Hertford State Theatre

The Hertford State Theatre opened in January of 1937.  It was built by businessman WT Culpepper who owned theaters across the Albemarle area.  The theater was designed by renowned architect Fred Bishop, who also designed The Byrd Theatre in Richmond, VA. and the Beacon Theatre in Hopewell, Va., and it was considered the state of the art for North Carolina at that time.  In November of 1959 due to a lack of support from the public the theatre closed its doors.  The residents then rallied and it reopened three months later in March of 1960.  However, by September of 1964 business slowed and the marque  went dark again.   For 60 years the theater has remained empty and fallen into a state of disrepair.  The Hertford Town of Council, recognizing the economic boost that the theater would be to the downtown area, purchased it in 2024 and received a grant of $850,000 from the North Carolina Department of Commerce to begin the renovations.