Newtown Macon commissioned this beautiful custom theatre set as a gift for their CEO, a longtime brickbuilder and champion of Macon, Georgia’s historic downtown. Once the Playwell Bricks team started researching this theatre, it was easy to see why this building attracted their attention.

The theatre was originally a grocery, built in 1888. It wasn’t until 1938 that the building was remodeled into the Bibb Theatre and quickly became a major destination in the downtown core. But as the suburbs sprawled farther away and the city built more theatres, the Bibb became less frequented, until it ultimately closed in 1978.

You might think that this would be the end of the Bibb’s story, but it’s not. In fact, the Bibb is still an important part of the city’s downtown. While the interior no longer hosts the latest Hollywood blockbusters, the city of Macon has taken advantage of the large white space on the exterior façade. They use this space to project “Classic Movies at the Bibb” showing outside, inviting the cityfolk to bring takeout and folding chairs to watch themed films al fresco from the nearby park.

Macon clearly loves this historic structure and Playwell Bricks was thrilled to bring it to brick-life. Playwell Bricks designer Michael Clark says this project taught him “about structural building and engineering.” We could all learn a thing or two from a building that’s been standing for 136 years!

Michael also “learned to manage the parts budget” needed for a project like this, “so I could distribute parts evenly across the building.” After all, we’ve all heard horror stories about these historic buildings becoming a proverbial money pit. Art mimics life, as they say. 😉

Originally, Michael “designed brick-built lettering for the front sign,” only to realize that he’d blown the parts budget too soon. To get back on track, he partnered with the Playwell Bricks graphic design crew to “merge a sticker with a custom part” to achieve the right look for the sign.

Michael made a special point to show off the streetlamps on the street side of the theatre. “Those are robot arms,” he says with a grin. “Originally, they were the arms of a robot minifigure from LEGO®’s Exo force series.

That sounds just about perfect for a movie theatre that would have shown the earliest robot and Sci-Fi films on the big screen!

Playwell Bricks was saddened to learn of the recent passing of the beloved CEO this set was designed for. When our contact reached out to let us know, she shared that “this set was something he bragged about daily.” That’s the kind of thing that keeps us inspired to push the envelope, feed our creativity, and most importantly, keep building dreams for our clients.

If your business is interested in what a custom Playwell Bricks set can do for your gifting needs, contact us today! Our team of designers will work with your ideas, gifting goals, and budget to create something beautiful. Let’s build your dreams!