Nomination Form
Donk’s Theatre, in Mathews County, built during 1946-47, operated as a motion picture theatre until 1970. It reopened in 1975 as a live country music theater, hosting many well known stars. Built by county entrepreneur W.C. “Donk” Dunton, who established several other neighboring businesses, the theater, with Art Deco touches, exemplifies the kind of simple and inexpensive theater construction found in many rural communities during the post-WWII years when cinema ruled the entertainment world.
During a storm in January 2016, the Donk Theatre’s roof collapsed from the weight of snow; the collapse also damaged perimeter walls. Inspection of the building after the storm revealed that the remaining walls lacked structural integrity, and the locality’s building inspector required that the remaining structural elements be removed.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia
