The NorVa

The NorVa is a performing venue located in Norfolk, Virginia, the name being a syllabic abbreviation of the city and state of its location.

The NorVa

Marquee of venue (c.2019)
Former names	Norva Theatre (1922-80)
Address	317 Monticello Ave Norfolk, VA 23510-2407
Location	Downtown Norfolk
Owner	Anschutz Entertainment Group
Capacity	1,450
Construction
Opened	November 27, 1922[1]
Renovated	1998
Reopened	April 28, 2000
Construction cost	$500,000 ($8.54 million in 2023 dollars[2])
Website
Venue Website

About

The theatre was the brainchild of local music venue entrepreneurs Bill Reid and Rick Mersel, who have also developed the Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion and have ties to the development of Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater.^[3] In 2014, the NorVa was acquired by Anschutz Entertainment Group.^[4]

The original venue opened in 1922^[5] as a 2,000-seat motion picture and live entertainment (vaudeville) theater. It continued as a movie theater into the 1970s. The building served as home to the Downtown Athletic Club from 1980 until 1998.^[6] The NorVa reopened as a concert venue on April 28, 2000, with James Brown performing the inaugural show.^[7]

Movie theater history

• Built by The Johnson Construction Co.
• Operated by the W.W.V. (Wells, Wilmer, and Vincent) Co., Inc.
• Part of the Wells entertainment group which included Granby Theatre and Wells Theatre.
• William S. Wilder was the first manager before opening The Colley Theater (Naro Expanded Cinema) in 1936, and The Commodore Theater in 1945.
• Newspaper articles of the time used "theater" and "theatre" interchangeably.
• Pipe organ manufactured by The Robert Morton Co.
• Norva Concert Orchestra Director - Prof. Charles Borjes
• Original Organist - Jack Griffith
• Chairs furnished by Virginia School Supply Co. of Richmond, Virginia.

1922

• November 27 - Bright Eyes and The Man Who Saw Tomorrow were the first films.^[1]
• November 30 - The Sin Flood

External links

• The 125-Plus People, Places and Things Ruling the Rock & Roll Universe, Rolling Stone (2008)
• The Best Music Venues in America: Readers' Choice, Rolling Stone (2013)

References

1. "Unknown". The Virginian-Pilot. November 26, 1922. p. 58. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via NewsBank.
2. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
3. "The NorVa in Hampton Roads, VA". AOL City Guide. May 9, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
4. Schwartz, Michael; Thompson, Michael (October 6, 2014). "The National's owners bow out". Richmond BizSense. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
5. "Norva Theatre". Cinema Treasures. August 2018. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
6. Clayton, Cindy (October 8, 2018). "In 1922, the NorVa began its near-century life showing silent films". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
7. Gubitosi, Frederick (October 2017). "The NorVa Theater soon to celebrate its Centennial". Shutter 16. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.

36°51′0.7″N 76°17′22″W