About the Ace
Located on “the Avenue,” the Ace Theatre is one of the last surviving movie theaters that served all-Black audiences in Mobile. It was built in 1943 by James Huestis King, who operated King, Inc. and Southern Theaters, Inc. which also operated Pike and Crown Theaters.
According to Paulette Davis Horton, author of The Davis Avenue Story: The Places, The People, The Memories 1799–1986, the Ace was the least profitable of the Avenue’s theaters. Admission was famously 17 cents for two people. The City directory lists the building as vacant in 1956, but some oral histories suggest it operated under different ownership into the early 1970s.
New Life on the Avenue
Plans for restoring this critical piece of Mobile’s African American cultural history are now underway! The Ace is being redesigned as a purpose-driven cultural space to showcase the history and legacy of the Excelsior Band, a 140-year-old Mobile institution and believed to be the oldest continuously marching jazz band in the country. This venue will primarily promote the history of jazz music in Mobile, but programming may also include films, performances, student workshops, educational programs, and community events tied to jazz and cultural history.
As part of Mobile’s new Civil Rights Cultural Heritage District Plan, The Ace will serve as a cultural anchor that honors the past, supports education and revitalization, and contributes to a stronger, more connected future for the neighborhood and the city.
Alabama Contemporary is a proud programming partner on the Avenue through our work with the Historic Avenue Cultural Center and the future Ace Theatre. In developing programs and exhibition content that honors the legacy of the Ace, we want to hear from you! Did you see a show there? Work there? Dance there? If you remember any part of the Theatre when it was in operation, and/or if there’s a future show, program, performance, or community event you’d love to see here, please take a moment to fill out the survey at the link below.