The historic Holly Theatre celebrated seventy years of operations and 25 years as community theatre in the fall of 2018.

Continuous operation in its early years and neglect of the 1948 movie house during the 70s and 80s had taken a toll on the building.  In the 1990s, citizens of Lumpkin County came together in a remarkable communal effort to save the theater and restore the building for the community’s use.  Re-dedicated in 1993, The Holly Theatre Community Center, Inc. helped to anchor a town renaissance as a major tourist destination in the state.  In the last two decades, Dahlonega was designated a Georgia Main Street Community and in 2002 the Holly theatre was entered on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the last 5 years, many additional renovations and capital improvements have become necessary. The Board of Directors, community leaders, and enthusiastic membership have garnered substantial private donations and several grants, accomplishing these major projects: replacing the 20-year-old roof and all canvas awnings, restoring the marble façade, repointing the three brick walls, and restoring and retrofiting the marquee with energy-saving lights.  On the inside, the ceiling and brick walls were repaired and technical systems such as lighting and sound were substantially modernized and improved.