2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 13
Commending the Academy of Music Theatre.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 26, 2026
WHEREAS, the Academy of Music Theatre, a historic theater and arts institution in Lynchburg that has played a prominent role in shaping the history and culture of the city, celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2025; and
WHEREAS, with support from Richard D. Apperson, owner of the Lynchburg Traction and Light Company, the Academy of Music Theatre opened in 1905 and quickly became one of Central Virginia's leading venues, hosting a variety of performances, including live theatre and musicals, concerts, and silent films; and
WHEREAS, after suffering a devastating fire in 1911, the Academy of Music Theatre was rebuilt in a more ornate style by local business leader Charles Guggenheimer and his group of investors and reopened a year later; and
WHEREAS, from 1905 through the 1920s, the Academy of Music Theatre featured several nationally and internationally renowned performers of the day, including John Philip Sousa, Will Rogers, and the Ziegfeld Follies, burnishing Lynchburg's reputation as a regional destination for the performing arts; and
WHEREAS, the Academy of Music Theatre experienced a period of decline in the mid-20th century as entertainment interests shifted from theater to film and permanently closed in 1958; and
WHEREAS, although the Academy of Music Theatre sat empty for 60 years, several historical preservation groups recognized its significance to Lynchburg's historical and cultural landscape and fought to save it from destruction over the decades; and