Laurent DeGive

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Laurent DeGive (January 1828 – March 17, 1910) was a Belgian diplomat who served as the Belgian consul in Atlanta in the late 19th century. He arrived in Atlanta in 1859. He built two theaters: DeGive's Opera House (also known as Bijou Theater) and DeGive's Grand Opera House, which later became Loew's Grand Theatre, the venue where Gone with the Wind premiered. He helped organize the Gate City Street Railroad Company in 1881 with L. B. Wilson, A. M. Reinhardt, and John Stephens. In 1884 they built a streetcar line from the Kimball House along Pryor, Wheat, and Jackson Streets to Ponce de Leon Springs. The line operated until January 1887, when it was sold. DeGive is buried in Westview Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia.