The GEM Theatre, established in downtown Calhoun in 1927, expanded to its current size in 1939. It was the town’s only venue for movies and performing arts for many years until it closed in the late 1970s.

After standing vacant for nearly 20 years, the GEM building was purchased in 2001 by the King family. The family hoped to restore it. While the main theater space had primarily remained intact, water damage had destroyed the stage and most of the interior. After ten years of fundraising and restoration, the theater reopened in 2011. For its restoration, it received the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Rehabilitation Award.

It is now an active theater with concerts and free movie showings.