Tag Archives: Architecture of G. Lloyd Preacher

Imperial Theatre, 1918, Augusta

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The Imperial Theatre was designed by Lloyd Preacher and nationally prominent theatre architect Claude K. Howell for Augusta entertainment entrepreneur Jake Wells. Howell was influenced by Louis Sullivan, as the Sullivanesque style would suggest. It opened on 18 February 1918 with B. F. Keith’s Supreme Vaudeville Company as the house troupe. On 18 April 1918 Charlie Chaplin appeared on the stage selling Liberty war bonds.

A quarantine brought on by the 1918 flu pandemic caused the shutdown of all public spaces in downtown Augusta by early autumn and this created financial difficulties for Wells, who sold the theatre to Lynch Enterprises. The quarantine was soon lifted and by the end of the year the Wells had become the Imperial.

The theatre underwent a partial remodel by Roy A. Benjamin in 1936 and continued to show films until 1981. It reopened as a performing arts space in 1985 and is presently undergoing further renovation.

Broad Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

News Building, 1917, Augusta

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Originally known as the Herald Building, for its first tenant, this Sullivanesque commercial landmark was designed by local architect G. Lloyd Preacher and opened in April 1917. It was a centerpiece of the effort to rebuild the downtown area after the Great Fire of 1916. The building was purchased by the Augusta Chronicle in 1955 after it merged with the Augusta Herald. It serves as the headquarters of Morris Communications today.

Broad Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Penny Savings Bank, 1925, Augusta

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The Penny Savings Loan and Investment Company was formed by a group of Augusta’s leading Black businessmen in 1910. This structure, based on designs by architect G. Lloyd Preacher, was built in 1925. An anchor of the Black business district known as the “Golden Blocks”, it closed its doors in 1928 as a result of economic woes and the looming Great Depression. Though stable, the structure has been long abandoned and attempts at rehabilitation have not materialized.

Laney-Walker North Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Lincoln County Courthouse, 1915, Lincolnton

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Lincoln County was established in 1796 and the first court sessions were held in the home of Joseph Stovall. When Lincolnton was designated county seat circa 1800, a stone courthouse was constructed. A new courthouse was built in 1874 and served until the construction of the present structure. It was designed by prominent Southern architect G. Lloyd Preacher, who was responsible for such landmarks as the Atlanta City Hall and the Henry Grady Hotel, among numerous others.

National Register of Historic Places