By Sarrah Peters, News Editor
On Tuesday, October 25, Downtown Gadsden, Inc. held the Relighting of the Historic Pitman Theatre, located at 629 Broad Street in downtown Gadsden.
“The Pitman has been slowly undergoing renovations for awhile,” said Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton, noting that the upstairs bathroom renovation was almost complete as well.
The work on the vertical sign and marquee began about six weeks ago. The work was done by Noble Signs of Anniston. The signs were completed ahead of schedule. Kay Moore of Downtown Gadsden, Inc. praised the company for its professionalism and thanked owner Scott Andrews.
“It’s hard to find people who work on neon signs,” said Moore. “It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
Downtown Gadsden, Inc. said that the repairs were made possible through funds donated by Riverview Regional Medical Center, the City of Gadsden, District 28 State Rep. Craig Ford, District 10 Senator Phil Williams and their representatives on the Etowah Community Development Board, Daniel Sizemore and Kent Back. Funds raised last February by the “Party with a Purpose at the Pitman” also contributed to the project.
“I just want to say this was a community-wide effort, and Kay Moore is the driving force behind it,” said Sizemore. “We just really appreciate her and we trust her with anything we do.”
The Pitman Theatre has contributed to Gadsden’s history since it opened in 1947. The Pitman closed in 1983, was bought by the City of Gadsden in 1986, began being restored in 1997 and was finally reopened as a community center in 2010.
“The movie To Kill a Mockingbird was first shown in the United States right here in this theatre,” said Guyton. “It’s got a lot of history to it.”
