Depending on the definition, this has not been demolished. 105 and 107 were combined under one facade to form the Veeder Building. The NRHP listing says this happened ‘around 1940’, so it’s possible that the theater could still have been operating in 1943. Looking at the satellite view, it’s obvious that behind the facade there are two separate buildings.
This building was originally constructed sometime between 1885 and 1890. The 1905 map shows tea and coffee sold here. The theater was open by January, 1910. The building had been enlarged between 1902 and 1905 to add a storeroom at the rear. It was remodeled again by the time the theater moved in. The theater had closed by July 1916, when the map notes this space as ‘To Be Office’.
The dates here are a bit off. According to the NRHP listing for downtown, this building was constructed in 1931, replacing the Enterprise Block, a two-story building from between 1885 and 1890 (the listing actually says the building was modified, but this is so much larger and deeper that it’s doubtful anything was retained from the older building). It was an Odd Fellows lodge, and I suppose you could call the style Art Deco. The theater was likely located on the left side of the building, as the storefront on the right appears original.
The Mainstreet (listed as one word) appears in the 1932 Yearbook with 433 seats. The capacity is the same in 1940, but by 1945 it is listed at 400. The 1954 listing has the name as two words, and the capacity as 397. The theater does not appear in the 1955 listings.
The KS Historical Resources Inventory suggests a date of 1915 for this building. It is definitely not on the 1912 map. They also refer to it as the J.H. Martin General Store, and it certainly has the appearance of a large store.
David’s information on the Crescent listing suggests this may have first been the Princess (as it is roughly 1 ½ blocks west of the Crescent). The Princess was open at least from 1926 with 400 seats. It is last listed in 1929. It’s possible of course that it was elsewhere, as the Crescent had 500 seats, and this is a larger building.
The Dickinson is only listed twice. In 1930 it’s listed with 500 seats, and in 1931 it’s listed with 652. The Klock did not open in 1936. It is listed starting in 1932, with 1,000 seats.
The Crescent did not close in 1926. It is listed through 1931, and listed as closed in 1932. The 1930 Yearbook does not list the Crescent, but lists a Dickinson with 500 seats. By 1931, the Crescent is listed at 400, the capacity of the old Princess, and the Dickinson is listed at 652. I’m not sure what happened. The Crescent name may have moved, or they reduced their capacity, and the Dickinson perhaps took over the larger building that later became the Klock.
The building was constructed between 1892 and 1899. It was a dry goods store up through the 1912 map. The 1914-15 AMPD lists the Crescent at 408, which is either an error, or indicates that it was originally further west. The 1926 Yearbook lists the capacity as 500.
Demolished years ago. There’s a prefab shed there now.
SethG
commented about
Air Domeon
Apr 28, 2025 at 10:43 am
It appears that the indoor theater was indeed the Milton. Looking at my photos of the Auditorium, it seems that the south wall is partially the remains of the Milton.
The history is incomplete. There was a theater at 406 by June 1912. The building was a two story brick structure, and was constructed sometime after 1905.
The history is rather complicated, and the 1923 and 1942 Sanborns are not online. It’s entirely possible this theater closed for some time at least once. Below is what I have put together.
Fredonia does not appear in the 1914-15 AMPD, but the 1926 Yearbook lists an Orpheum (no capacity, perhaps closed?). The 1940 Yearbook lists a Klock with 350, a New People’s (closed) with 350, and a Whiteway at 300 (this theater is listed at least as far back as 1933, when the Orpheum is listed as closed). It’s possible this last became the Kansan, since the 1941 Yearbook lists the Kansan (300), and 4-H (350, closed).
The 1945 Yearbook still lists the Kansan with 300 seats, and a Strand with 350. The 1952 Yearbook lists 462. The building must have been extensively remodeled at some point.
In 1947, the the Kansan and 4-H were operated by H.J. Griffith Theaters, Inc., based in Kansas City, MO. In 1948 the Kansan and Strand were operated by Theater Enterprises, Inc., based in Dallas.
Whatever the actual history, this theater was demolished many years ago, and replaced with a crummy prefab shed which houses the local paper.
It is possible that the second location was in the northern half of the Henderson’s building, which today is the American Legion. I found a postcard which shows some sort of attraction board on the sidewalk, and what looks like a recessed entry. The cars pictured date to the teens through maybe the mid-‘20s, so I can’t be sure. Erie had a pleasant and fairly dense downtown up until at least the early '60s. It’s a real dump now.
This should be split into three listings. They are three separate addresses, and have different histories. I suspect that at least two of these locations are demolished. Unfortunately the 1912 map is the last available online. The 1926 listing for the Doric gives the capacity as 450.
This is the only theater listed in the 1914-15 AMPD, so it was showing movies at that point. The 1916 map calls it an opera house, the 1932 map calls it a Latter Day Saints theater and hall.
Found an old postcard showing a theater here before the Idle Hour shown in the photos. The original theater was in a two story brick storefront constructed sometime before 1886. The 1907 map shows a hardware store/tin shop there. That theater would have occupied the northern half of the lot that the current theater occupies. In the initial configuration, the shopfront was intact, and there are movie posters propped in the display windows. There was a simple vertical sign reading ‘Theatre’.
The confusing part is saying where the Idle Hour was. The buildings at 206 and 208 were very different in design. Looking at the photos, it appears that the Idle Hour may have been in 206, the southern building of the pair, although it’s possible that the two buildings had similar iron columns.
I think the Idle Hour was probably replaced by the current building. The iron column on the left side matches with the old photo, but this building appears to be wider.
The 1914-15 AMPD lists the Idle Hour and Electric. The 1926 Yearbook lists only a 250 seat Strand. There was apparently also a New somewhere in town. The 1924 map should be available on the LoC site, but they haven’t scanned it. The previous map is from 1907, and is no help, although it shows a second floor opera house (Van Werden’s) which might have been the Electric and or New. That building was on the SW corner of Main and 1st (previously Commercial). It’s long gone.
The building was constructed in 1902, after a fire destroyed most of the south side of the square. The NRHP listing has a theater here from 1924, although it’s a bit confused since each half was originally its own space. It seems as if the theater may have started at 312 (the west half), in 1924, and by 1927 been expanded to include 314 as well. The history makes no mention of an Oak Theater, under any address.
Schweser’s was a Midwestern chain of small department stores, not women’s boutiques. They may have been responsible for the unattractive 1971 storefront. The chain has been defunct for some time. This is now a dance studio.
The building was constructed in 1900, and was initially the offices of the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Co. The east side of the building was later an implement dealership and a marble works before becoming the theater.
The address was 406-408 N 3rd St. The Opera House appears on the Dec. 1908 map, but it may have been recently completed, and not open yet. There is a large nondescript one story building there now.
Wilupp (one L and 2 Ps, although the AMPD spells it wrong under both towns) seemed conceivable. Since Woodbine is so close, it could have been owned by the same person.
But it appears that it was an error, and Hupp is the name for this one.
The addition on the side, which appears to have become the theater at some point, did not exist in 1913. It also appears from some of the pictures that this was Beck’s Theatre initially. The address for that portion would have been 705. That part of the building has been very badly preserved, and is covered in cheap plywood paneling and a garage door.
There was also a Gem elsewhere in town in the 1914-15 AMPD. Nothing on the 1913 map for that, so I assume it opened sometime in 1914. It seems that this building was still partly around in 2006. I found a photo showing the butchered remains of the south wall frankensteined onto a raw plywood mess. It was a bar at that point.
Depending on the definition, this has not been demolished. 105 and 107 were combined under one facade to form the Veeder Building. The NRHP listing says this happened ‘around 1940’, so it’s possible that the theater could still have been operating in 1943. Looking at the satellite view, it’s obvious that behind the facade there are two separate buildings.
This building was originally constructed sometime between 1885 and 1890. The 1905 map shows tea and coffee sold here. The theater was open by January, 1910. The building had been enlarged between 1902 and 1905 to add a storeroom at the rear. It was remodeled again by the time the theater moved in. The theater had closed by July 1916, when the map notes this space as ‘To Be Office’.
The building was vacant as of 2022.
The dates here are a bit off. According to the NRHP listing for downtown, this building was constructed in 1931, replacing the Enterprise Block, a two-story building from between 1885 and 1890 (the listing actually says the building was modified, but this is so much larger and deeper that it’s doubtful anything was retained from the older building). It was an Odd Fellows lodge, and I suppose you could call the style Art Deco. The theater was likely located on the left side of the building, as the storefront on the right appears original.
The Mainstreet (listed as one word) appears in the 1932 Yearbook with 433 seats. The capacity is the same in 1940, but by 1945 it is listed at 400. The 1954 listing has the name as two words, and the capacity as 397. The theater does not appear in the 1955 listings.
The KS Historical Resources Inventory suggests a date of 1915 for this building. It is definitely not on the 1912 map. They also refer to it as the J.H. Martin General Store, and it certainly has the appearance of a large store.
David’s information on the Crescent listing suggests this may have first been the Princess (as it is roughly 1 ½ blocks west of the Crescent). The Princess was open at least from 1926 with 400 seats. It is last listed in 1929. It’s possible of course that it was elsewhere, as the Crescent had 500 seats, and this is a larger building.
The Dickinson is only listed twice. In 1930 it’s listed with 500 seats, and in 1931 it’s listed with 652. The Klock did not open in 1936. It is listed starting in 1932, with 1,000 seats.
The Crescent did not close in 1926. It is listed through 1931, and listed as closed in 1932. The 1930 Yearbook does not list the Crescent, but lists a Dickinson with 500 seats. By 1931, the Crescent is listed at 400, the capacity of the old Princess, and the Dickinson is listed at 652. I’m not sure what happened. The Crescent name may have moved, or they reduced their capacity, and the Dickinson perhaps took over the larger building that later became the Klock.
The building was constructed between 1892 and 1899. It was a dry goods store up through the 1912 map. The 1914-15 AMPD lists the Crescent at 408, which is either an error, or indicates that it was originally further west. The 1926 Yearbook lists the capacity as 500.
Demolished years ago. There’s a prefab shed there now.
It appears that the indoor theater was indeed the Milton. Looking at my photos of the Auditorium, it seems that the south wall is partially the remains of the Milton.
The history is incomplete. There was a theater at 406 by June 1912. The building was a two story brick structure, and was constructed sometime after 1905.
The history is rather complicated, and the 1923 and 1942 Sanborns are not online. It’s entirely possible this theater closed for some time at least once. Below is what I have put together.
Fredonia does not appear in the 1914-15 AMPD, but the 1926 Yearbook lists an Orpheum (no capacity, perhaps closed?). The 1940 Yearbook lists a Klock with 350, a New People’s (closed) with 350, and a Whiteway at 300 (this theater is listed at least as far back as 1933, when the Orpheum is listed as closed). It’s possible this last became the Kansan, since the 1941 Yearbook lists the Kansan (300), and 4-H (350, closed).
The 1945 Yearbook still lists the Kansan with 300 seats, and a Strand with 350. The 1952 Yearbook lists 462. The building must have been extensively remodeled at some point.
In 1947, the the Kansan and 4-H were operated by H.J. Griffith Theaters, Inc., based in Kansas City, MO. In 1948 the Kansan and Strand were operated by Theater Enterprises, Inc., based in Dallas.
Whatever the actual history, this theater was demolished many years ago, and replaced with a crummy prefab shed which houses the local paper.
It is possible that the second location was in the northern half of the Henderson’s building, which today is the American Legion. I found a postcard which shows some sort of attraction board on the sidewalk, and what looks like a recessed entry. The cars pictured date to the teens through maybe the mid-‘20s, so I can’t be sure. Erie had a pleasant and fairly dense downtown up until at least the early '60s. It’s a real dump now.
This should be split into three listings. They are three separate addresses, and have different histories. I suspect that at least two of these locations are demolished. Unfortunately the 1912 map is the last available online. The 1926 listing for the Doric gives the capacity as 450.
Thanks Joe. As long as they listed it as closed, they were technically correct!
This is the only theater listed in the 1914-15 AMPD, so it was showing movies at that point. The 1916 map calls it an opera house, the 1932 map calls it a Latter Day Saints theater and hall.
Found an old postcard showing a theater here before the Idle Hour shown in the photos. The original theater was in a two story brick storefront constructed sometime before 1886. The 1907 map shows a hardware store/tin shop there. That theater would have occupied the northern half of the lot that the current theater occupies. In the initial configuration, the shopfront was intact, and there are movie posters propped in the display windows. There was a simple vertical sign reading ‘Theatre’.
The confusing part is saying where the Idle Hour was. The buildings at 206 and 208 were very different in design. Looking at the photos, it appears that the Idle Hour may have been in 206, the southern building of the pair, although it’s possible that the two buildings had similar iron columns.
I think the Idle Hour was probably replaced by the current building. The iron column on the left side matches with the old photo, but this building appears to be wider.
The 1914-15 AMPD lists the Idle Hour and Electric. The 1926 Yearbook lists only a 250 seat Strand. There was apparently also a New somewhere in town. The 1924 map should be available on the LoC site, but they haven’t scanned it. The previous map is from 1907, and is no help, although it shows a second floor opera house (Van Werden’s) which might have been the Electric and or New. That building was on the SW corner of Main and 1st (previously Commercial). It’s long gone.
Website: https://scittheatre.square.site/ The latest streetview shows the marquee gone.
I’ve added an older photo of mine, as well as 1908 and 1914 Sanborns showing how the arrangement changed.
The building was constructed in 1902, after a fire destroyed most of the south side of the square. The NRHP listing has a theater here from 1924, although it’s a bit confused since each half was originally its own space. It seems as if the theater may have started at 312 (the west half), in 1924, and by 1927 been expanded to include 314 as well. The history makes no mention of an Oak Theater, under any address.
Schweser’s was a Midwestern chain of small department stores, not women’s boutiques. They may have been responsible for the unattractive 1971 storefront. The chain has been defunct for some time. This is now a dance studio.
The building was constructed in 1900, and was initially the offices of the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Co. The east side of the building was later an implement dealership and a marble works before becoming the theater.
The address was 406-408 N 3rd St. The Opera House appears on the Dec. 1908 map, but it may have been recently completed, and not open yet. There is a large nondescript one story building there now.
Wilupp (one L and 2 Ps, although the AMPD spells it wrong under both towns) seemed conceivable. Since Woodbine is so close, it could have been owned by the same person.
But it appears that it was an error, and Hupp is the name for this one.
The addition on the side, which appears to have become the theater at some point, did not exist in 1913. It also appears from some of the pictures that this was Beck’s Theatre initially. The address for that portion would have been 705. That part of the building has been very badly preserved, and is covered in cheap plywood paneling and a garage door.
If this theater was still open in 1926, it was the Idle Hour. The 1930 map is unavailable online, which makes it hard to say.
There was also a Gem elsewhere in town in the 1914-15 AMPD. Nothing on the 1913 map for that, so I assume it opened sometime in 1914. It seems that this building was still partly around in 2006. I found a photo showing the butchered remains of the south wall frankensteined onto a raw plywood mess. It was a bar at that point.
I hadn’t noticed until the reopening ad was posted, but the address is completely wrong. It should be 154 Calle de San Justo.