The building was not destroyed in the bombing of Dresden on 13 February 1945, but fell into increasing disrepair after the war. In the 1950s and 60s, urgently needed repairs were not made, and from the 1970s on, the building was abandoned. Despite the renovation of the Hauptstraße beginning in 1978, the intention was to gut and demolish the building. The architect Jürgen Mehlhorn, who had become interested in the building while still a student and was now using it to store material for the reconstruction of other buildings on the street, in 1979 designed a keystone for the main entrance at Hauptstraße 19 depicting two theatrical masks and with the inscription "Societaetstheater 1715 1779 1979". The association "Interessengemeinschaft Societaetstheater" was then founded; in 1992 this became "Societaetstheater e.V." The association worked to preserve the building and raised money for urgent repairs such as roof work and provisional safety measures. In 1985, the building became a registered landmark of the German Democratic Republic. More extensive repairs were made in 1989. After German reunification in 1990, Dresdner Bank sponsored the building's restoration. The Dresden city council decided in October 1994 that the theatre would be operated by the city once restored, and work began in 1996.