The Atlas Theater was originally built in 1938 and opened with the film "Love Finds Andy Hardy" starring Mickey Rooney.
By the late 1960s, the theatre was starting to struggle as nearby residents and businesses abandoned the city from suburban life. Many buildings along H Street NE and the surrounding area were destroyed by fire during the riots that followed the assignation of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968. The Atlas survived but finally closed in 1976.
The district fell in decline over the next couple of decades becoming a haven for drug users. Crime was rife.
The
Atlas Performing Arts Center purchased the boarded up, graffiti riddled theater in 2001 with the aim to create an arts center. The city got on board in 2003 with the establishment of the H Street Overlay defining an Arts and Entertainment district centred around the Atlas.
The Atlas has served as a catalyst for the rejuvenation of H Street NE and the
Joy of Motion Dance Center opened a three-studio location within the Atlas Performing Arts Center in March 2005 further enhancing the facilities of the area.
References:
Atlas Performing Arts Center website
Joy of Motion Dance Center website
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