Georgia Theatre Owner Wilmot Greene: “They don’t build them like that anymore.”

The owner of the iconic Georgia Theatre, Wilmot Greene, talked to the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the future of the venue, stating that, “Even if the insurance pays for it and we can rebuild, it’ll never be the same.  They don’t build them like that anymore.”  

When asked about how he found out about the early morning fire, Greene explained, “I got three phone calls before 7 a.m. Being a nightclub owner I ignored the first two. By the third one I figured I ought to answer.” 

Greene has been the owner of the Theatre for five years after he payed $1.5 million for the building and ever since then he has been renovating the historic Athens site which has cost him $750,000 to date. 

He went on to explain that, “It was almost completely done. It was really beautiful. It was in better shape than it’s ever been in.”

- Jessica Cole