Lyceum Theatre
423 W. Superior Street,
Duluth,
MN
55802
423 W. Superior Street,
Duluth,
MN
55802
1 person
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Said to be Duluth’s first “fire-proof” theatre. It was built for live theatre in 1892, but in 1921 it was converted to showing movies.
The Lyceum Theatre was closed in the early-1960’s and was demolished in 1963.
Contributed by
Kirk J. Besse
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
A Wurlitzer theater organ opus 368 style 235 was installed in the Lyceum Theater on 11/29/1920. Status: sold.
Here is a circa 1907 postcard view.
The Duluth Public Library posted this brief entry about the Lyceum on their weblog. It says the Lyceum opened in 1892, and was designed by Traphagen and Fitzpatrick. It was demolished in 1966.
There are thumbnail biographies of the architects on this page. Oliver Traphagen later moved to Hawaii, and was the architect of the Moana Hotel.
The year given for this photo is 1910.
From the 1920s a view of the Lyceum Theatre in Duluth.
It’s hard to tell in any of the photo links above but this theater was adorned with high-quality stone carvings, the work of George Thrana. Thrana’s talent can still be found in Duluth on the facade of the old Duluth Central School, now the school district’s administrative building. The Board of Trade Building downtown on First Street is also graced by Thrana’s stone carvings. On either side of the Lyceum’s entrance stone carved Theatrical Masques were salvaged and are installed at the entrance to the Duluth Playhouse Theater in the historic Duluth Depot. The Lyceum was demolished in 1963.
The exterior style of the Lyceum is predominantly Romanesque Revival. I’ve never found any interior photos.
The Lyceum in Duluth is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. L. Scott and T. Marsh, Mgrs. 1,664 seats. Ticket prices 25 cents to $1.25; electric illumination, auditorium on the ground floor. The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide X 39 feet high, and the stage was 45 feet deep. There were 12 in the house orchestra. Duluth had 2 daily newspapers and 3 weeklies; and there were 4 hotels for show folk. The 1897 population of Duluth was 75,000.
Here is a link with an interior view of the Lyceum and its three balconies:
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