Southeast Theater
2121 South 1100 East,
Salt Lake City,
UT
84106
2121 South 1100 East,
Salt Lake City,
UT
84106
1 person
favorited this theater
Built sometime before 1941 and run by Fox Intermountain theaters, the Southeast theater was located in downtown Sugarhouse, next to the Sprague Branch library.
Like many small town theaters, the theater was actually dozens of feet from its street entrance, and was reached by a long hallway. Additionally, the auditorium was positioned at an angle, apparently following the odd property line of the adjacent library.
The theater closed, probably in the 1970s, and was converted into retail. In the late 1990s, tt was demolished in the late 1990s to make way for a new retail development on the block.
Contributed by
Grant Smith
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
I went to shows here several times in the 60’s,once in 1970.It was a beautifully elegant house.The nice place that was Sugar House back then added to the enjoyment.My new wife liked to check out the furniture store across the street.Still have the only pc.I bought there,an end table.The ice cream store around the corner was a legend.Only Country Boy Dairy in N.Ogden can compare in quality today.
Wow only 1 comment on this theatre since 2005.
Come on SALT LAKE CITY I know someone there can write more about this theatre. I will check in 5 years.
The South-East Theatre, with room for 750 patrons, opened in Sugarhouse on Christmas night 1936. This $60,000 Joseph L Lawrence Theater, with a 500-car parking lot, was located over four miles from the downtown theaters. The Salt Lake Tribune said the theater, deigned by Wolley and Evans, would follow the ultra-modern trend in design. The premiere attraction was ‘Come and Get It’ with Edward Arnold, Frances Farmer and Joel McCrea. It was a second-run house until 1962 when Fox Intermountain remodeled it to be a first-run attraction. The new theater opened on February 1, 1962 and on March 21 they held the Salt Lake premiere of ‘West Side Story.’ This was on a reserved seat basis with 10 showings a week. In October of 1974 the theater received some excellent publicity in the Tribune. The x-rated version of ‘Frankenstein’ was going to be viewed by the chamber of commerce and the vice squad. This was to determine if the film should be banned at the South East. Evidently no action was taken and ‘Frankenstein’ was alive. The theater was open as late as January of 1976 because an article in the Tribune mentioned the South East Theatre. In April of 1977 the Tribune said that a new minimall would be constructed on the site of the old South East Theatre. This renovation evidently stripped the building down to its concrete and brick walls and the theater was used as part of the minimall. Grant Smith says that the final demolition was in the late 90s.