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Driving down Ponce de Leon, it is hard to miss the glow of the magnificent neon Plaza Theatre marquee. The Art Deco style theater is one of Atlanta’s oldest operating movie theaters, opened in 1939 with The Women.
The shopping center, known as Briarcliff Plaza, thrived until illicit activities took over the area in the ‘70s. The theater catered to the changing audience and began showing live burlesque shows and pornographic films.
Fortunately, George Lefont bought the theater in 1983 and revitalized it by featuring classic, foreign and independent films. The theater became a nonprofit organization in 2009.
– Mark C. McDonald, Georgia Trust