
The Lucas Theater
Posted: 05.25.2021 | Updated: 02.03.2025

The Lucas Theater attracts the patrons of the arts in Savannah, hosting musicals, plays, and concerts. Now owned and operated by SCAD, theater magnate Arthur Melville Lucas initially built the theater in 1921.
The theater hosted primetime movie premiers and also served as a community center for the people of Savannah. After falling into disrepair after World War 2, the Lucas Theater saw a dramatic revitalization, raising millions to bring the theater back to life.
Today, the Savannah Film Festival is one of the many events hosted by the Lucas Theater.
Before we pull back the curtain on the Lucas Theater, book your spot on Savannah Terrors to get a front row seat to these hauntings!
Who Haunts The Lucas Theater?
Patrons and staff might also encounter the occasional ghost, like strange shadow people that can be seen around the stage. There is also a phantom audience, as staff claim to hear applause coming from the main theatre room when it’s empty.
The ghost of a box office worker shot in a drive-by is also present in the lobby. He can occasionally be seen stumbling into the lobby with a gunshot wound in his back.
Who was Arthur Lucas?
Before we get to the theater, it’s essential to know about Arthur Melville Lucas, the man behind the Lucas Theatre. Arthur was born in Florence, South Carolina, and lived in Atlanta for most of his life. Still, he loved the city of Savannah and kept ties with the city through family, friends, and his various businesses.
In 1917, he bought the Time Recorder newspaper in Americus Georgia, then sold it five years later. In 1919, he took a seat on the Board of Directors for the Exchange Bank of Savannah and was also a contract agency for the Georgia Telephone and Telegraph Company. Arthur also ran a Ford dealership and renovated the Levy Department Store, which is now the SCAD Jen library.
Despite having a wide array of interests, Arthur’s true passion was the arts. He got into show business in 1907, taking high-level positions in several large motion picture companies, as well as managing Savannah’s Grand Theatre and the Washington Film Exchange in Washington, D.C.
Arthur supervised the distribution operations of the Mutual Film Corporation, then worked for the Triangle Film Corporation, where he oversaw the company’s operations in the South and West. He then managed the Atlanta-New Orleans division of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer.
Arthur moved from managing theaters to building them in 1920 after becoming president of the American Theaters Corporation and taking over movie theater operations in the South. He set his sights on Savannah, taking on the functions of the Odeon and Folly Theatres with the help of his company.
He had begun planning his big move: building the Lucas Theater. Arthur would come to build over 40 theaters across the country, though the Lucas was the only theater to be named after him.
History of the Lucas Theater
The Lucas Theater in Savannah opened its doors in December of 1921 after two years of construction. The theater cost $500,000 to build, equivalent to about $7.4 million today. The silent film era was still in effect. The theater opened with two silent films: Buster Keaton’s comedy short, Hard Luck, and Camille, a drama starring Rudolph Valentino and Alla Nazimova.
The premiere helped propel Valentino’s career, as he went on to star in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the first film to gross over $1 million. The premiere also attracted prominent Savannah politicians, business people, and socialites, who were in awe at the theater’s Spanish Baroque architecture.
Though the premiere was well-received, Arthur rushed the grand opening. The Lucas Theater had much work to be done. Several parts of the theater had gone unfinished, and some plans had yet to be realized.
In 1926, an air-conditioner was added to the theater. The Lucas Theater became the first building in Savannah to have “man-made weather,” a luxury that wouldn’t become widespread for another thirty years.
Arthur made the Lucas Theater a community space where people can gather for purposes other than the fine arts. He handed out tickets to the theater to newborn babies and sent letters to his employees who were drafted during World War 2.
The Fall and Rise of the Lucas Theater
After the war, Savannah experienced an economic downturn. Attendance slowly declined, and the Lucas Theater was forced to close in 1976. Just three days later, the ABC Southeastern Theaters, the owners of the Lucas Theater, petitioned the Savannah Historical Foundation to tear the building down.
They declined, but ABC persisted for the next ten years, planning to turn the now-historic theatre into a parking lot. Finally, in 1987, a non-profit dedicated to saving the theater was formed known as The Lucas Theatre of the Arts Inc. foundation.
Restoration didn’t start until 1995, when money started pouring in from film and theatre enthusiasts. In 1997, the release of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil spurred tourism in the city. Director Clint Eastwood held the release party at the Lucas Theatre, which attracted tons of donors, including a generous $200,000 donation from Kevin Spacey.
The Lucas Theatre reopened in December of 2000, almost 88 years to the day of the original opening. Shortly afterward, SCAD took over the theatre operations and offered financial support. The Lucas Theatre is now a major destination for performers touring the South and hosting major events like the Savannah Film Festival, the Savannah Music Festival, and the Savannah Philharmonic.
The Spirits of the Lucas Theater
Like many theatres across the country and the world, the Lucas Theater has a few spirits floating around. The ghosts tend to come out when the theatre’s empty. Many report seeing shadow people around the building, especially on stage.
Others have heard the sounds of applause when the theatre’s empty. Theater staff also report a strong sense of eyes on them or even someone stalking them when they’re working in some of the darker corners of the theater.
Workers and staff working on the renovations witnessed some strange paranormal phenomena as they upgraded the building. Some report hearing the sounds of the projector whirring from the ceiling, even though it is no longer there. Other workers claim to have seen the apparitions of early 20th-century theatre patrons walking the halls.
The Drive-By Shooting

In 1928, a large crowd was waiting to enter the Lucas Theater for a grand premiere. Just as the line started moving, a group of gangsters drove up to the theatre and opened fire on the crowd with their Tommy guns. While most of the crowd were left unscathed, the ticket taker was shot in the back while trying to escape.
Many say they see his ghost at the theater entrance. Those who encounter his ghost usually do when they open the front door to the theatre lobby, and the man stumbles in, wounded, then falls onto the ground and disappears.
Many dispute the story’s authenticity, while others point to a repair job to cover up the bullet holes on the building’s facade as evidence of the shootout. Whether or not it’s true, it’s an interesting tale, and quite a few people claim to have seen the ghost of the wounded box office worker.
Haunted Savannah
There’s a lot to do and see in Savannah, whether you’re dead or alive. If you’re alive, you can do some sightseeing, hit up a history museum, or grab a bite to eat. If you’re dead…well, you can probably still do all of these things because the ghosts in Savannah are everywhere.
River Street is right up against the Savannah River and hosts shops, hotels, and restaurants. You might also see the spirits of the African slave workers loading the boats with cotton. Most buildings against the water were warehouses keeping slaves stolen from Africa. Remember that when you stop to grab a bite at one of the many restaurants in the area!
This is just one of the many spooky spots in Savannah, check out the top ten most haunted spots in Savannah for more!
Book your tour with Savannah Terrors to get an insider scoop and in-person look at some of these spots while you’re in the city. Follow our blog, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for more spooky places!
Sources:
- https://www.lucastheatre.com/history
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lucas-theatre
- https://lubalowry.com/postcardsfromsavannah/66
- https://books.google.com/books?id=zVAiCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA106#v=onepage
- https://www.georgiahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/lucas-theatre.html
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