Ben Bolt Theatre

Since Trenton was my hometown...rarely did we go to Chillicothe to see a movie...but I do remember one "lonely" Sunday afternoon when my sister was leaving home with her new husband leaving my mother, father and I "alone" for the first time...so to cheer ourselves up...we drove to Chillicothe to see "Teacher's Pet" Starring Doris Day and it helped relieve the "pain of loss" of a family member leaving home for the first time and helped to cheer us up! So thanks to the Ben Bolt owners for providing a wonderful avenue of "escape" for an otherwise "lonely" Sunday afternoon!

My best...William Hamilton

The Ben Bolt opened in 1948 and seated at the time of opening 900.

Growing up in Chillicothe, The Ben Bolt was a favorite place to go. Even as a child, I was impressed with the granduer of the theater - the large area behind the concession stand, the top balcony, etc. I even remember the carpet! I haven't been in a theater like it since my family moved in 1973. I was planning a family reunion and thought that would be a neat place to go, only to discover that it had been dolished a year earlier. I would love to have pictures of the interior as I am afraid my memory will eventually fail me. thank you!

Hi dterry, I have a vintage black & white photo postcard with interior & exterior views of this theatre. Send your email or post it here and I will send you a scan of it.

My grandfather, Max Thomas (I always called him Papa) was the General Manager of the Ben Bolt for many years. I have forwarded this page to my mother, his daughter, Mica Thomas Duncan. I am sure that she can add much more to this page than I can.

I would visit Papa in Chillicothe every summer, spending every night of the week in the balcony of the Ben Bolt eating popcorn and drinking pop. The old projector operator Lee would sometimes allow me into the projector room to watch the movie from there.

Last year I returned to the area to lay Papa to rest. The absence of the old Ben Bolt is akin to a missing front tooth on Washington Street. Does anyone remember my Papa Max Thomas?

"There is change in the things I loved, Ben Bolt. They have changed from the old to the new; but I feel in the depths of my spirit the truth-there never as change in you" (Thomas Dunn English, "Ben Bolt", circa, 1890)

My father, Max Thomas managed the Ben Bolt from 1977 until he retired in 1989. The theater was like one of his children. He was proud of it's beauty. The child aged with grace and he was saddened when it was gone.

In May, 1994 my father turned 75 and my brother Phil and I gave him a surprise birthday party in the lobby of the theater. Even used the old concession stand for popcorn and pop. The venue was a perfect place to celebrate the man we loved in a place he gave so much of himself to. They are both missed.

Does anyone know when the theater closed and when it was demolished? Obviously, by the comments directly above, those things happened in 1989 or later.

Thanks.

I found this info on a Missouri history site:

"Two new theatres opened in Chillicothe in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1931, the Masonic Temple Building was remodeled to create the Ritz Theatre and in 1949, the Ben Bolt Theatre, the city’s largest and most luxurious theatre was completed. Both of these buildings were demolished in the 1990s.

In 1868, Nelson Kneass, the composer of the popular song “Ben Bolt” came to Chillicothe as part of a small troupe of performers. “The little band of barnstormers landed in the town almost penniless, a 10-20-30-cent company playing “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” “Ten Nights in a Bar Room,” and “East Lynne” in the town hall.” While in town, Kneass took ill and died of pneumonia in the Browning House. He was given a Christian burial by the women of the Grace Episcopal Church. A benefit performance by the barnstormers and other local talent raised funds for Kneass’ wife and children to return to their home in the East.

Although “cities all over the nation raised amounts for memorials for the composer of “Ben Bolt” and asked to have the honor of caring for his remains, Kneass’ wife refused these offers. Several years later, when she returned to Chillicothe with another theatrical troupe, she purchased a headstone for Kneass’ grave. Kneass’ grave was later moved to one of the most desirable plots in the cemetery. The town of Chillicothe further memorialized Kneass when a movie theatre constructed in 1949 was named the “Ben Bolt.” However, the Ben Bolt Theatre, an exceptional Art Deco style theatre, was demolished in 1999".

I found this on the Livingston County Library's website which shows back issues of the Livingston County Genealogical Society's magazine, "Lifelines". The theater must have still been around in Nov. 1997 since there is a story about it being sold.


Vol. 11 1997 No 4, 30 pp.
What's Happening at Livingston County Genealogy Society

Ben Bolt Theater Sold

Checklist for Requesting Family History Information

Excerpts from Chillicothe Constitution October 1890

Twenty Ways To Avoid Genealogical Grief

Why is a Woman called a Spinster?

Missouri Rebel Troops enlisting at Utica, MO

Abandoned Cemetery Care Association Membership Form

Livingston County Genealogical Society Membership Form

Ben Bolt Souvenir Edition Reprint

It was demolished in 1999. I read that one of the aisle marker ropes is in the Grand River Historical Society Museum located at 1401 Forest Drive in Chillicothe.

1953 exterior:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/warrengwhiz/benbolt.jpg

This is a correction of my posting of 11/20/05:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/benbolt.jpg

This is a 1950s photo of the Ben Bolt Theater. Click on the photo to expand it.

I was news editor of the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune and watched with dismay out my window as the wrecking ball brought down the Ben Bolt. It was a fabulous building and from what the man said who was contracted to take it down, it was a well-built structure.
I edited a history book (Dateline-Livingston County / A look at local history) in 2001 and, of course, included some information (several news stories) and a photo of the Ben Bolt. I am, again, publishing another history book similar to the first Dateline and am looking for a photograph or two that I could include in the book. I'm under the gun now and would need any submissions before mid-July 2007. The book is due at the publishers by Oct. 1. Anyone who would like to help may reply to datelinelivingstoncounty@yahoo.com I really like the full color photo of (if I remember correctly), Max Thomas in front of the building. The picture was taken at night with the colorful neon lights behind. We used that photograph in our special tribute to the Ben Bolt in 1999. It is a shame that it was torn down. From what I have learned through reading old newspaper articles, it certainly was a jewel for the community. (I didn't arrive in Chillicothe until 1992)
After a long day at the office today, I just typed in "Ben Bolt Chillicothe" and stumbled across this website. Thanks for reading.
Cathy

So what has been built on the site, since the Ben Bolt was demolished?

How could I purchase a photo of Mr. Max Thomas in front of the Ben Bolt(the picture that dateline describes in the above post)? I came across a picture of the Ben Bolt on the CinemaTour website and would like to add it to my collection

Here are two 1984 photos:

Day Photo

Night Photo

According to the Boller Brothers architectural records, Carl Boller died in 1946 and the Ben Bolt was designed by Robert O. Boller and Dietz Lusk Jr.

The July 2, 1949, issue of Boxoffice has an architect's rendering of the proposed Ben Bolt Theatre. It, too, attributes the design to Boller & Lusk.