The Thomasville City Council recently took steps to officially name the business district surrounding the 200 and 300 blocks of West Jackson Street and the amphitheater in downtown Thomasville. During regular session on July 23, 2018, a unanimous vote was cast to officially declare the area of West Jackson Street as The Bottom. During the same vote, the downtown amphitheater was officially named The Ritz Amphitheater. Both names celebrate Thomasville’s African American history and heritage and the importance these landmarks played in the lives of Thomasville’s black community from the early 1900s into the 1970s.
How this area came to be known as The Bottom is debatable, but the 200 and 300 blocks of West Jackson Street from Madison Street to the train tracks have gone by that name since the early 1900s when the area thrived with African American, Greek, and Jewish owned businesses. “It was the heart of the black community,” said James “Jack” Hadley, collector and curator of Thomasville’s Jack Hadley Black History Museum. “There were black doctors’ offices, eateries, pharmacies, taxi cab companies, life insurance companies, clothing stores, pool halls and juke joints. This historic district was the designated area where black business owners were permitted to set up shop.”
One prominent business in this area was the Ritz Theater, which operated from the 1940s into the 1970s and was originally run by the Nat William’s family. Located next to Dockette’s Drug Store, which was also a soda fountain, Mr. Hadley said that the Ritz functioned as the hub of entertainment for Thomasville’s African American citizens.
“You could go to other theaters,” said Mr. Hadley, “but you had to sit in the back. At the Ritz, you could sit anywhere you wanted to.” Mr. Hadley recalls frequenting the theater on Saturdays as a boy. “In the early days you could catch a show for just 15 cents and stay as long as you liked,” said Hadley, adding that The Ritz advertised itself as “exclusively colored” in an ad preserved at the Jack Hadley Black History Museum.
The end of segregation brought with it a wider variety of choices for the African American community. No longer relegated to shopping only in specific businesses, many African American owned businesses suffered. “By the 1970s, The Bottom was in steep decline, as more and more business owners closed their doors for good,” said Mr. Hadley. “The Ritz was no exception, and was closed for business by the early 1980s.”
After closing, the theater changed ownership and eventually suffered severe storm damage while unoccupied. “It was a sad day when the theater was demolished,” said Mr. Hadley, “but we realized that it would be far too expensive to restore.”
While The Ritz Theater may no longer stand, the name will live on in The Ritz Amphitheater which now serves as the center of entertainment for downtown Thomasville. In addition, the rich history of the area of West Jackson Street will also be remembered with the naming of this district. “The Bottom district in downtown Thomasville will celebrate the vibrant past of this important part of our community’s history,” said April Norton, Main Street Director. “This area is already growing as a creative center and has attracted many new businesses in the last few years.”
Norton said it is developments like the construction of The Ritz Amphitheater, which was completed in April of 2017, as well as the design plans for the West Jackson Streetscape project that have been a catalyst for private investment in the area.
“This revitalization effort has led to many improvements to The Bottom’s historic buildings, breathing life back into the area,” said Norton. “Since the plans were first presented for the design of the amphitheater back in 2014 through the Creative District Vision Plan, The Bottom has seen a net growth of 24 new businesses and 114 new jobs. The anticipation of the streetscape project has propelled an additional seven new businesses to open this year, creating an added 73 new job opportunities before the close of 2018.”
Honoring that history is an important part of the West Jackson Streetscape project, said Norton. “Through the extensive public engagement process taken with this project, one of the most important elements that was requested in the design has been to highlight the history of the district,” she said. “The design will incorporate plaques to honor the notable businesses of the area and a commemorative wall with a gateway arch will share the historical significance of The Bottom. “
For Mr. Hadley, remembering the history of the African American community is what is most important about the official naming of the amphitheater and business district. “When young folks ask, ‘why The Bottom?’ or ‘why The Ritz?’ there will be a story to tell, and the history will live on.”