For the first time in over two decades, the iconic Lane Theater in downtown Williamsburg is under new ownership, which has once again sparked renewed hope in local citizens that the building may get a new lease on life after sitting mostly dormant for so long.
Opening its doors for business in the summer of 1948, the Lane Theater has been a fixture of Williamsburg for generations despite officially closing in November 1987 after the original owner and operator, Foster Lane, retired. After closing, it did house court proceedings for Whitley County during a remodel of the old courthouse, but has remained unused since that time.
A local entrepreneur is hoping to change that, however.
It was announced earlier this month that Rocky Moses, Jr., who owns and operates several small businesses in the area, had purchased the theater. According to a warranty deed filed with the Whitley County Clerk, Moses bought the theater from Williamsburg Action Team, Inc. (WAT) for a sum of $50,000 on July 11.
Moses opened the theater up over the weekend, allowing free tours to the public last Friday and Saturday night. Area residents came out in droves, with some being inside the theater for the very first time ever. Many who visited over the weekend, posted about their experience on social media and sharing childhood memories involving the theater. Others purchased Lane Theater shirts or donated money to help restoration efforts.
Moses told the News Journal last week that his decision to buy the theater wasn’t really premeditated and that the opportunity just presented itself out of nowhere. According to Moses, he was contacted by John Stewart, who is the acting board president of the WAT, asking if he would be interested in making an offer on the theater.
“It just happened,” said Moses.
Moses described the situation as “way out of nowhere,” especially given the recent history between Moses and WAT.
In October 2023, a public meeting of the WAT was held at the Lane Theater in which discussion was held regarding a lease Moses had with the group to operate a barbershop in one of the theater’s adjoining storefronts. During that meeting, members of the WAT board noted that there was no official vote not to renew Moses’ lease for the location and none was made at that time either. Despite no formal decision, the barbershop has remained.
With the future of his business now secured, Moses said he has been brainstorming ways to utilize the entire space to make it a place that will be available for the community, but acknowledge that he has a lot of work to do.
“It’s all so new. I was just renting a barber shop; you know what I mean? I never dreamed of this,” said Moses.
There are a number of big repairs and upgrades that need to be addressed at the theater, with air conditioning being chief among them, but Moses has some plans for additional fundraising in the near future. One of the first things Moses is planning is a haunted house that would be housed within the theater itself.
“I’m really excited about that,” said Moses.
As for more permanent plans, Moses said that he is considering using the building as a multi-use event space that could accommodate everything from a concert to a wedding to a play.
“Of course, I’d love to watch a movie in here,” said Moses. “But, “I’m open to all of it.”
Moses also plans to continue allowing locals to rent the Lane Theater’s marquee for various well wishes and other messages.
Prior to this month’s sale of the theater, it had changed hands several times over the years, though never had been continually utilized since its closure in 1987.
WAT had owned the building since August 2002. At that time, WAT was deeded the building from the William Whitley Development Center for $1. The William Whitley Development Center was an entity formed by the Williamsburg City Council to manage the theater.
