Carlin Theater

If you were looking for the longest-running, single family owned theater in U.S. history, you’d be hard pressed to find a better example than that of the Carlin Theater. Owned and operated by three generations of Carlins, the Opera House launched in 1909 on Walnut Street. It was launched by Peter R. Carlin. The Carlin operated for 100 years, though in two locations in Spalding.

Originally built as the town’s Opera House, the Carlin’s venue seated 500 and programmed live events. But silent motion pictures replaced live programming. So popular were motion pictures that Carlin added an Airdome to program in the hot summer months. Improvements to Carlin’s Opera House included the addition of Lyon & Healy Style Y electric piano, the addition of sound to present talking pictures along with a name change to the Carlin Theater, and, in 1937, a major refresh that included an interior refurbishing and new projection.

The end of the line for the first Carlin Theatre came on May 5, 1943 when a wiring fire burned the building down. The theatre moved to temporary digs while war shortages hampered a new building. The Carlins moved to the Murphy Building that became a mainstay on St. Joseph Street adjoining the family’s hardware and agricultural products retail operation.

The Walnut Street lot remained empty for decades until the family sold the property to a family for a new residential home.

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