Once advertised as “America’s finest theater exclusively for colored patrons,” the Carver Theater in Treme is headed to the auction block this month.
The starting bid for the New Orleans landmark and surrounding parcels is $2 million in the online auction, which is scheduled to run from July 17 to July 23.
Named after the pioneering Black scientist George Washington Carver, the historic theater was built in 1950 and served as a mecca for African American moviegoers during the segregation era.
In stark contrast with segregated downtown cinemas and other local theaters in predominantly Black neighborhoods, the Carver was “as good or better than any white theater in town,” according to late New Orleans theater owner and operator Rene Brunet.
Brunet, who assisted with the research that led to its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, described the 1,050-seat Carver as the “best ‘colored’ theater in New Orleans and perhaps the entire South.”
The Carver Theater at 2101 Orleans Ave. and 15 other properties are set to be auctioned off from July 17-23, 2025.
Located across the street from the Lafitte housing development, the cinema closed in 1980 and became the Carver Medical Clinic until it was submerged in about 5 feet of floodwater following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Local optometrist Dr. Eugene Oppman, who had purchased the property for $240,000 in 1991, led an $8 million post-Katrina restoration project with the help of federal and state tax credits.
“I’ve spent every penny I had, my retirement, my child’s college fund, to get it to where we could get it for the closing to get the tax credit,” Oppman told the Times-Picayune ahead of its 2014 reopening.
Renovations continued on the the Carver Theater in New Orleans Friday, September 20, 2013.
The renovation converted the brick building’s interior to a multipurpose performance and event space with an 800-person capacity while restoring its distinctive red signage. In 2015, the project received a Louisiana Landmark Society Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation.
During the past decade, it has held concerts, theatrical performances, jazz showcases, conferences and even funerals. Former Mayor Mitch Landrieu delivered his 2015 State of the City address from the Carver and Snoop Dogg performed there during Jazz Fest the following year.
Later in 2016, Oppman listed the theater and his nearby properties for sale for $5.5 million after a larger commercial development plan sputtered. But instead of selling, he decided to appoint a new general manager, who launched an ambitious new music series in 2017.
But financial challenges continued to bedevil the revitalization effort, leading to foreclosure litigation filed by Hollywood producer Bob Yari in 2020. According to court filings, the property owner defaulted on loans secured against the theater, which Yari acquired from a Malaysian business magnate when the issuing bank went under.
Last year, a judge awarded a $2.3 million judgment in favor of Yari, court records show. But enforcement was paused pending Oppman’s appeal, where oral arguments have been scheduled for September.
SVN Gilmore Auction & Realty Company is handling the sale. David Gilmore, managing director of the company and a national auctioneer, said the ongoing litigation would not affect the title of the building if sold.
The Carver is located in both an Enterprise Zone and an Opportunity Zone, and eligible for state and federal historic tax credits, according to its listing.
More than a dozen parcels on Orleans Avenue and St. Ann Street included in an auction along with New Orleans’ Historic Carver Theater are indicated with red outlines in an aerial photograph.
In addition to the 17,600-square-foot landmark at 2101 Orleans Ave., the auction includes 15 other lots on Orleans Avenue and St. Ann Street.
The reserve price on the bundle of parcels exceeds the $2 million opening bid, Gilmore said.
“It would make sense to me that some additional land would make a lot of sense to any owner for additional parking,” Gilmore said.
And although the plan is to sell all the parcels together as a package, the auctioneer said offers for the theater alone would be entertained ahead of the auction.
“We don’t anticipate that, but we can negotiate,” he said.
The Carver Theater opened in 1950 and was converted to medical offices in 1980. It was heavily damaged after Hurricane Katrina and reopened in 2014 following an $8 million renovation.
Events at the Carver have been booked through Mardi Gras 2026, according to Gilmore, who expects interest in the property to continue to build.
“Most of our marketing will be hitting in the next few weeks, so I think it’s going to ramp up,” he said. “We’ve shown it several times and gotten several prospects.”
