Loew's Grand Theatre
Loew's Grand Theatre was a landmark Atlanta performance and cinema venue best known for hosting the 1939 premiere of Gone with the Wind.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Loew's Grand Theatre was a historic entertainment venue at the intersection of Peachtree and Forsyth Streets in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The building opened in 1893 as DeGive's Grand Opera House, a large theatrical and musical venue established by Laurent DeGive, a Belgian-born entrepreneur and Belgian consul. It hosted concerts, touring opera companies, and other stage productions during Atlanta's late-nineteenth-century cultural expansion. The building is distinct from DeGive's earlier opera house, which opened in 1870 several blocks away, although the prominent DeGive name above the entrance contributed to later confusion between the two sites. The venue entered a new phase in 1927, when it was acquired by the Loews organization. Loews commissioned architect Thomas W. Lamb to remodel the building as a movie palace. The redesigned theater had a single auditorium with approximately 2,088 seats and became closely associated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films. MGM was owned by Loews at the time, and the theater promoted itself with a marquee sign describing it as "The Home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures." This relationship made the Grand an important Atlanta showcase for MGM releases and linked its local identity to the studio's national film business. The theater's most famous event was the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind in December 1939. Most of the film's major stars attended, giving the venue a prominent place in American film and Atlanta cultural history. The theater continued presenting important MGM titles after the premiere, including Singin' in the Rain, the 1959 version of Ben-Hur, and Doctor Zhivago. The United States v. Paramount Pictures decision and related 1948 industry changes required the separation of major film studios from theater-chain ownership, ending the formal studio-chain structure that had connected Loews and MGM. Nevertheless, MGM films continued to receive first showings at the Grand in Atlanta. A major fire on January 30, 1978, extensively damaged the building. Because the theater had historic significance, demolition was not immediately straightforward even though the downtown property was commercially valuable. Public speculation suggested that the fire might have been deliberately set, but the cited historical account does not establish arson as a proven cause. The theater was ultimately demolished, and the Georgia-Pacific Tower was constructed on the former site. Some physical elements survived: bricks were reused in the construction of an Atlanta restaurant, Houston's, and a chandelier from the theater was later installed at the Tabernacle, a former church converted into a concert venue. These remnants, together with photographs and a commemorative plaque, preserve the Grand's association with Atlanta's architectural and entertainment history.
History
The building now associated with Loew's Grand Theatre began its life as DeGive's Grand Opera House, which opened in 1893 at the corner of Peachtree and Forsyth Streets in downtown Atlanta. Its creator, Laurent DeGive, was an entrepreneur and Belgian consul who helped expand the city's roster of formal entertainment venues. The Grand Opera House hosted concerts, touring opera productions, and other stage performances. Its history is sometimes conflated with that of DeGive's first opera house, which had opened in 1870 at Marietta and Forsyth Streets, several blocks away. The prominent DeGive lettering on the later building helped sustain the confusion. The venue's business model changed in 1927 when the Loews organization acquired the property. Loews engaged the prominent theater architect Thomas W. Lamb to convert the building into a movie palace. The resulting theater had one auditorium and about 2,088 seats. Its identity was strongly tied to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film studio then owned by Loews. A sign beneath the marquee advertised the theater as the home of MGM pictures, making the venue a local expression of the vertically integrated American film business of the period. The Grand's most celebrated moment came in 1939, when it hosted the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind. The event attracted most of the film's stars and made the theater a nationally remembered site in the film's promotional and exhibition history. During the following decades, the theater continued showing prominent MGM productions. Titles associated with its Atlanta first presentations included Singin' in the Rain, the 1959 Ben-Hur, and Doctor Zhivago. The theater's relationship with MGM existed within a changing regulatory environment. The United States v. Paramount Pictures case resulted in the forced separation of major studios from theater ownership in 1948. That decision weakened the formal corporate connection between Loews' exhibition operations and MGM's studio output. Even so, MGM films continued to receive first showings at the Grand, preserving the venue's practical association with the studio after the ownership structure had changed. On January 30, 1978, a fire caused extensive damage to the building. The theater's historic status complicated plans for removing it, while the downtown site had substantial real-estate value. The cause generated speculation, including suggestions of arson, but the available account does not treat that allegation as proven. The damaged theater was eventually demolished, and the Georgia-Pacific Tower was built on the site. Although the building disappeared, elements of it remained in Atlanta. Bricks were reused in the construction of a Houston's restaurant at 2166 Peachtree, where a plaque commemorated the theater's original location. A chandelier from the Grand was later installed in the Tabernacle, a former church that became a concert venue. Photographs documenting the building and the aftermath of the fire also remain part of the historical record. Loew's Grand Theatre is therefore remembered less as an operating brand than as a landmark connecting Atlanta's opera and theater culture, the American movie-palace era, MGM exhibition, and the city's film history.
- 1978
Fire damages the building
[1]A January 30 fire extensively damages Loew's Grand Theatre and begins the final stage of its operating history.
- 1948
Studio-theater ownership structure changes
[1]The United States v. Paramount Pictures case leads to the separation of major film studios from theater chains, affecting the formal Loews-MGM relationship.
- 1939
Gone with the Wind premiere
[1]The theater hosts the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind, attended by most of the film's stars.
- 1927
Loews acquires the venue
[1]The Loews organization purchases the Grand and begins its conversion from a live-performance venue into a movie theater.
- 1927
Thomas W. Lamb redesigns the theater
[1]Architect Thomas W. Lamb remodels the building as a single-screen movie palace with approximately 2,088 seats.
- 1893
DeGive's Grand Opera House opens
[1]Laurent DeGive opens the Grand Opera House at Peachtree and Forsyth Streets in Atlanta, establishing the building as a venue for opera, concerts, and touring productions.
Site is replaced by Georgia-Pacific Tower
[1]After the theater's demolition, the former site is redeveloped for the Georgia-Pacific Tower. Surviving bricks and a chandelier are reused elsewhere in Atlanta.
Products and positioning
A landmark Atlanta movie palace that evolved from a major opera and theatrical venue into a Loews-affiliated showcase for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films, combining architectural grandeur with high-profile premieres.
Performing arts venue · 1893
Live opera and theatrical productions
Before its conversion to a cinema, the Grand Opera House presented touring opera companies, concerts, and other stage entertainment. These programs established the building as one of Atlanta's important nineteenth-century performance venues.
Cinema exhibition · 1927
MGM feature-film exhibition
Following its Loews-era renovation, the theater focused heavily on films made or distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Its marquee explicitly presented the venue as an MGM showcase, and later MGM titles continued to receive prominent Atlanta engagements.
Film premiere · 1939
Gone with the Wind premiere
The Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind became the theater's defining event. The attendance of most of the film's stars gave the venue exceptional visibility and permanently linked its name with the film's exhibition history.
Marketing campaigns
- 1939Gone with the Wind Atlanta premiere
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
The theater served as the Atlanta premiere venue for Gone with the Wind. The presence of most of the film's stars made the engagement a major local promotional event.
Outcome. The premiere became the most enduringly famous event associated with Loew's Grand Theatre.
Brand decisions
1948
Adapt to the separation of studios and theatersStrategyBackground
The United States v. Paramount Pictures case required major studios to separate from theater-chain ownership, disrupting the structure that had linked Loews and MGM.
Action taken
The formal studio-theater ownership relationship was separated, although the Grand continued to show prominent MGM films.
Aftermath
The theater retained its practical identity as an MGM showcase despite the end of the earlier vertically integrated model.
1927
Convert the opera house into a movie palaceStrategyBackground
The Loews organization acquired a historic live-performance venue during the expansion of cinema and its theater-chain operations.
Action taken
Loews commissioned Thomas W. Lamb to remodel the building as a single-screen cinema with approximately 2,088 seats and an explicit MGM affiliation.
Aftermath
The venue became a principal Atlanta showcase for MGM films and entered the American movie-palace tradition.
Sources2 sources
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