Quimby Theater
1810 Bluffton Road,
Fort Wayne,
IN
46809
1810 Bluffton Road,
Fort Wayne,
IN
46809
1 person
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The Clyde was a glamorous theater that opened on April 19, 1951 on the outskirts of Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was very tastefully moderne. The circular lobby defined the semi-circular foyer that led to the auditorium. The concession stand was upholstered in turquoise leather. There were colorful murals throughout. The murals in the main auditorium were lit with black-light… They fascinated me as a child. This was my favorite theater.
Contributed by
Patrick Kage
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
The Clyde, now the Quimby was purchased by a local busineesman, in the summer of 2004. He intends to renovate the theater back to a singal auditorium, and make the theater into a hispanic community center, that will hold weekend dance and community events. As of the date of this posting, he has not started this project.
Checking with the city permit department, he has obtained the required permits in July of 2004. The permits are good for a year.
The address listed for this theater is 1810 Bluffton Rd.
Work was started to convert the theater into a nightclub. However, nothing has been done for several months. It has been ‘untwinned’, restoring the large auditorium to it’s original size. The stage is now exposed. Most people do not know it was built with a stage that was covered by the large cinerama screen, shortly after opening, that was not moveable. Hopefully, someone will resume working on this facility and once again open it to the public.
No work has been done for over a year now. Have not heard of any plans either. Correction to my previous post, the large screen that was in front of the stage was for CinemaScope, not Cinerama.
Do you know if the seats are still in the theater?
An article about the empty former Quimby Theater casting a pall over redevelopment efforts in the surrounding shopping center; the article includes some pictures: View link.
Photo of the Quimby Theatre.
Color photo of the Quimby Theatre.
Here is the Clyde Theatre with its vertical sign intact. Thumbnails below the photo include a shot of the theater’s auditorium.
I thought this theater was finished, but, according to articles from the Journal-Gazette and News Sentinal, posted on FortWayne.com, the city has awarded new owner Even Keel Productions $40,000 for facade improvement. In June 2013, Even Keel owner, Rick Kinney purchased the property for $500, after it had been plagued by unpaid taxes, lawsuits, and unrealized dreams. Keel posted that he is “committed to renovating the Clyde Theater and adjacent commercial spaces to fill the need for multi-functional performing arts facility… The architectural firm of MSKTD is managing the renovations. More information on fortwayne.com.