The October 9, 1912, issue of The American Architect carried a notice about a theater that was to be built on White Street. The $20,000 project was being designed by the local firm J.C. & G.A. Delatush. White Street is only two blocks long. I wonder if this 1912 project, assuming it was carried out, is the house that became the Red Bank Art Cinemas?
An item in the January 15, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World said that a new theater called the Grand had opened in Osceola, Missouri. I’ve been unable to discover if the Grand was the same house that became the Civic, but Osceola being as small as it is, it’s possible that it only ever had the one theater. The building the Civic is in is typical of commercial structures built during the 1910s.
The Capitol Theatre was built in 1883 as the Frankfort Opera House, and was designed by none other than the noted Chicago theater architect Oscar Cobb. It was among the buildings listed in a 1971 survey of historic sites in Kentucky, prepared for the Kentucky Historical Commission.
The Frankfort Opera House and City Hall was also listed in an advertisement for Cobb’s firm that appeared in the 1884-1885 edition of Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory, and in an article about Cobb in a book about the Chicago Board of Trade published in 1885. Here, from the latter publication, is a list (probably not exhaustive) of theaters Cobb had designed up to that time:
“Wieting Opera House, Syracuse, N. Y.; Grand Opera House, Minneapolis, Minn.; Haverly’s new Columbia Theatre, Chicago, Ill.; Grand Opera House, St. Louis, Mo.; Schultz & Co.’s Opera House, Zanesville, O.; Coates' Opera House, Kansas City, Mo.; Nat. Mem. Theatre, Soldiers' Home, Dayton, O.; Faurot’s Opera House and Block, Lima, O.; Black’s Opera House, Springfield, O.; Sloane House and Block, Sandusky, O.; Academy of Music, Chicago, Ill.; Keokuk Opera House, Keokuk, Ia.; Standard Theatre, Chicago, Ill.; Heuck’s New Opera House, Cincinnati, O.; Opera House and City Hall, Frankfort, Ky., Doxey Theatre, Anderson, Ind.; Wood’s Opera House and Block, Sedalia, Mo.; Wilhelm’s Opera House, Portsmouth, O.; Case Opera House, Norwalk, O.; Washington Opera House, Maysville, Ky.; Louisville Opera House, Louisville, Ky.; Knowls Opera House, Washington, Kan.; New Grand Opera House, St. Louis, Mo.; Wellington City Hall and Opera House, Wellington, O.; Selma Opera House, Selma, Ala.; Belleville Opera House and Block, Belleville, Ill.”
The overview says the theater was on Clay at 5th Street, so the address currently given is wrong. The only modern building near Clay and 5th is on the northeast corner, so that must be where the theater was. The building there now has a 5th Street address, but the theater’s address was probably 421 Clay, extrapolating from the address of the flower shop up the block at 415.
The address of the building at Cuyler and Francis is 300 N. Cuyler Street. It is currently listed on the HGTV Front Door real estate website, with two exterior photos of the sort that real estate agents take with their cellphones.
The Internet says there is a Subway sandwich shop at 29 Vaughan Mall. Unless Subway has moved since the introduction for this theater was written, that must be the address of the Olympia Theatre’s building. Google Street View only provides views of Vaughan Mall from the north and south ends.
A photo of the Olympia’s auditorium can be found at this link.
I don’t know why this page is not fetching a Google map or street view, but you can go to the Riviera Theatre page, turn the street view left, and proceed a few doors down the block to the Rialto’s location on the opposite side of the street.
The upper part of the building has brickwork characteristic of the period from about 1910 to the mid-1920s. Satellite view shows that the building has a gabled roof, probably carried by trusses, so it must have been designed to have a wide clear span. That makes it more likely that it was built specifically as a theater.
In the current Google Street View for the address 31 N. Main Street there’s a fairly old-looking building with a Sherwin-Williams paint store in it. The Rialto might not have been demolished, merely dismantled.
This page at the Riviera Theatre’s web site says that the Rialto was already in operation under the name Rex Theatre in 1925, when the Riviera was built. The Rex Theatre was mentioned in at least three 1916 issues of The Moving Picture World.
Theaters at Three Rivers called the Bijou and the Vaudette were mentioned in a 1913 publication reporting changes or repairs ordered for buildings open to the public in Michigan in 1912. Another government report mentioned a Lenhart Opera House at Three Rivers.
A December 11, 1917, item in the Michigan Film Review said that the Rex and Vaudette theaters at Three Rivers had been taken over by the Chicago chain Fitzpatrick & McElroy. The item said that the Vaudette would be closed, but I found it mentioned in items from 1918 and 1921, so it apparently continued operating at least into the early 1920s.
I’ve been unable to discover what became of the Bijou. It might have become the Rex. The Lenhart Opera House, also known as the Armory Opera House and the Three Rivers Opera House, appears to have been converted into a church by the early 1920s.
We can eliminate York Opera House as a possible AKA for the York Theatre. A book published by the York Chamber of Commerce in 1945 says that the Opera House was located on Beaver Street.
The book also gives the names and addresses of all seven movie theaters that were operating in York in 1945: Capitol Theatre, 52 North George Street; Hiway Theatre, 730 West Market Street; Rialto Theatre, 121 West Market Street; Ritz Theatre, 28 South George Street; Southern Theatre, 30 East Jackson Street; Strand Theatre, 50 North George Street; and York Theatre, 525 East Market Street.
A book published about 1918 said that York then had ten theaters, including the Opera House and a theater presenting Keith vaudeville. It gave the names of only seven of them, though: the York Opera House, the Jackson, the Hippodrome, the Scenic, the Orpheum, and the Wizard.
Lakewood Street appears to have gotten its name after this theater was built. Here’s an item from the “Construction Notes” section of the trade journal Paint, Oil and Drug Review of November 11, 1914:
“Detroit. Mich.—Vacant property at the northwest corner of Jefferson and Oneida avenues has been sold by Mrs. Bertha Cutler to a syndicate which will erect a $77,000 theater. Plans for the theater, which will be known as the Lakewood, are being prepared by Bernard Thulen.”
I can’t find an Oneida Avenue in Detroit today. It’s even possible that Lakewood Street was named for the theater, rather than vice-versa. I’ve not been able to find any other references to an architect named Bernard Thulen, either, so the name might have been an error.
The correct form the the architectural firm’s name is Van Ryn & DeGelleke. Henry J. Van Ryn and Gerrit DeGelleke specialized in institutional projects, especially schools, and the Jackson might have been their only foray into the design of commercial theaters.
Ron, the furniture store probably is the location of the Roxy. This pair of photos of Caldwell’s Main Street in 1942 and 2011 shows the Roxy in the 700 block of Main, a few doors west of Kimball Avenue.
The web page I linked to in my previous comment says that the Warburton Building was at 45 Warburton Avenue, and that it was demolished in the 1970s. The theater was just north of Philipse Manor Hall, a colonial era building that is still standing at the corner of Warburton and Dock Street.
I suspect that the reason Google Maps is putting its pin icon several blocks from this theater’s actual location is either because of the “or” in the address, or because the zip code is wrong. Changing it to 237-239 E. Center St., Pocatello, ID 83201 might help.
I’ve moved Street View to the correct location. The interesting detailing on the side wall near the front of the building is probably a remnant of the original design. The facade must date from the renovations after the 1939 fire.
The June, 1954, bulletin of the IATSE, district 1, said that the Crest Theatre had just installed CinemaScope, inaugurating its new screen with “Knights of the Round Table.”
The address listed here doesn’t match up with the description of the theater. The address of the bridal and formal wear shop mentioned in the introduction as being on the theater’s site is 149 N. Main Street. The address 165 N. Main is the corner building, which most recently housed a restaurant called Annie’s Subs, Salads and Pizza, which is now closed.
Here is Clearview’s web page for the Red Bank Art Cinemas.
The October 9, 1912, issue of The American Architect carried a notice about a theater that was to be built on White Street. The $20,000 project was being designed by the local firm J.C. & G.A. Delatush. White Street is only two blocks long. I wonder if this 1912 project, assuming it was carried out, is the house that became the Red Bank Art Cinemas?
An item in the January 15, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World said that a new theater called the Grand had opened in Osceola, Missouri. I’ve been unable to discover if the Grand was the same house that became the Civic, but Osceola being as small as it is, it’s possible that it only ever had the one theater. The building the Civic is in is typical of commercial structures built during the 1910s.
The Capitol Theatre was built in 1883 as the Frankfort Opera House, and was designed by none other than the noted Chicago theater architect Oscar Cobb. It was among the buildings listed in a 1971 survey of historic sites in Kentucky, prepared for the Kentucky Historical Commission.
The Frankfort Opera House and City Hall was also listed in an advertisement for Cobb’s firm that appeared in the 1884-1885 edition of Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory, and in an article about Cobb in a book about the Chicago Board of Trade published in 1885. Here, from the latter publication, is a list (probably not exhaustive) of theaters Cobb had designed up to that time:
Here is a fresh link to the 1939 LOC photo of the Park Theatre (click thumbnail to embiggen.)
The Orpheum is one of five Butte theaters depicted in this ca.1915 photomontage from a book published that year. The Orpheum is at upper right.
The building at 25 W. Park Street, on the site of the American Theatre, is now occupied by the Park Street Mall, a collection of small retail shops.
The overview says the theater was on Clay at 5th Street, so the address currently given is wrong. The only modern building near Clay and 5th is on the northeast corner, so that must be where the theater was. The building there now has a 5th Street address, but the theater’s address was probably 421 Clay, extrapolating from the address of the flower shop up the block at 415.
Here is an updated link to the official web site of the Glenns Ferry Opera Theatre.
Boxoffice Magazine’s 1970 article about the rebuilt Esquire, cited in my earlier comment, can be seen at this link.
The address of the building at Cuyler and Francis is 300 N. Cuyler Street. It is currently listed on the HGTV Front Door real estate website, with two exterior photos of the sort that real estate agents take with their cellphones.
The Internet says there is a Subway sandwich shop at 29 Vaughan Mall. Unless Subway has moved since the introduction for this theater was written, that must be the address of the Olympia Theatre’s building. Google Street View only provides views of Vaughan Mall from the north and south ends.
A photo of the Olympia’s auditorium can be found at this link.
The current occupant of 9 Congress Street is a restaurant called the Bakery Cafe.
I don’t know why this page is not fetching a Google map or street view, but you can go to the Riviera Theatre page, turn the street view left, and proceed a few doors down the block to the Rialto’s location on the opposite side of the street.
The upper part of the building has brickwork characteristic of the period from about 1910 to the mid-1920s. Satellite view shows that the building has a gabled roof, probably carried by trusses, so it must have been designed to have a wide clear span. That makes it more likely that it was built specifically as a theater.
In the current Google Street View for the address 31 N. Main Street there’s a fairly old-looking building with a Sherwin-Williams paint store in it. The Rialto might not have been demolished, merely dismantled.
This page at the Riviera Theatre’s web site says that the Rialto was already in operation under the name Rex Theatre in 1925, when the Riviera was built. The Rex Theatre was mentioned in at least three 1916 issues of The Moving Picture World.
Theaters at Three Rivers called the Bijou and the Vaudette were mentioned in a 1913 publication reporting changes or repairs ordered for buildings open to the public in Michigan in 1912. Another government report mentioned a Lenhart Opera House at Three Rivers.
A December 11, 1917, item in the Michigan Film Review said that the Rex and Vaudette theaters at Three Rivers had been taken over by the Chicago chain Fitzpatrick & McElroy. The item said that the Vaudette would be closed, but I found it mentioned in items from 1918 and 1921, so it apparently continued operating at least into the early 1920s.
I’ve been unable to discover what became of the Bijou. It might have become the Rex. The Lenhart Opera House, also known as the Armory Opera House and the Three Rivers Opera House, appears to have been converted into a church by the early 1920s.
Internet Broadway Database has three photos from the Shubert Archive depicting the 44th Street Theatre.
We can eliminate York Opera House as a possible AKA for the York Theatre. A book published by the York Chamber of Commerce in 1945 says that the Opera House was located on Beaver Street.
The book also gives the names and addresses of all seven movie theaters that were operating in York in 1945: Capitol Theatre, 52 North George Street; Hiway Theatre, 730 West Market Street; Rialto Theatre, 121 West Market Street; Ritz Theatre, 28 South George Street; Southern Theatre, 30 East Jackson Street; Strand Theatre, 50 North George Street; and York Theatre, 525 East Market Street.
A book published about 1918 said that York then had ten theaters, including the Opera House and a theater presenting Keith vaudeville. It gave the names of only seven of them, though: the York Opera House, the Jackson, the Hippodrome, the Scenic, the Orpheum, and the Wizard.
Here is the official web site of the York Little Theatre.
Lakewood Street appears to have gotten its name after this theater was built. Here’s an item from the “Construction Notes” section of the trade journal Paint, Oil and Drug Review of November 11, 1914:
I can’t find an Oneida Avenue in Detroit today. It’s even possible that Lakewood Street was named for the theater, rather than vice-versa. I’ve not been able to find any other references to an architect named Bernard Thulen, either, so the name might have been an error.There is a page for the Lakewood Theatre at Water Winter Wonderland.
The correct form the the architectural firm’s name is Van Ryn & DeGelleke. Henry J. Van Ryn and Gerrit DeGelleke specialized in institutional projects, especially schools, and the Jackson might have been their only foray into the design of commercial theaters.
Ron, the furniture store probably is the location of the Roxy. This pair of photos of Caldwell’s Main Street in 1942 and 2011 shows the Roxy in the 700 block of Main, a few doors west of Kimball Avenue.
The web page I linked to in my previous comment says that the Warburton Building was at 45 Warburton Avenue, and that it was demolished in the 1970s. The theater was just north of Philipse Manor Hall, a colonial era building that is still standing at the corner of Warburton and Dock Street.
This web page has a timeline for the Chief Theatre, and one photograph.
I suspect that the reason Google Maps is putting its pin icon several blocks from this theater’s actual location is either because of the “or” in the address, or because the zip code is wrong. Changing it to 237-239 E. Center St., Pocatello, ID 83201 might help.
I’ve moved Street View to the correct location. The interesting detailing on the side wall near the front of the building is probably a remnant of the original design. The facade must date from the renovations after the 1939 fire.
Here is a photo of the Auditorium as it originally appeared, from a book published in 1908.
This web page has some information about the Auditorium Theatre and a colorized postcard depicting it.
The June, 1954, bulletin of the IATSE, district 1, said that the Crest Theatre had just installed CinemaScope, inaugurating its new screen with “Knights of the Round Table.”
The address listed here doesn’t match up with the description of the theater. The address of the bridal and formal wear shop mentioned in the introduction as being on the theater’s site is 149 N. Main Street. The address 165 N. Main is the corner building, which most recently housed a restaurant called Annie’s Subs, Salads and Pizza, which is now closed.