Uptown Theater
4208 N. College Avenue,
Indianapolis,
IN
46208
4208 N. College Avenue,
Indianapolis,
IN
46208
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The 1926 Uptown, designed by the firm of Rubush & Hunter (who also designed the Indiana and Circle Theaters in Indianapolis) was a neighborhood movie house that held Saturday children’s matinees during the 1960s. The Uptown closed in the ‘70s and was demolished to make way for a parking lot.
Contributed by
John Hill
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
The Uptown Theatre opened May 29, 1926. The architectural firm was Rubush and Hunter. Original seating capacity was 985. The Uptown had a Wurlitzer Hope-Jones organ when it opened. The theatre was built by the Circle Theatre Company which also had the Circle and Indiana downtown.
Forgot to mention that the opening organist was Ms. Dessa Byrd and later followed by Ms. Vivian Arbaugh.
Here is an early view of the Uptown:
http://tinyurl.com/l7oda
This is a 1929 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/mpqek
I’m sorry to know that the Uptown lost its “life” to a parking lot! I lived near there in the early 1970s. At that time, it became a venue for underground and foreign films there. I saw, among other films, Andy Warhol’s “Trash” and “Heat” (worried the whole time that we were going to get busted, since they were rated X). Anyway, I saw probably half a dozen interesting flicks I wouldn’t see elsewhere in Indy before I moved away. Rest in peace, Uptown.
In my youth I spent many a Saturday afternoon at the Uptown Theater in the 1950’s. Two hours of cartoon, and a feature for a quarter. The theater had penny candy, 5 cent Cokes, ten cent popcorn with real butter and a prize drawing between the cartoons and the feature.
Life didn’t get much better than this.
This is a 1985 photo.
I sat through about 6 hours of the original Batman serials in approx 1969-70. Me and my friend were the only two people in the theater when we were asked to leave so the projectionist could go home.