Verde Valley Theatre
919 Main Street,
Clarkdale,
AZ
86324
919 Main Street,
Clarkdale,
AZ
86324
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The Grand Theatre was built in 1917. The theatre was remodeled by architect S. Charles Lee in 1936. I don’t know when this theatre closed. Probably in the mid-1970’s. The screen and chairs are gone and cement has been poured in the center of the space to make it possible to drive a vehicle into it. The decor on the walls and the light fixtures are still intact. The marquee and box office are gone and the front has been bricked up and a garage door installed.
The Elks Lodge was located on the second floor of the building. There was not entrance to the second floor so it was accessed by the adjoining building. The movie theatre itself has not been used for anything other than a parking area and storage for the past fifteen years or so.
The theatre was turned over to the Verde Valley Theatre to restore and use as a live theatre venue. VVT then began a
process of renovating it for its performances.
Contributed by
Edgar Ball
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
S. Charles Lee-Grand Theatre
Clarkdale, Arizona (1936)
Probably Lee’s simplest design and smallest commission was this 250-seat theatre for the United Verde Copper company in Clarkdale, Arizona. The crowd of people in front of the theatre, the handwritten note on the reverse of the photograph, and the letter from the manager all attest to the appreciation of this small theatre in a remote town in northern Arizona. Among the features added were two ceiling fans, some benches painted red, and a crying room.
This is the 1936 letter from the manager of the Grand Theater to S. Charles Lee. Here is the 1936 photo mentioned above and this is the handwritten note.
Here is some additional information.
According to comments on the link supplied by Lost Memory on April 22, 2007, the Grand has now been renovated and has reopened doing live theatre. It appears it is only doing live plays and music acts, etc.
1983 photo of the Grand theatre.
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