Abbeville Electric restoring facade of former Ritz Theatre

Downtown Abbeville is full of history.
One piece of the city’s past is currently receiving a facelift.
Owner Rob Roy is currently having work done to the facade of Abbeville Electric Supply, located at 320 S. State St. The building dates back to 1948, when Salvatore Joseph Campisi opened the Ritz Theatre. With that in mind, Roy doesn’t view the project as a renovation.
“It’s a restoration,” he said.
Roy bought the building in 2007, three years after he began his business. After the purchase, Roy had stucco applied to the building, something that has since outlived its usefulness.
“When I first went to the building,” Roy said on Wednesday, “I had applied stucco to it. The stucco was cracking and started delaminating from the building.
“It was time for a facelift.”
Work, which began earlier this month, is expected to be completed in a couple of weeks. Roy said the plan is to lean into the building’s historic aspects. He has worked closely with Abbeville Main Street Manager Charlene Beckett regarding the appropriate process for preserving the bricks.
“Definitely,” Roy said, “I have been back and forth with Charlene. She’s been here about 10 to 15 times.”
The contractor removed all of the stucco down to the original bricks.
“The historical district has agreed for me to keep the original bricks,” Roy said. “I’m going to keep the original brick look.”
While it is no longer a movie theater, Roy is embracing a vital part of the former Ritz.
“We are replicating the actual ticket window,” Roy explained. “We met with Mr. Lloyd Campisi. He talked to us about the building’s history, since his dad built it. He was telling us stories about how he used to work in that ticket booth. Since then, we have decided to replicate the ticket window. Abbeville Glass is going to be coming in. I’m going to get QRT to double the tint, so you can’t see through it. They are going to cut out a pattern on the bottom, so it’s going to look like a working ticket booth.”
Beckett said this project is creating some excitement.
“That’s what makes Abbeville so special,” Beckett said. “We have authentic, historic places. Even though it’s being reused by another business, it still looks like a theater. Rob has been a good partner. He’s always willing to restore and retain.”
“We appreciate what Rob has done.”
Many agree. Roy said passersby have stopped to share positive reactions.
“People have stopped me when I’m crossing the road,” Roy said. “There are a lot of people who love the history of Abbeville.
Roy is embracing the process. He’s already gone through it before, the Abbeville Lumber located just across the street.
“I own two historical buildings downtown,” Roy said. “I appreciate what this all means, 120%. The building across the street was built in 1903. I’m proud to be part of that much history.
“I love the history.”