Wisconsin Theatre

Originally opening about 1910, the Majestic Theatre was primarily a vaudeville house. After the demise of vaudeville, it was used primarily as a movie house.

In 1936, the theatre was completely remodeled and renamed the Wisconsin Theatre. With this change came a significant number of improvements. Trane air-conditioning, Perfect Posture air cushioned chairs, and the latest in Western Electric sound systems. For the ladies, “an exquisite powder puff room”. A local newspaper article on the 1936 remodeling mentions a 58 foot high neon sign on the building, and a lobby trimmed in carrara glass with colored terrazzo marble floor of a modernistic design. The main lounge, powder room, and offices were accessible by two circular staircases located at either end of the main foyer which extended the entire width of the building. The architect for the 1936 remodeling was Perry E. Crosier of Minneapolis. The theatre was owned by the La Crosse Theatres company.

Just prior to World War II, the house appears to have been showing quite a number of westerns.

Sadly, the auditorium of the theatre was destroyed by fire in 1952. The office building, store fronts, box office and front canopy remained for a time.

Recent comments (view all 2 comments)

kencmcintyre on January 30, 2007 at 2:56 pm

Here is an account of the fire on 12/29/52:

Blaze Ruins Old Theatre In LaCrosse

Fire believed to have started in the projection booth early Sunday morning destroyed the Wisconsin Theatre at La Crosse. Firemen are shown pouring water on the $100,000 blaze after the roof and one wall had collapsed. The fire occurred in near-zero weather.

A fire that raged for more than two hours Sunday reduced the 43-year-old Wisconsin Theater in downtown La Crosse to a battered shell. The fire traveled from the rear of the theater to the front. Shortly after the blaze began, the theater’s rear wall collapsed, firemen ripped down the side walls which were tottering. All of the city’s fire fighting equipment was called out to control the blaze. Two firemen were overcome by smoke and were hospitalized.

Damage was estimated unofficially at more than $100,000. The theater was built in 1909 and was first known as the Majestic. It was converted from a vaudeville theater into a motion picture house recently and was renamed.

DonLewis on September 15, 2009 at 9:48 pm

A postcard view of downtown La Crosse from 1950 looking down Main Street toward the Mississippi River. On the left is a partial view of the Wisconsin Theatre. The feature movie is “The Savage Horde” starring “Wild” Bill Elliott.