Greensville County Auditorium

The early twentieth century in Emporia, Virginia saw the construction of new educational facilities downtown. The Greensville County School was built in 1907 as a three-story school, educating students in grades 1-12. By 1925, a second building was constructed to serve as a high school. The schools were two separate buildings connected by a one-story brick addition. A school auditorium was added in 1934. The entire complex became Emporia Elementary School in 1953.

During the 1930s, the Great Depression caused the economy of Emporia to slow down along with the rest of the country. In response to widespread economic hardship throughout the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who took office in 1933, established the New Deal, to respond to the calamity of the Great Depression and alleviate the despair besetting America. Roosevelt launched scores of new programs to respond to a wide range of problems facing the country: stabilizing the banks and stimulating the economy, creating jobs and raising wages, investing in public works and modernizing lagging regions of the country to give ordinary Americans a sense of security and hope. The New Deal lasted until the United States entered into World War II at the end of 1942. In a decade, it transformed the country and restored many Americans faith in the ability of government to serve the people.

The New Deal used an array of federal agencies, local governments, and private contractors to upgrade and expand the nation’s infrastructure. It built hundreds of thousands of new roads, bridges, and tunnels; city halls, libraries and post offices; hospitals, schools and auditoriums; dams, water works and sewage systems; and airports, parks and military installations. It spread these improvements across the country with paved roads, electric wires and telephone lines to regions that previously did not have them.  These massive waves of public investment helped to underwrite the war effort and postwar prosperity.  Because it was well built, most New Deal infrastructure is still in use today. Three buildings within the Hicksford-Emporia Historic District were constructed under the New Deal: the Armory, the Post Office, and the Greensville County Auditorium.

The historic Greensville County Auditorium was constructed in 1934 with the assistance of Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. While the former elementary school was demolished decades ago, the Neoclassical-style auditorium built of brick with an unusual Flemish bond pattern, located on Battery Avenue and facing Main Street, still stands today. According to the National Register of Historic Places registration form, the two-story auditorium has a large central recessed entrance flanked by two smaller entrances. Each entrance has a double door and is topped with a webbed fanlight. The imposing landmark has two Doric columns supporting a wide entablature and parapet with the word ‘Auditorium’ etched in stone. The auditorium served as a venue for various events and performances. 

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