Richmond Theatre (Richmond, Virginia)

The Richmond Theatre was the name of four theatres located in Richmond, Virginia. The first theatre was originally established in 1786 as the Academy of Fine Arts and Sciences of the United States or Quesney's Academy. It was renamed the Richmond Theatre after it came under the management of Thomas Wade West and John Bignall. It was destroyed by fire in 1798. The second Richmond Theatre opened in 1806 on the same site and was destroyed by fire in 1811.^[1] The 1811 Richmond Theatre fire is considered a significant disaster in the history of the city,^[1] and was described by historian Meredith Henne Baker as "early America's first great disaster".^[2]

The third Richmond Theatre opened in 1819 on a different site. After being remodeled in 1838, the theatre re-opened as the Marshall Theatre. It became a significant cultural center for the Confederate south during the American Civil War. It too was destroyed by fire in 1862. The Marshall Theatre was rebuilt on the same foundation and re-opened in 1863. It was originally called the New Marshall Theatre during construction, but was ultimately branded the New Richmond Theatre soon after it opened. By the time this fourth and final structure was demolished in 1896 it was known as the Richmond Theater. The various theatres known as the Richmond and Marshall theatres were the leading performance venues in Richmond for the majority of the 19th century.^[3]