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History of the Carver Theater.

In its heyday, the Carver Theater was a magnificent building serving a solitary function. The old structure has aged gracefully and is the centerpiece of a cultural renaissance that will stimulate economic development in the surrounding Treme neighborhood. Opened in 1950, as a state of the art movie house, the Carver Theater has historical merit. It is located just ten blocks from the French Quarter, proximal to downtown New Orleans, and on the fringe of the Faubourg Treme, the oldest community of free Blacks in the United States.

Named after one of the 20th century's greatest scientists, George Washington Carver, whose influence is still being felt today. Rising from slavery to become one of the world's most respected and honored men, he devoted his life to understanding nature and the many uses for the simplest of plant life. He is best known for developing crop-rotation methods for conserving nutrients in soil and discovering hundreds of new uses for crops such as the peanut.  Carver’s scientific discoveries included more than three hundred different products derived from the peanut, some 100 from sweet potatoes, about 75 from pecans, and many more including crop rotation.

After the shutdown of the movie screen in 1980, the Carver Theater had retired to a simple life, housing office operation sand a medical clinic.  Having sustained irreparable damage from six feet of water during hurricane Katrina, the medical clinic was permanently closed.  Fortunately, building modification for the clinic was wood frame and drywall, confined to the interior and was able to be removed completely.  Exterior architectural details have been preserved, including the display windows which once held flashy movie posters screaming with images of the stars of that time.  Today, the theater is broom clean on the inside and ready to come out of retirement.  The landlord is committed to returning the Historic Carver Theater to its proper place as a community entertainment venue.  Revitalization is scheduled to begin in 2009.