Welch Theatre
79 McDowell Street,
Welch,
WV
24801
79 McDowell Street,
Welch,
WV
24801
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This large theatre was constructed sometime around 1920, replacing a smaller theatre that originally occupied the southern half of this lot. The building was a deep and sturdy two story brick building, with retail spaces either side of a central lobby.
The theatre seems to have been the sole operation in town, at least through the 1923 map. The Welch Theatre was closed on December 24, 1928.
It was purchased by G.C. Murphy Ltd. to be converted into their department store along with the building to the north.
The store closed many years ago, and the building seems to be home to a thrift shop.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The NRHP listing for downtown calls this the Ames building, which may have been the name of the theater, or the name of the owner in 1992. The older listings are generally pretty vague on details.
This house and its predecessor were called the Welch Theatre, owned and originally operated by brothers Huritz and Joe Lopinsky. It was closed when later operators opened the new Pocahontas Theater in 1928. The pending conversion of the Welch Theatre building into a store for the G. C. Murphy Co. was noted in the August 12, 1928 issue of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. At that time it was expected that the new theater would be completed in January of 1929, but the job was done ahead of schedule and it opened on December 25. The last show at the Welch was therefore probably on December 24, 1928.
Thanks for the ID!
Sorry, not sure why the ‘Ltd.’ was added to G.C. Murphy. It was always G.C. Murphy Co. I’m unaware of any UK operations.