The Legacy of Morton Theatre

The Morton Building and its famed vaudeville theater, the core of Hot Corner and downtown’s Black business district, give a glimpse into the long, rich cultural history of African Americans in Athens. “It’s kind of the soul of Athens,” says Lynn Battle Green, the Morton Building’s facility supervisor. “It’s one of those treasures in Athens that I definitely invite everybody to come through and see.”

The building was first erected in 1910 by Monroe Bowers “Pink” Morton, who received the nickname from remarks about his complexion being fair, as he was born to a white father and an African American mother. Morton grew up with little education, but that did not stop him from becoming a businessman, developer and contractor. The four-story Beaux-Arts building became known for being one of the largest and most grand buildings owned by a Black man at the time, and the first Black-owned vaudeville theater in the U.S.

“It serves not only a point of history but a point of pride,” said Green.

Many famous acts and musicians performed at the