Strand Theatre
104 S. Main Street,
Helper,
UT
84526
104 S. Main Street,
Helper,
UT
84526
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The Strand Theatre is owned by Don Carlow, who recently installed a new roof and who has plans to restore some of the structure and open shops. Below the theater and hotel are an old card room, a Southwestern-themed dance hall and a bar. The theater is used mostly for storage.
It cannot be used for entertainment because it no longer meets codes. Baron Willison, caretaker of the theater, says it would cost less to build a new theater on the site than to restore the old one.
Contributed by
Charles Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
Another 1986 photo of the Strand Theatre.
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The address for the Strand Theatre is 344 S. Main St., Helper Ut. 84526.
344 S. Main is not the correct address. Google Maps is wrong – as are many of the Helper addresses on Main St. It’s either 104, 106 or 108 S. Main. Because there is no address on the outside, and, because there were businesses in the basement, the post office and the city do not know what the correct address is. It is most likely 104 S. Main but that is yet to be determined.
You are most likely right avout the 104 S. Main St. Address, the Fire House which is across the street has an address of 97 S. Main St.
Here is a 2009 photo. To the right of the theater entrance is or was a barber shop. The address given for the barber shop is 102 S. Main St. The theater entrance should be around 104 S. Main Street.
Another 2009 photo of the Strand Theatre courtesy arbyreed.
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2009 close up of the box office and entrance to the Strand Theatre.
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The 2009 photo mentions the RIO.Why isn’t it listed???
The Rio was never a movie Theatre.
The Rio Theater is a live performance theater built about 2000 in the old Rio Hotel. The theater was originally intended for the Helper Intermountain Theater (HIT) Company, but the founders of that non-profit organization moved out of state before the Rio Theater was completed.
The Rio Hotel (Rio Theater Bldg) was originally a house of prostitution. The “Hotel” located on the top second level was the working area for the “girls”. The lower levels had a bar and cafe. I have photos of the Rio before it burned leaving basically the shell of the building. After the building burned, Helper City went to the Community Impact Board of Utah for funds to convert the shell into a performing theater.
The Ossana Family should also be mentioned as the original builder and owner of the Strand Theater which also had a barber shop (Pete’s Barber Shop)on the left side of the main entrance and also the barber shop shared an entrance to the basement Strand Sweet Shop. On the right side of the Main Theater Entrance was Bessie Hogan’s dress and hat shop. The entrances on the side of the building were also for the Strand Sweet Shop located in the basement. To the rear and attached to the Strand Theater is the Hillcrest Hotel, which was also built and owned by the Ossana family. The Ossana family lived in the top western side of the hotel.
As for the statement that the theater can never be used for entertainment is not a true and valid statement. One does need to become familiar with the Uniform Building Codes and Uniform Fire Code which especially addresses codes for historical structures.