Grand Theatre
2917 N. Holton Street,
Milwaukee,
WI
53212
2917 N. Holton Street,
Milwaukee,
WI
53212
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 30 comments found
Thank you Chuck, I was unsure how to create a link. Hope you liked the photo. It was from a slide collection of Mr. Backes who owned the food store next to the drug store. His daughter Terri shared this photo with our River West Face Book group.
link
If you are having trouble viewing this photo, highlight the entire address then right click and hit “open link in new window”
This photo is from 1957 and includes the Grand Theatre’s Marquee https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/551403_4787670693294_130984069_n.jpg
Chuck: Pleased to read that the tassle collection went to THSA.
Patsy, I believe that his tassle collection went to THSA, he said that he would donate it to them. Yes I am a member of THSA.
Jim Rankin. He was a treasure on Cinema Treasures and I wish we had more like members like him. I had no idea that you were that close to him and that you shared many phone calls along with emails and CT posts. I also didn’t know that he collected tassles from theatre curtains. I wonder where that collection is today? The THSA should acquire it. Are you a THSA member? I plan to join as their magazine, Marquee is a treasure!
The theatre ran its last film in mid-1971 as near as I can tell. during the last year it was open, it was known as the Magik Grand, and showed old classics and experimental films, as well as a steady diet of adult features. At one point, its ads boasted that it was “Milwaukee’s Matinee Adult Theatre,” showing porn from noon until 6 or 7 pm. I didn’t find anything that ever refered to it as the Puerto Rico.
Patsy,
I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to know Jim before his passing. he had been suffering for a very long time but just kept on going. I don’t think there is a CT member that can describe in detail a theatre better than Jim Rankin. One of his hobbies was to collect the tassles from the theatre curtains. Boy did he have a collection. I was able to get a small tassle from one of the side cutains of the Ambassador Theatre in St. Louis from David Arthur and you would think that I sent him a piece of gold. I miss the chats that we shared both online and on the phone. He could just go on and on in detail about theatres. I was very fortunate he sent me a couple boxes of his research and I treasure that. I think of him often and miss his knowlege. He was a treasure in himself to know.
Here is a view of the church:
http://tinyurl.com/yj6cwl7
BTW….This theater was a twin in 1963.
Here are some 1983 photos:
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3
Click on “map” after the address at the top of the page. When you see the photo on the map page, the theater is to the right.
ken mc: What is the exact map link address to view this “interesting looking building”?
You can see the former Grand Theater on Holton per Google maps. It’s an interesting looking building.
-lad you liked it.
Reat photo.
This is a close-up view of the “-rand” theater.
This site has many Jim Rankin posts and it makes me stop and pause as I think of our wonderful CT friend whom we shall all remember with great respect and fondness.
Listed as Phillipian Church of God and Christ.
Actually there were 4 GRANDs, but only the two mentioned still stand. There will be a listing of all Milw. movie houses in the reprint of “Milw. Movie Palaces” due out next September under the title “SILVER SCREENS” by Larry Widen, and likely available through amazon.com at that time.
Sorry about the mixup Jim. There should be a law against using the same theater name twice in one city. Maybe we should lobby for such a law. I’ll move that photo link to the other Grand theater. I hope that there wasn’t more than two Grand theaters in Milwaukee. :)
It was nice of “Lost Memory” to link to a photo of the GRAND, but it is the WRONG Grand. His photo is of Milwaukee’s WARNER/GRAND ( /theaters/1903/ ). This confusion of names is to be expected, even though the two buildings could never be confused! This is also why I disapprove of reusing theatre names within the same city, but then, who asked me?
Here is a recent photo of the former Grand theater in Milwaukee.
I spent many a Sunday afternoon at The Old Grand in the middle 40s.
Always two movies, a couple cartoons, a news reel and always a serial of Buck Rogers or some cowboy favorite.
For just a Quarter, all this and candy and popcorn too.
What a great country.
God Bless America
Ralph S.
An Old Man In Arizona