Liberty Theater
429 Franklin St.,
Michigan City,
IN
46360
429 Franklin St.,
Michigan City,
IN
46360
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The Liberty originally opened as a silent house, The Starland, around 1918. The name was changed to the Lake in the late 1930s, at which point it received a gleaming new streamline Moderne tile facade.
With the onset of WWII, the name was changed again, to the Liberty, and a marquee with neon torch was added. Sadly, the Liberty was destroyed by an overnight fire on January 22, 1959.
Contributed by
Dale Swanson
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
My dad was projectionist at the Liberty at the time it burned (and given that there were only two other open theatres in Michigan City at the time, he abruptly wound up in a new line of work). There was a men’s clothing store in the building. The store caught fire one night (Dad always called it an “insurance fire”, though at this late date that’s impossible to establish) and burned the theatre down. The site became a parking lot and drive-thru for Citizens Bank (who, incidentally, managed to accidentally burn down the Tivoli).
Here is a 1950 photo. The address is listed as 428 Franklin:
http://tinyurl.com/ewgot
In 1955 the Liberty Theater had 600 seats. Address given is 428 Franklin St.
Here is a 1949 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/7r6vpw