The theatre was the brainchild of local music venue entrepreneurs Bill Reid and Rick Mersel, who have also developed the Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion and have ties to the development of Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater. In 2014, the NorVa was acquired by Anschutz Entertainment Group. The original venue opened in 1922 as a 2,000-seat motion picture and live entertainment (vaudeville) theater. It continued as a movie theater into the 1970s. The building served as home to the Downtown Athletic Club from 1980 until 1998.The NorVa reopened as a concert venue on April 28, 2000, with James Brown performing the inaugural show.