Comments from SethG

Showing 301 - 325 of 1,737 comments

SethG
SethG commented about Maple Theatre on May 8, 2024 at 1:05 pm

This still looked like an old theater in 2009, but has been absolutely butchered, and now sports a trashy sheet metal facade. It’s a phone/cable TV store.

SethG
SethG commented about Princess Theatre on May 8, 2024 at 12:54 pm

I’m not quite sure what the post above refers to when discussing the location, but the opera house was located about where the Century Link telephone building is today. It appears through 1915 as a large wooden building, not terribly tall, but quite wide.

SethG
SethG commented about State Theatre vertical sign on the left, circa 1930 photo courtesy Emily Johnson Bonnema‎. on May 8, 2024 at 6:16 am

Looks like a ‘34 DeSoto Airflow on the left, so this can’t have been any earlier than that.

SethG
SethG commented about State Theatre on May 8, 2024 at 6:07 am

The address is wrong, and this has been demolished. It was never a True Value. The distinctive Odd Fellows building makes it easy to place. It was at 103 E Main. Judging from the dumpy little building on the corner today, this was probably demolished by the early ‘80s. The building in the photo seems to have replaced a general store on the 1917 map.

SethG
SethG commented about Florence Theatre on May 8, 2024 at 5:53 am

There’s far too much speculation here. There definitely was never anything on Jackson. It’s all residential except the water tower. All businesses were on Main, except for a few on Douglas, and some industrial stuff up by the railroad.

SethG
SethG commented about Theatre on May 2, 2024 at 5:16 am

One of the other theaters may have been an old wooden GAR hall/Opera House located to the rear of this building, facing 2nd St. Still there in 1917, but long ago demolished. It would have extended under some of the gray metal building on Hemlock.

SethG
SethG commented about Coyote Twin Theatre on Apr 28, 2024 at 1:23 pm

Sad that this is such a drab mess now compared to the Co-Ed’s gorgeous virtrolite facade. Strangely, this building seems to have been an early theater with a brief run. It was constructed between 1903 and 1912, when the map shows a ‘Cheap Theatre’ here. The 1923 map shows this building as a store with a dance hall on the 2nd floor.

SethG
SethG commented about Vermillion Theater on Apr 28, 2024 at 12:40 pm

This seems to have become a live performance venue in 2023.

SethG
SethG commented about Vermillion Theater on Apr 28, 2024 at 11:14 am

I wonder if this wasn’t the first Coyote? The 2001 NRHP listing shows this theater with an older marquee. Unfortunately the picture is very poorly reproduced, but it appears to be rectangular. If that’s true, this operated since sometime around 1940.

SethG
SethG commented about Vermillion Theater on Apr 28, 2024 at 10:56 am

Website is wrong, it refers to the Coyote. Despite the old-fashioned location, the building, which was constructed in 1885, does not seem to have been an early theater. Maps through 1923 show stores here.

SethG
SethG commented about March Theater on Apr 28, 2024 at 10:46 am

Address is wrong. Not sure why there is no information in the listing, but the city hall seems to have been built between 1903 and 1912, replacing an older 3 story version with a smaller footprint. It might have been a remodel of the older structure, which had been built between 1883 and 1892. That also had an opera house. The 1912 map just calls it an opera house, but the 1923 map shows the City Theatre. The 1905 Cahn guide gives a capacity of 775, and calls it the Grand Opera House. It’s not clear if the new building then existed, but 350 seems very low for such a big building.

The proper address is 21 E Main, which is now the site of a nasty ‘70s or '80s bank building.

SethG
SethG commented about Vogue Theatre on Apr 28, 2024 at 7:18 am

Judging by the scar left on the building to the south, this was only one story with a false front. It may have been a remodel of a clothing store that’s on the 1917 (not 1916, my goof) map. We know the theater was still open in 1961, because of the photo supplied.

SethG
SethG commented about Vogue Theatre on Apr 28, 2024 at 7:13 am

Was demolished long ago, it definitely was not there in 2009, or I’d have a picture.

SethG
SethG commented about Vogue Theatre on Apr 27, 2024 at 5:07 pm

Since this very poor listing only supplied a bad address, all I can add is that this theater was not there on the 1916 map. No later maps available online.

SethG
SethG commented about Vogue Theatre on Apr 27, 2024 at 5:04 pm

Address is absolutely wrong. There’s almost nothing on Main St. This was at 109 or possibly 111 N 3rd. It’s now a vacant lot south of the newspaper office.

SethG
SethG commented about Barrymore Theatre on Apr 27, 2024 at 4:18 pm

There definitely was no building where the Barrymore is in the early 1900s, but that doesn’t prove anything either way. If the Emmert did not burn or something, the Barrymore is almost certainly separate. The current facade for the Barrymore definitely dates to the 1930s. It’s used as a senior center. The address would be 102 or 104 E 2nd.

SethG
SethG commented about Downtown Cinema on Apr 24, 2024 at 8:35 am

Closed July of 1975. This was built from the start as a theater, the May 1916 map shows that corner empty. Site is now a desolate little park.

SethG
SethG commented about Egyptian Theatre on Apr 24, 2024 at 8:31 am

Closed 1961, demolished 1963, to add to the giant desert of surface parking that makes up about half of downtown.

SethG
SethG commented about Capitol Theatre on Apr 22, 2024 at 1:51 pm

This was one of the first theaters in town. The building was very old, and dated to before 1883. The theater was the northernmost storefront in a two story brick building. The 1902 map shows the Daily Press and print shop operating there, but the August 1908 map shows the theater. The building on the corner, and at least part of the building containing the theater were demolished around 1918 for the bank building which is still on the corner. The theater probably would have been either right next door to the bank or one door further north. It’s now a parking lot.

SethG
SethG commented about Time Theater on Apr 20, 2024 at 7:03 am

The fire was a lot earlier, and seems to have ‘closed’ the theater. This portion of the building was demolished afterward, and an ugly little one story storefront replaced it. The incident in 2016 was the collapse of the old building on the corner. The theater was never converted into a nightclub, it was demolished after the fire. The other 2/3 of the building was incorporated into the bar, and given a disgusting dryvit remodel.

SethG
SethG commented about Cozy Theatre on Apr 20, 2024 at 6:59 am

Should be ‘Cozy’ within the listing, not ‘Cosy’, unless that was an aka.

SethG
SethG commented about Theatre on Apr 20, 2024 at 6:58 am

That makes sense. This was not a big town, and having two across the street from each other was silly.

SethG
SethG commented about Time Theater on Apr 18, 2024 at 9:47 am

This should be listed as demolished. It was probably demolished after the fire. The ugly little one story building on the site of the theater, which used a 130 address, has itself now been demolished. The remainder of the building has had the tacky and awful remodel stripped off, revealing the tile facade. There is a typo in the listing, saying it was the Olympic in 1915. That should be Olympia.

SethG
SethG commented about Iowa Theatre on Apr 17, 2024 at 12:42 pm

From an old postcard, it’s clear a third floor was added. The second floor had very ornate hoodmoldings that appear to be brick, while the third floor had much simple and taller windows. There was a pent tile roof, under which hung large globe light fixtures.

SethG
SethG commented about Iowa Theatre on Apr 17, 2024 at 11:48 am

The front was much older. First built between 1892 and 1896, as a two story triple storefront for a wholesale grocer. By 1901 it was either enlarged or replaced with a building of the same shape, but three stories.