Historic Louisville theater enters 2nd act with opening of new event venue

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The curtains have been lifted for a piece of Louisville history's second act.

Encore Venue on Broadway held a grand reopening event Wednesday afternoon. The event venue is housed in the former Broadway Theater.

The Broadway Theater opened in 1915 and has a long history, serving as a vaudeville house, a movie theater, a nightclub called the Mad Hatter and even a furniture store.

The building was transformed from the furniture store "back into a gathering space brimming with life, charm and history," into a venue that will host weddings, corporate functions and private celebrations.

"It has been closed for several years and the building has been sitting empty, and when you walk into this building, you feel the history, you feel the energy of this space, and we want to bring Broadway back to life," Megan Jones, event manager, said.

Jones said the venue features the theater's original columns and vintage architectural details. She added that it can host up to 200 guests.

The grand reopening also served as a celebration for the historic theater's 110th anniversary. It's located on East Broadway, between South Shelby and Logan streets, in Louisville's Smoketown Jackson neighborhood.

Authorities identify 43-year-old man shot, killed by off-duty officer in Jeffersontown

5 years after protests for justice, Breonna Taylor's legacy lives on in Louisville

3 men arrested in connection to murder for hire plot in southern Indiana