Sierra Cinema
4200 24th Avenue,
Moline,
IL
61265
4200 24th Avenue,
Moline,
IL
61265
1 person
favorited this theater
The Sierra Cinema opened in November 1968 and closed around 1990. This single screen theater was located on 24th Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets. A medical center is located in the building, but has since moved out.
Any further information on the Sierra would be appreciated.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
The building was still there as of December, 2007. It does currently house Moline Rehabilitation Services.
Owned by Pat Stopulos of Davenport, who owned the Coronet on Harrison Street, and the twin theaters on Spruce Hills, it opened as first run house, and exhibited big productions like Funny Girl.
The June 17, 1968, issue of Boxoffice Magazine published a small rendering of the Sierra Theatre, then under construction. The caption said the house would have 700 seats (the November 11 issue gives the seating capacity as 630), and be designed for easy conversion into a twin, and though it would open showing 35mm films it would also be pre-wired for conversion to 70mm movies with multi-track sound. I guess they were hedging their bets.
The November 4, 1968, issue of Boxoffice said that the opening of the Sierra was scheduled for November 6, with the Peter Ustinov film “Hot Millions” as the first feature.
Medical business that was located there is now gone. Building is up for sale.
From a 2009 QC Times Article: “After the war, (Jim) Stopulos sold life insurance briefly and then opened the Coronet Theater on Davenport’s Washington Street at the suggestion of his brother-in-law, who ran an art theater in Iowa City. Later, he moved the Coronet to what had been the Uptown in the Harrison Hilltop neighborhood.
During his 25 years in the theater business, he also owned the Sierra in Moline, the Spruce Hills Twin in Bettendorf, the Central in Geneseo and the Strand in East Moline. He remained in the theater business until 1976, a time when competition from big chains made it difficult for independent operators to survive.
I managed this theatre on 3 different occasions during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Loved the projection booth with it’s clear glass front so the audience could look right into it.