addition, he said the proposed heights would have a negative impact on the downtown Historic District immediately adjacent to the site. Higgins also dismissed the developer’s claim that the variance is needed to be able to restore the theater, citing the city’s recently approved partnership with the Galvin Foundation to purchase and restore the historic Kiah Museum in Cuyler-Brownville.

“No one is building monolithic towers around that to accomplish its restoration,” he said.

Downtown Neighborhood Association member Stephen Edwards also emailed a request to the MPC on Thursday asking, on behalf of the DNA, that the zoning board meeting be postponed, saying there was insufficient opportunity to prepare public testimony and arrange for necessary representatives to attend.

“Although the proposed project is located outside of the Landmark Historic District, it is immediately adjacent to it and is therefore of great interest to us and our membership,” Edwards said. “We are very concerned about the effect of the proposed project on the surrounding area.”

The plans come as another developer is seeking to construct a mixed-use apartment complex across from the theater site on nine parcels between East Gwinnett and East Bolton streets, as previously reported. That site includes a now vacant lot at 810 East Broad St. where the Faith on the Move Ministries church was demolished in 2021.

This article appears in Connect Savannah | September, 2023.