Sun Theater

Almost a half block off the Grand White Way, stands the lonely Lyn Theatre, which has led a varied life. Opened in 1913 as the Victoria, this movie house had two floors for different uses. Thr first floor held the theatre, while the second boasted a lecture hall.
The original intention for the Victoria was to house German plays spoken in German. Designed by Widman and Walsh, the $120,000 theatre was built with funds raised from sale of stock. The stock was sold ar $10 per share to 500 people.
Built for the German Theatre Society, the Lyn opened March 1, 1913, with a production of Goethe's Faust. German actors performed the play entirely in German for the audiance of 1500.
Obviously, a theatre devoted entirely to German-speaking audiences had a limited range of potential customers in St. Louis. The Victoria's first year found the playhouse in dept, and the second year produced a larger deficit. A worse blow was struck to this German playhouse in 1917 when Worl War I raged. Most Americans did not approve of anything German, popular opinion was against it. The Victoria was forced to close on September 17 for lack of patronage.
Hoping their investment would not be a total loss, the stockholders decided to reopen the Victoria after the was as the Libertyand dissociate it with anything German. The Liberty became a movie house showing top motion pictures and hosting a live orchestra. However, it didn't remain a movie house for long, it was soon dwarfed by the giant papalces built only a block or two away. So the Liberty underwent another change in its format and became the Liberty Burlesque House and was later renamed the World. All these changes the Liberty went through within about ten years.
The World, as a burlesques house, was not as successful as the owners had hoped, and once again they set about changing it. Keeping the themes of burlesque acts, they made it into a nightspot called the 400 club during the 1930's and the 1940's. The 400 Club featured jazz and ragtime, but it did not do as well as expected. Toward the end of the 1940's, the 400 Club closed. It was later reopened as the Sun, returning to one of its former functions as a movies theatre.
As the Sun, the theatre was entirely remodelled and air conditioned. The segregated theatre showed sometimes first-run and sometimes second-run movies. Bit it didn't remain the Sun for long. It should win an award for the theatre with the most changes, and in 1952 it became the Lyn. In an attempt to save money, the theatre was renamed Lyn because the name would require replacing only two letters on the marquee and sign. Its owner at this titme was prominent St. Louis businessman Harold Koplar. The Lyn didn't remain open even a year, closing later in 1952.
Fast becoming a hard to get rid of theatre, the Lyn remained closed but was occaisionally re-opened for special showing of burlesque and movies. For 15 years the theatre was not open on a regular basis.
Then the Lyn too on a new function in its already varied career as a theatre. In 1967, the playhouse became the Faith Tabernacle, leased by Baltimore revivalist R.G.Hardy. By this time. the building had fallen into disrepair, and the church group repaired the leaking roof and built new fire escapes. But that's about all they did for the ailing buildidng before leaving it not long after. Since the Faith Tabernacle, the Lyn has nsot been occupied until recently.
In 1981, the Theatre Project Company was looking for available buildings for its performances. It stumbled upon the Lyn, which Koplar donated to the group. The Theatre Project Company puts on off-Broadway productions and often relies on intimate settings between the audiance and actors. Since the Lyn was almost too large for the Company's productions, only part of the theatre will be used for main productions, and the Company's Lyn will seat 500. In 1984, the old firl still stands in a state of disrepair, but it may soon be an elegant survivor of Missouri's golden age of theatres.
The architectual form of Wedemeyer,Cernik, Corrubia Inc. is designing the new Lyn. The same firm did the design for the renovations of the St. Louis Theatre into Powell Symphony Hall. The firm's splans include a 500 seat mainstage theatre plus a 300 seat auditorium that could be used as a student theatre for the Miny and Theatre Project Company.
The large space of the Lyn will also contain shops, offfices, classes, a rehersal area, and possibly a bar. But this theatre won't be limitedd to live performances, films will be presented there, along with concerts and dance performandces. Thus the Lyn's new functions will be as varied as those of its past.

The Lyn/Sun/Victoria was a single screen theatre.

This website has some photos from 2004 of the Sun Theater. Click each photo to enlarge it.

Aka names: Victoria Theater; Liberty Theater; Lyn Theater; 400 Club; World Theater

Architects: Widmann and Walsh

This is a recent night view of the Sun Theater.

Another photo of the Sun Theater can be seen here.

Here is a recent view of the Sun.

I shot some pictures of the Sun. View them here from 10/11/2008.

Good news. There is an entertainment company that has the Sun under contract. Plans call for restoring it for a music and entertainment venue.

Here is another photo of the Sun Theater.

former resident, have you heard anything further on the Sun, I was by there the other day and it don't like anything is being done with the theatre at all.

1985 photo as the Lyn Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c25%2c3%2c-1&SortField=ProductName+DESC%2cProductName&ProductID=29299

I haven't heard anymore about it. You could contact Grand Center Inc. in St. Louis and ask them about it!! Let us know what you find out.