Just posted a circa 1950 photo, and scrolled around the current street view.
The Grand Theatre was in the 1000 block on Main Street, directly across from where the police station is today at 10th & Main.
It would have had an odd numbered address like 1013, as the police station is 1010.
The site of the Grand Theatre is today a city park with 3 flag poles.
It is kitty corner from the Central Health Mart Pharmacy building, which is also seen in the 1950 photo as a hotel at the time.
There was also an auto supply and another hotel next to the Grand Theatre.
Building is still standing, and today houses Willow Grocery.
1946 photo added credit Madison Bickel, is an exact match with the exterior and the neighboring building.
LISBON, ND – The only theater in the small town of Lisbon, North Dakota, is iconic.
The rural movie house is famous for having the longest continuous run of any show hall in America.
This cinema has been center stage in this little community for almost as long as Hollywood has been around.
The first movie shown here was in 1911, a silent film called “Nemo.” Long time customers like William Sullivan remember seeing those black and white classics at the Scenic.
“They had a piano down there, and they played the music, like when the horses were galloping,” says Sullivan.
Movie fans like Dorothy Hanna hoofed it to take in a show when the cost of admission was 10 cents.
“In the summertime my sister and I used to walk in from the country, about a half mile, and we went to the Sunday matinee,” says Hanna.
Other regular patrons recall when “talkies” featuring silver screen stars were first shown.
“When I was younger, it was Shirley Temple and there were some John Wayne movies,” says Evelyn Hitchcock, Lisbon.
Evelyn Hitchcock is 100 years old, but she still enjoys seeing a good old-fashioned film just like almost everyone else in town. That’s one of the reasons why the community raised over $100,000 to install state of the art digital projection equipment.
“My friends and I like to come here, we won’t drive to Fargo to see a movie. We want to see them here in Lisbon, North Dakota,” says Edie Reinke, Lisbon.
The cast of the Save our Scenic Committee was made up of moms who wanted to preserve a place where their kids could see a show.
“This was the first theater that my parents took me to, it was the first movie I took my son to, and it’s a family oriented place to hang out,” says Kari Webb, Save our Scenic Committee.
The Scenic is open weekends and is one of the few theaters in the country that serves up popcorn topped with real butter.
“We go through quite a few pounds on a weekend, but it’s worth it,” says Betty Michels, Scenic Theater Co-owner.
How long can this little cinema on the prairie continue to stay open?
“Hopefully it will stay here forever. We’ve committed to keeping it running as long as we can,” says Alfred Michels, Scenic Theater Co-owner.
Guarantees like that are sure to get rave reviews from this audience.
Volunteers play a role in helping this family owned theater stay open. A supporting cast of locals donate their time at the concession stand and box office to help the owners make ends meet.
History courtesy Wes Anderson.
Accompanied WWII photo added.
Piller Theater, Valley City, ND
The Piller Theater
1. John Piller came with his family to Valley City February 28, 1919 from Grafton. At this time Mr. Piller was one of the earliest and most successful men in the young North Dakota movie theater business. He purchased both the Rex and Grand Theaters and ran them as a family business until 1948.
2. From the beginning Mr. Piller insisted upon showing nothing but the best film and vaudeville entertainment he could get.
3. He made significant changes to both theaters by updating them to modern standards and keeping them in the forefront as new technology came along.
4. When the opportunity to purchase the Huddle Stone Cigar Store corner arose in 1923, Mr. Piller jumped, with persuasion from Mrs. Piller, at the chance to build his own theater palace, The Piller Theatre. He began an ambitious venture to build a theater the likes of which were normally found only in cities five to ten times the size of Valley City to play the latest pictures and house even the largest of traveling Vaudeville troupes twice a month.
5. Designed by a Minneapolis architect named Nason, the interior design was the opulent theater palace style of the times by Harold Larson also of Minneapolis.
6. The Piller had the most modern film projection equipment ever installed in the state to that time. Another big feature of the Piller was the installation of a $15,000 Wurlitzer pipe organ. In the high loft of the theater was a complete set of stage scenery to accommodate most theatrical productions. Beneath the theater was a complete set of dressing room suites as well as a dance floor large enough to accommodate 400 dancers.
7. After months of preparation, The Piller was to open November 11, 1925 to throngs of people. Schools were let out early for the matinee and a front door was even torn from its hinges in the excitement to see the new theater.
8. Though built as a Palace for silent movies and vaudeville attractions, come 1927, things changed in an instant with the talking picture, “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Jolson.
9. Mr. Piller, being in the forefront of technology, insisted that his theater have sound equipment installed. By April 12, 1929 the Piller was among the first 2000 theaters in the world to have talkies and second in the state only to the Fargo Theater.
10. This made the Mighty Wurlitzer mighty obsolete and it was removed sometime in the 1940’s . The Wurlitzer found its way to Lisbon’s Trinity Lutheran Church who kept it until they moved in the 1970’s and sold it to a collector in Fargo/Moorhead who later died about 1990 and his collection was disbursed.
11. I have been told that Mr. Piller was the head of the North Dakota Theater Owner’s Association, and that he successfully took United Artists Studio to court and won over his being forced to show a film he found to be objectionable. While not certain as to which film he found so distasteful, the 1929 article announcing Talkies mentions that of all the movies offered, “The Crowd” was not played because Mr. Piller did not think it would appeal to his audiences.
12. Mr. Piller sold his palace theater to Larry Bonaventura in 1948 who further modernized the interior design to accommodate an exotic tropical look with pink walls and white flamingos and orchids. Mr. Bonaventura sold The Piller in 1950 and it closed April 17, 1969 victim to television and poor downtown parking.
13. Mr. Piller died in 1961.
14. The Building was purchased by Mr. Roy Sheppard and remodeled by Gary Sorenson for retail use. At this time the theater equipment, scenery, seats were all disposed of. The floor was leveled and a floor was built across the open space from the balcony level. Pink flamingos and elegant architectural detailing remain on the walls in hidden far off corners.
15. Mr. George Dutton recently purchased the building that housed his photography studio and Valley Gallery. Due to structural decomposition, the decorative orbs that adorned the top of the Piller, had to be removed in September of 1998.
Additional history courtesy William F. Fortune III"
“It is a 26-by-76-foot (7.9 m × 23.2 m) frame building, stuccoed, with 187 seats.
It was unusual for its time, as it was specifically designed for showing "motion pictures”. It was a project of professional baseball player Guy Johnson (1891-1971), who moved to Marmarth and built the theatre in 1914. It opened April 22, 1914 and was packed."
This link documents several other theatres in Piqua.
I am adding a page for the Bijou, and will research the others.
Missing from their list is the Royal and Star Theatres.
Photo added.
The Court Theatre in 1927, a year or two before being torn down to build the Dominion.
Credit: Stockholm Transport Museum Photo, courtesy of the Who Knows East – Old Photographs Facebook page.
Per Frank Chaney: “I was told by a sales clerk that the store occupies only what used to be the lobby and concession area. The theater space is behind and above it and is used partly for storage, but mostly it’s just empty.”
Address was 119 S. Broadway, as stated on the 1957 Christmas re-opening ad posted in 2016. Street view confirms that address, as the building across the alley to the right is still standing, and matches that in the 1962 exterior photo posted in 2019.
It closed in 1973 and was demolished in March 1974 per a Decatur County History link, that won’t post because CT perceives it to be spam.
1956 photo in below link. Which sounds like a great event as well.
https://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/rick-prelinger-presents-lost-landscapes-los-angeles?fbclid=IwAR3G4YrwwDarVhXv_cCUSEmp4ildGkXL-H4-hT5Eh8Fjz03VZTnLEA_22aQ
Coincidentally the July 2015 Google street view has “R I P” on the marquee…
Below link indicates the Strand closed in 1919.
https://www.dailycall.com/news/69461/looking-back-at-piquas-theaters
Just posted a circa 1950 photo, and scrolled around the current street view. The Grand Theatre was in the 1000 block on Main Street, directly across from where the police station is today at 10th & Main. It would have had an odd numbered address like 1013, as the police station is 1010. The site of the Grand Theatre is today a city park with 3 flag poles. It is kitty corner from the Central Health Mart Pharmacy building, which is also seen in the 1950 photo as a hotel at the time. There was also an auto supply and another hotel next to the Grand Theatre.
Reopened in May 2019 as a live performance venue seating 425, originally 265 per below article.
https://www.grandforksherald.com/entertainment/theater/1352333-Walhalla-N.D.-theater-reopens-for-first-time-in-more-than-three-decades
Building is still standing, and today houses Willow Grocery. 1946 photo added credit Madison Bickel, is an exact match with the exterior and the neighboring building.
Courtesy Kent Farley.
Story by Cliff Naylor, KFYR-TV
LISBON, ND – The only theater in the small town of Lisbon, North Dakota, is iconic.
The rural movie house is famous for having the longest continuous run of any show hall in America.
This cinema has been center stage in this little community for almost as long as Hollywood has been around.
The first movie shown here was in 1911, a silent film called “Nemo.” Long time customers like William Sullivan remember seeing those black and white classics at the Scenic.
“They had a piano down there, and they played the music, like when the horses were galloping,” says Sullivan.
Movie fans like Dorothy Hanna hoofed it to take in a show when the cost of admission was 10 cents.
“In the summertime my sister and I used to walk in from the country, about a half mile, and we went to the Sunday matinee,” says Hanna.
Other regular patrons recall when “talkies” featuring silver screen stars were first shown.
“When I was younger, it was Shirley Temple and there were some John Wayne movies,” says Evelyn Hitchcock, Lisbon.
Evelyn Hitchcock is 100 years old, but she still enjoys seeing a good old-fashioned film just like almost everyone else in town. That’s one of the reasons why the community raised over $100,000 to install state of the art digital projection equipment.
“My friends and I like to come here, we won’t drive to Fargo to see a movie. We want to see them here in Lisbon, North Dakota,” says Edie Reinke, Lisbon.
The cast of the Save our Scenic Committee was made up of moms who wanted to preserve a place where their kids could see a show.
“This was the first theater that my parents took me to, it was the first movie I took my son to, and it’s a family oriented place to hang out,” says Kari Webb, Save our Scenic Committee.
The Scenic is open weekends and is one of the few theaters in the country that serves up popcorn topped with real butter.
“We go through quite a few pounds on a weekend, but it’s worth it,” says Betty Michels, Scenic Theater Co-owner.
How long can this little cinema on the prairie continue to stay open?
“Hopefully it will stay here forever. We’ve committed to keeping it running as long as we can,” says Alfred Michels, Scenic Theater Co-owner.
Guarantees like that are sure to get rave reviews from this audience.
Volunteers play a role in helping this family owned theater stay open. A supporting cast of locals donate their time at the concession stand and box office to help the owners make ends meet.
The population of Lisbon is around 2,000.
History courtesy Wes Anderson. Accompanied WWII photo added.
Piller Theater, Valley City, ND
The Piller Theater 1. John Piller came with his family to Valley City February 28, 1919 from Grafton. At this time Mr. Piller was one of the earliest and most successful men in the young North Dakota movie theater business. He purchased both the Rex and Grand Theaters and ran them as a family business until 1948. 2. From the beginning Mr. Piller insisted upon showing nothing but the best film and vaudeville entertainment he could get. 3. He made significant changes to both theaters by updating them to modern standards and keeping them in the forefront as new technology came along. 4. When the opportunity to purchase the Huddle Stone Cigar Store corner arose in 1923, Mr. Piller jumped, with persuasion from Mrs. Piller, at the chance to build his own theater palace, The Piller Theatre. He began an ambitious venture to build a theater the likes of which were normally found only in cities five to ten times the size of Valley City to play the latest pictures and house even the largest of traveling Vaudeville troupes twice a month. 5. Designed by a Minneapolis architect named Nason, the interior design was the opulent theater palace style of the times by Harold Larson also of Minneapolis. 6. The Piller had the most modern film projection equipment ever installed in the state to that time. Another big feature of the Piller was the installation of a $15,000 Wurlitzer pipe organ. In the high loft of the theater was a complete set of stage scenery to accommodate most theatrical productions. Beneath the theater was a complete set of dressing room suites as well as a dance floor large enough to accommodate 400 dancers. 7. After months of preparation, The Piller was to open November 11, 1925 to throngs of people. Schools were let out early for the matinee and a front door was even torn from its hinges in the excitement to see the new theater. 8. Though built as a Palace for silent movies and vaudeville attractions, come 1927, things changed in an instant with the talking picture, “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Jolson. 9. Mr. Piller, being in the forefront of technology, insisted that his theater have sound equipment installed. By April 12, 1929 the Piller was among the first 2000 theaters in the world to have talkies and second in the state only to the Fargo Theater. 10. This made the Mighty Wurlitzer mighty obsolete and it was removed sometime in the 1940’s . The Wurlitzer found its way to Lisbon’s Trinity Lutheran Church who kept it until they moved in the 1970’s and sold it to a collector in Fargo/Moorhead who later died about 1990 and his collection was disbursed. 11. I have been told that Mr. Piller was the head of the North Dakota Theater Owner’s Association, and that he successfully took United Artists Studio to court and won over his being forced to show a film he found to be objectionable. While not certain as to which film he found so distasteful, the 1929 article announcing Talkies mentions that of all the movies offered, “The Crowd” was not played because Mr. Piller did not think it would appeal to his audiences. 12. Mr. Piller sold his palace theater to Larry Bonaventura in 1948 who further modernized the interior design to accommodate an exotic tropical look with pink walls and white flamingos and orchids. Mr. Bonaventura sold The Piller in 1950 and it closed April 17, 1969 victim to television and poor downtown parking. 13. Mr. Piller died in 1961. 14. The Building was purchased by Mr. Roy Sheppard and remodeled by Gary Sorenson for retail use. At this time the theater equipment, scenery, seats were all disposed of. The floor was leveled and a floor was built across the open space from the balcony level. Pink flamingos and elegant architectural detailing remain on the walls in hidden far off corners. 15. Mr. George Dutton recently purchased the building that housed his photography studio and Valley Gallery. Due to structural decomposition, the decorative orbs that adorned the top of the Piller, had to be removed in September of 1998.
Additional history courtesy William F. Fortune III"
“It is a 26-by-76-foot (7.9 m × 23.2 m) frame building, stuccoed, with 187 seats. It was unusual for its time, as it was specifically designed for showing "motion pictures”. It was a project of professional baseball player Guy Johnson (1891-1971), who moved to Marmarth and built the theatre in 1914. It opened April 22, 1914 and was packed."
This link documents several other theatres in Piqua. I am adding a page for the Bijou, and will research the others. Missing from their list is the Royal and Star Theatres.
https://www.dailycall.com/news/69461/looking-back-at-piquas-theaters
1915 Trading Cards from the Favorite Theatre.
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/trading-cards/1915-piqua-ohio-movie-star-cards.html
Circa 1929 photo added credit Wm Shapotkin Collection.
Photo added. The Court Theatre in 1927, a year or two before being torn down to build the Dominion. Credit: Stockholm Transport Museum Photo, courtesy of the Who Knows East – Old Photographs Facebook page.
The former Del Frisco’s is now called Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant. They have an Esquire wine, with an exterior image on the bottle…
https://www.facebook.com/coopershawk/photos/p.10157445231095180/10157445231095180/?type=1&theater
Images added.
Per Frank Chaney: “I was told by a sales clerk that the store occupies only what used to be the lobby and concession area. The theater space is behind and above it and is used partly for storage, but mostly it’s just empty.”
Additional images added.
1960 photo credit Richard Nickel, courtesy Ryerson and Burnham, Art Institute of Chicago, courtesy Urban Remains.
1960 photo credit Richard Nickel, courtesy Ryerson and Burnham, Art Institute of Chicago, courtesy Urban Remains.
Link of Indiana theatres by county, that indicates it was previously named Swastika Theatre.
https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/files/theatersurvey.pdf
Photo added courtesy below link. Comments indicate it was still open in 1972.
Second link is a Flickr page with a July 21, 1960 photo.
https://hopeseguin2010.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/cimarron-theatre-cimarron-new-mexico/#comments
https://www.flickr.com/photos/williamjcrawford/3271483808/
Interesting. Thank you for posting that.
Photo added, likely the 1961 Civil War centennial re-release of “Gone With The Wind” at the Strand.
Likely the 1961 Civil War centennial re-release of “Gone With The Wind” at the Strand.
Undated article about the State.
http://m.volumeone.org/statetheatre
Address was 119 S. Broadway, as stated on the 1957 Christmas re-opening ad posted in 2016. Street view confirms that address, as the building across the alley to the right is still standing, and matches that in the 1962 exterior photo posted in 2019. It closed in 1973 and was demolished in March 1974 per a Decatur County History link, that won’t post because CT perceives it to be spam.