Baden Theatre

8201 N. Broadway,
St. Louis, MO 63147

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Additional Info

Architects: Theodore Steinmeyer

Functions: Banquet Hall, Church

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Baden Theatre

One of two theatres located in the Baden area of St. Louis along N. Broadway. The Baden Theatre was the more successful and the larger of the two. It opened in 1926. The Baden area was a predominately German neighborhood and they supported their theatre well. It was an independent theatre built, owned and operated by the Kaimann family who originated from Germany.

When the television era came along the Baden Theatre went to weekend only operation before closing entirely in 1965.

Contributed by Charles Van Bibber

Recent comments (view all 16 comments)

jaccaj
jaccaj on September 30, 2014 at 9:10 am

The was last owner was the Bowmans sisters I believe they own 5 theaters along with north drive-in theater . One other theater was the Bremen Theater

jaccaj
jaccaj on September 30, 2014 at 9:28 am

I could be wrong about the Bowmans ownership. But my dad did worked there as an usher I helped him with my 4 other brothers and two sisters. Cleaning the theater up .

jaccaj
jaccaj on September 30, 2014 at 9:40 am

We were at the theater on 4th weekend of the month account we were in the German St Vincent orphanage association on Normandy missouri.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on September 30, 2014 at 10:05 am

The Internet provides quite a few references to Theodore Steinmeyer, architect of the Baden Theatre, but every other project mentioned is a church. In Google street view, the Baden Theatre building shows a sign that says “St. Louis Worship Center & Banquet Hall.” It must have been preordained.

jaccaj
jaccaj on September 30, 2014 at 11:07 am

Baden theater seats were given to the Boy Scouts and theater became a funeral home my understanding

jaccaj
jaccaj on September 30, 2014 at 11:15 am

THE BADEN THEATER SOW TWO MO VIEW PLUS CARTOON. SAT AND SUNDAY MAT. WE’RE SAME MOVIE ., FRIDAY MOVIE WAS DIFFERENT. MAYBE ELVIS PRESLEY Movie OR GIDGET movie or a western movie with the music “NORTH TO ALASKA”

jgrebe
jgrebe on October 22, 2016 at 4:36 pm

A friend of mine from SLTOS , Wes Kamischkie, had told me before he died that adjacent to the right of the Baden was a place called the “Sugar Bowl” There was a window higher than normal into the theatre that patrons could buy their snacks for the movies. According to Wes, the theatre had no concession stand itself during the 1940’s when the ladies got free dishware for attending. In 1992, I was called to tune a piano in the place for a function of the Baden Town Hall. I gained access to the building from what would have been the front left exit door. When you go in that way to the immediate left which would have been the stage area behind the screen there is about 2 to 3 steps and that is where the owners office was. A Mr. Carpenter owned the building then and had owned it for about 25 years he said. Before WWII he sold popcorn at the theatre. He said when he bought the Baden he also had opportunity to buy the Kingsland also for $5,000. At that time, he and one of the Kaimann brothers had planned to build the North Drive In on land they had purchased. Before that happened the one brother died and the rest of the Kaimann family decided to build the drive in themselves. When Carpenter bought the Baden about 25 years ago he remodeled it. He simply gutted the interior and what would have been the entrance and vestibule is now a kitchen and bathrooms on either side. There is no evidence of a projection booth since there is now a dropped ceiling over the whole interior. Carpenter seemed to be a very crass person and he said the main reason most small theatre owners are un co operative is because most of them lost their shirts trying to operate in the green. Back then the only way operators could make money was to rent the films for one price for an extended period of time and for the owner to have close co operation with other small theatres and trade them amongst themselves. Carpenter said he traded with the O'Fallon and the Janet and would transport the films themselves. So competitors found a way to co operate together in spit of their rivalry to survive. There is no record of what would have provided music for the silents before sound movies.

Terryb
Terryb on March 8, 2017 at 6:13 pm

My name is Terry Bartels. I was a customer of the Baden Theater in the late 40’s and early 50’s. I attended Baden grade school during this period, and thus the Theater was in my neighborhood. The theater was very busy on the weekends. You had to stand in line to buy a ticket, and the line sometimes stretched for several blocks. My first visit cost 20 cents—10 cents for admission to the show, and 10 cents for refreshments (5 cents for a small bag of popcorn and 5 cents for a small paper cup of soda.) The refreshments were sold by the Sugar Bowl, a restaurant attached to the theater by a common wall—there was a window in the wall which allowed you to be in the theater, and place your order for refreshments to the Sugar Bowl staff. Popular movies included the Bowery Boys, The Three Stooges, And Abbott and Costello. Usually cartoons and a serial were also offered. I can’t begin to tell you how much fun it was to go to the Baden Show with my friends. It was a long time ago for me, but I will never forget the experience.

StillOkie
StillOkie on June 17, 2017 at 11:30 am

Same here Terryb the Theater was fun to go to with your friends. Only mine was the Sparta Theater (Sparta, IL) when I was kid. Concessions were inside and my mom when she was a teenager worked the counter there. I lived in Baden during 1987, though I never went to see a movie anywhere while there. Baden was a nice community to live and I worked right down the road on jus two blocks north of Broadway at General Envelope & Lithography. I was jus revisiting my old neighborhood on Google Maps. On street view level I see “blight” has begun to overtake the area now. That’s so sad. Now a mult-level Bus Stop where the waving Santa stood out front of the Dollar Store back then. Lived in a 2-story converted carriage house that sits in back of a 3-story house on McLaran Ave. in back abutting the alley that connected to Gimblin St. was up the hill there. It was a neat place to live while there. I could step out my back door since I had the first floor apartment and into the alley and look over downtown Baden from my view. The strip mall was in view from my vantage point there, as well as Vihn Chop Suey. Happy to see that’s still there! Sandlewood Apartments parking lot also abutted the alley there on the south. I remember a bar called “Stooges” down the hill on Broadway there(referencing the Three Stooges).

Jake Bottero
Jake Bottero on July 29, 2022 at 8:42 pm

Building still there.

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