The Ingalls' Opera House was at 205 North 2nd St. and was transformed into a recreation center and then a farm implement store in the 1940s. The Crystal / Greene Theatre was at a different location listed above.
The Greene Theatre’s last day was October 21, 1955 with “Man Without a Star.”
The Grand Theatre became the Family Theatre on August 25, 1915 with “The Shooting of Dan McGrew.” In August of 1918, the Family became the Garden Theatre.
The Garden Theatre conducted a name change contest announcing on January 21, 1922 the switch to the Rialto Theatre. The Rialto ceased showing movies on August 19, 1928 opting not to convert to sound and doing limited live events.
Under new operators, a five year lease was signed and the theatre was relaunched as the Royal Theatre on February 24, 1929. Silent presentations didn’t draw crowds and the Royal closed in August of 1929.
It became a church in 1932 through September of 1935. On September 25, 1935 it relaunched as the Capitol Theatre with “One More Night of Love.” The Capitol closed at the end of May of 1938.
On Christmas Day, 1938, it relaunched as the Iowa Theatre. The theatre closed July 4, 1961 with Glenn Ford in “The Americano” & Judy Canova in “The WAC from Walla Walla”.
The long-standing Odd Fellows building was purchased in 1927 for theatrical use. The venue was now steel enforced and launched December 15, 1927 with “Alias, the Lone Wolf” as the Mack Theatre. On April 6, 1932, the theatre became the Elwood Theatre.
The last film at the Elwood Theatre was “American Werewolf in London” on December 3, 1981. Scheduled showings of “Carbon Copy” starting the next day were not shown as the theatre closed abruptly.
After standing empty for several years, the Elmwood auditorium was gutted and twinned. The Elmwood Twin Cinema brought movies back to the city. The auditoriums were labeled Cinema East and Cinema West. The venue launched November 21, 1984 with “Gremlins” and “Ghostbusters.” But indifference was the reaction as the theatre closed March 15, 1988 with “Critical Condition”, “The Golden Child” and “Lady and the Tramp”.
The building was used for live theatre in 1990 before falling into disuse again. On June 17, 2000, the roof collapsed taking part of the side wall without injuries. The building was demolished later that year.
Note: The Lyric Theatre was located across the street at 1529 Main according to the local newspapers and not here. The Classic Theatre was also on the opposite side of the street.
To clarify the theatre timeline: the Liberty Theatre had its grand opening on March 13, 1911 (this venue). Salt Lake’s original Gem Theatre had its grand opening at 318 South State Street on September 28, 1907 but was an early casualty in the store show era.
The Liberty became the Gem Theatre on November 2, 1919 with “Broken Blossoms.” After closing following WW2, the Gem was reopened on August 31, 1951. It appears to have closed in November of 1967. A year later it was demolished.
The Zakoor Brothers (Richard and George) opened the Princess playing Edison films in the early Nickelodeon era. Chatham residents appreciated slapstick comedies and the Zakoors had to modernize fairly quickly to accommodate the patrons. They transformed the Princess in 1911 to a 520-seat modern theatre with mirrored screen. It was a success.
Canadian Paramount Circuit took on the Princess Theatre still managed by the Zakoors creating a new Princess Theatre at the same site and reusing the same signage launching in December of 1920. Canadian Paramount operation then transformed to Famous Players Circuit.
Under Famous Players, the theater had a major fire in 1926. The Princess was rebuilt in 1926 with William Dineen of Famous Players handling the new interior. Famous Players also operated the Griffin Theatre in Chatham in the silent era. The Capitol replaced the Griffin while the Princess gravitated to sound with both theaters now managed by A.P. Drohan. The Princess likely closed in 1939 under the Hanson Theatre Corporation Circuit.
This venue served as the second home to the Alhambra Theatre launching December 24, 1913. In 1938, the Vogue Theatre of 1914 moved to the Alhambra’s spot around 1938. Next up was the Royal Princess Theatre on December 15, 1960 until 1963. It finished as Elwood’s State Theatre launching December 27, 1964 and ceasing in February of 1965. A demolition photo from 1973 may be the end of the line for the building.
The operators of the Majestic Theatre in Klamath Falls appear to have moved to the Sparks Theatre in this building. The Sparks Theter re-launched in October 26, 1912 as the Star Theatre.
Wallace E. Hance was the architect of the Polonia Theatre which launched March 1, 1915 likely on a five-year lease. In 1920, the Polonia closed to expand to a 1,000 seat house reopening on December 23, 1920.
Less than two years later, the Polonia was auctioned off by the sheriff’s department in October of 1922. The new owners rebranded as the Avenue Theatre on January 20, 1923. Carrying the roots of the Polonia nameplate, Polish language films were shown when the the theatre transitioned to sound.
Mrs. John B. Spahn won a $5 cash prize in a 1936 contest to rename the theatre which went for a streamlined makeover. It relaunched November 2, 1936 as her suggested Ace Theatre. The Ace Theatre was shuttered for a laundry list of code violations on January 4, 1963.
In 1963, Topkia Construction was brought in to refresh and correct code issues to the theatre. It relaunched in its final state as the Capri Art Theatre on February 15, 1963. The city passed a dubious ordinance which put the onus on the operator to validate the non-offensive nature of the films shown which led the operator to cease operations on February 28, 1970.
The theatre was purchased at auction for $5,000 and demolished for a proposed auto-bank in February of 1973.
The Theato lasted until 1916 which is a good run for a theatre of that era. The parent company for Howell Graham’s operation, the Mountain City Amusement Company which operated the Theato, Alhambra, Colonial and Crescent in Chattanooga went bankrupt in 1916 and the theaters were dispersed.
There were two Madison Theatres – one in the silent era and one in the sound era. This entry is the silent-era Madison which began as the Grand Theatre.
J.E. Sherwood and F.J. McWilliams launched the silent era Grand Theatre at 204-6 State Street in 1910 after their neighboring Fair-Play Theatre (208-212 State Street) had success. The Fair-Play (sometimes Fairplay) was discontinued during World War I. Sherwood and McWilliams sold the Grand to F.W. Fischer of Fischer Paramount Circuit in 1922.
Fischer tasked architect Philip Dean to refresh the theatre under a working name of Fischer’s New Madison Theatre shortened to Madison Theatre at opening. The theatre relaunched with its new moniker with “My American Wife” on March 8, 1923. Audiences were impressed with the now 900 seat theatre which featured a pipe organ on hydraulic lift.
But times changed quickly in downtown Madison especially with the neighboring New Orpheum and Capitol opening in 1927 and 1928. Fischer would drop the Madison Theatre never converting to sound in 1928. The Madison would be gutted for a retail furrier store in 1929. Its nameplate would be re-used for an existing theatre, the Garrick at 113-5 Minona now Martin Luther King.
The Colonial Theatre opened in 1900. It was refurbished slightly with another grand re-opening in 1909. As the Esquire Theatre, it closed September 25, 1960 with “Ocean’s 11”. A salvage sale was conducted two months later with the theatre razed in 1961.
The local paper reports that Elmer Keeler of Howard C. Crane drew the plans for the 1939-era Gladmer Theatre. The original Buck’s Opera House (May 1873) / Baird’s Opera House (1990) / Gladmer Theatre (1910) ended its run in March of 1939 with “St. Louis Blues.”
Following a salvage sale, the theatre was ripped out in May of 1939 – minus perhaps two walls – and replaced by the new Gladmer Theatre. That theatre opened October 12, 1939 with “Cafe Society” for the Butterfield Circuit. It ended after a 20-year lease lapsed on March 25, 1979 with “The Bermuda Triangle.” The theatre was offered for sale in 1979 remaining empty until finally sold in 1984 which led to its razing.
The theatre was largely an African American theatre though became segregated in 1959. Its continuous film run was interrupted in the early 1960s becoming the Lakeside Baptist Church in the 1963 before returning for an ill-fated cinematic run at decade’s end. It finished its run as the Ritz Cinema with Blaxploitation double features in the 1970s. Appears to have closed after the operator was murdered on November 1, 1974.
Saenger Bros. launched the Queen Theatre in the Simon Building on June 7, 1912. The silent-era theatre used promotions such as “$10 to anyone who can find a cooler auditorium” than the Queen’s. But it didn’t work and the Queen was abdicated in favor of a grocery store. The final showing was “The Woman with Four Faces” on October 31, 1923.
After Y&W dropped the theatre, Christina Burnett of the Fountain Theatre relaunched the Idaho converting to widesreen in 1955. The Idaho closed after a July 6, 1958 showing of “Witness of the Prosecution” and “The Dalton Gals.” The space was converted the next month to the long-running Club Idaho closing in 1978 and followed by the Recess Club and Jubilation in the 1980s.
The DeKalb County Historical Society fills in some blanks here. The Waldo Opera House was built in 1908. The Opera House / Waldo Theatre was on the upper floor with Beaty Grocery on the main floor. The address would be 101-5 South 4th Street at Cedar. High school graduations took place there from 1909-1930. Long after its usefulness, the building collapsed in the 1990s and its remnants removed.
The Cook Opera House opened on January 14, 1892 with “Pinafore” live. In addition to opera and live stage plays, circuses and mostly vaudeville entertained locals. By 1909, the building was already considered passé and the offerings were moved to the nearby Temple Theatre. But the Opera House’s days were far from over.
On October 12, 1912, the Cook Opera House landed the Keith Vaudeville Circuit and changed its name to the Family Theatre likely with a 25-year lease. Under the leadership of the Fenyvessy Bros., the Family Theatre attracted top live acts.
By the early 1920s, films were a part of the vaudeville presentation at the Family. By the end of 1924, the Family Theatre had converted to full time film presentation. The Family would convert to sound. But by that time, the theatre was badly dated and appears ceased operations in 1932 ending Fas a ten cent sub-run theatre. As the lease lapsed in 1937, the Fenyvessy Bros. moved on and E.M. Loew of Boston was the next operator.
Reinforcing the building with steel and refurbishing took place, the Embassy Theatre launched on January 9, 1937 as a second-run house with “Earthworm Tractors” and “Rose Marie.” The theatre founds its audience with burlesque which ran there until 1952. A farewell performance with Rose la Rose occurred in 1952 and the Embassy appears to have closed despite promises to reopen.
The theatre was slated for demolition in 1959 but that was halted due to issues regarding the neighboring business. A small fire led to exterior changes to the theatre in 1962. A project called Canaltown looked to refurbish the theatre in 1973. But in the money raising period, the theatre was decimated by a May 17, 1974 fire ending the building’s tenure downtown.
The Dixie Theatre launched in 1928. The theatre converted to sound in 1930 and was taken over by the Schine Circuit in 1932. Schine dropped the theatre in 1949 which reopened in 1950 under a subleasing agreement with independent operation. The Dixie completed its run in 1956 showing Spanish language films. It was auctioned off with eight other Schine Theatres in 1958. Its pipe organ and all other items were sold shortly thereafter when the theatre was converted to an apartment complex in 1959.
Opened as the Thurston Theatre on December 6. 1925 by Burpee & West Circuit. The theatre was a late adopter of sound converting to sound in 1931 relaunching Sept. 5, 1931 as the West End Theatre. On January 30, 1962, it became the Coronet Theatre.
In its latter years, the Coronet did well beginning in 1978 with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” But in the multiplex era, the Coronet struggled and a shift to art cinema stalled with competition from other art cinemas. The Coronet closed on April 11, 1984 after a screening of “Ernesto.”
The Temple Theatre launched on December 6, 1907. The final show at the RKO Temple Theatre was May 7, 1951 with “Bandit Queen.” Plans to reopen the Temple by the operators of the Capitol on a month to month basis fell apart in 1952. The theatre was demolished in November of 1952 for a parking lot. (The theatre’s closing date has been confused with Schine’s Temple Theatre in Fairport which barely outsurvived the RKO Temple.)
The Ingalls' Opera House was at 205 North 2nd St. and was transformed into a recreation center and then a farm implement store in the 1940s. The Crystal / Greene Theatre was at a different location listed above.
The Greene Theatre’s last day was October 21, 1955 with “Man Without a Star.”
The Grand Theatre became the Family Theatre on August 25, 1915 with “The Shooting of Dan McGrew.” In August of 1918, the Family became the Garden Theatre.
The Garden Theatre conducted a name change contest announcing on January 21, 1922 the switch to the Rialto Theatre. The Rialto ceased showing movies on August 19, 1928 opting not to convert to sound and doing limited live events.
Under new operators, a five year lease was signed and the theatre was relaunched as the Royal Theatre on February 24, 1929. Silent presentations didn’t draw crowds and the Royal closed in August of 1929.
It became a church in 1932 through September of 1935. On September 25, 1935 it relaunched as the Capitol Theatre with “One More Night of Love.” The Capitol closed at the end of May of 1938.
On Christmas Day, 1938, it relaunched as the Iowa Theatre. The theatre closed July 4, 1961 with Glenn Ford in “The Americano” & Judy Canova in “The WAC from Walla Walla”.
Previous – Royal Theatre
Other use – Church
The Iowa Theatre replaced the silent-era Lyric Theatre in Sheldon opening in 1929.
The actual timeline is much closer to this:
The long-standing Odd Fellows building was purchased in 1927 for theatrical use. The venue was now steel enforced and launched December 15, 1927 with “Alias, the Lone Wolf” as the Mack Theatre. On April 6, 1932, the theatre became the Elwood Theatre.
The last film at the Elwood Theatre was “American Werewolf in London” on December 3, 1981. Scheduled showings of “Carbon Copy” starting the next day were not shown as the theatre closed abruptly.
After standing empty for several years, the Elmwood auditorium was gutted and twinned. The Elmwood Twin Cinema brought movies back to the city. The auditoriums were labeled Cinema East and Cinema West. The venue launched November 21, 1984 with “Gremlins” and “Ghostbusters.” But indifference was the reaction as the theatre closed March 15, 1988 with “Critical Condition”, “The Golden Child” and “Lady and the Tramp”.
The building was used for live theatre in 1990 before falling into disuse again. On June 17, 2000, the roof collapsed taking part of the side wall without injuries. The building was demolished later that year.
Note: The Lyric Theatre was located across the street at 1529 Main according to the local newspapers and not here. The Classic Theatre was also on the opposite side of the street.
To clarify the theatre timeline: the Liberty Theatre had its grand opening on March 13, 1911 (this venue). Salt Lake’s original Gem Theatre had its grand opening at 318 South State Street on September 28, 1907 but was an early casualty in the store show era.
The Liberty became the Gem Theatre on November 2, 1919 with “Broken Blossoms.” After closing following WW2, the Gem was reopened on August 31, 1951. It appears to have closed in November of 1967. A year later it was demolished.
The Zakoor Brothers (Richard and George) opened the Princess playing Edison films in the early Nickelodeon era. Chatham residents appreciated slapstick comedies and the Zakoors had to modernize fairly quickly to accommodate the patrons. They transformed the Princess in 1911 to a 520-seat modern theatre with mirrored screen. It was a success.
Canadian Paramount Circuit took on the Princess Theatre still managed by the Zakoors creating a new Princess Theatre at the same site and reusing the same signage launching in December of 1920. Canadian Paramount operation then transformed to Famous Players Circuit.
Under Famous Players, the theater had a major fire in 1926. The Princess was rebuilt in 1926 with William Dineen of Famous Players handling the new interior. Famous Players also operated the Griffin Theatre in Chatham in the silent era. The Capitol replaced the Griffin while the Princess gravitated to sound with both theaters now managed by A.P. Drohan. The Princess likely closed in 1939 under the Hanson Theatre Corporation Circuit.
This venue served as the second home to the Alhambra Theatre launching December 24, 1913. In 1938, the Vogue Theatre of 1914 moved to the Alhambra’s spot around 1938. Next up was the Royal Princess Theatre on December 15, 1960 until 1963. It finished as Elwood’s State Theatre launching December 27, 1964 and ceasing in February of 1965. A demolition photo from 1973 may be the end of the line for the building.
The operators of the Majestic Theatre in Klamath Falls appear to have moved to the Sparks Theatre in this building. The Sparks Theter re-launched in October 26, 1912 as the Star Theatre.
Just to flesh out some information:
Wallace E. Hance was the architect of the Polonia Theatre which launched March 1, 1915 likely on a five-year lease. In 1920, the Polonia closed to expand to a 1,000 seat house reopening on December 23, 1920.
Less than two years later, the Polonia was auctioned off by the sheriff’s department in October of 1922. The new owners rebranded as the Avenue Theatre on January 20, 1923. Carrying the roots of the Polonia nameplate, Polish language films were shown when the the theatre transitioned to sound.
Mrs. John B. Spahn won a $5 cash prize in a 1936 contest to rename the theatre which went for a streamlined makeover. It relaunched November 2, 1936 as her suggested Ace Theatre. The Ace Theatre was shuttered for a laundry list of code violations on January 4, 1963.
In 1963, Topkia Construction was brought in to refresh and correct code issues to the theatre. It relaunched in its final state as the Capri Art Theatre on February 15, 1963. The city passed a dubious ordinance which put the onus on the operator to validate the non-offensive nature of the films shown which led the operator to cease operations on February 28, 1970.
The theatre was purchased at auction for $5,000 and demolished for a proposed auto-bank in February of 1973.
The original Alaska was a 250 seat theatre operated by People’s Amusement Company.
The Theato lasted until 1916 which is a good run for a theatre of that era. The parent company for Howell Graham’s operation, the Mountain City Amusement Company which operated the Theato, Alhambra, Colonial and Crescent in Chattanooga went bankrupt in 1916 and the theaters were dispersed.
There were two Madison Theatres – one in the silent era and one in the sound era. This entry is the silent-era Madison which began as the Grand Theatre.
J.E. Sherwood and F.J. McWilliams launched the silent era Grand Theatre at 204-6 State Street in 1910 after their neighboring Fair-Play Theatre (208-212 State Street) had success. The Fair-Play (sometimes Fairplay) was discontinued during World War I. Sherwood and McWilliams sold the Grand to F.W. Fischer of Fischer Paramount Circuit in 1922.
Fischer tasked architect Philip Dean to refresh the theatre under a working name of Fischer’s New Madison Theatre shortened to Madison Theatre at opening. The theatre relaunched with its new moniker with “My American Wife” on March 8, 1923. Audiences were impressed with the now 900 seat theatre which featured a pipe organ on hydraulic lift.
But times changed quickly in downtown Madison especially with the neighboring New Orpheum and Capitol opening in 1927 and 1928. Fischer would drop the Madison Theatre never converting to sound in 1928. The Madison would be gutted for a retail furrier store in 1929. Its nameplate would be re-used for an existing theatre, the Garrick at 113-5 Minona now Martin Luther King.
Final day of operation on December 31, 1973 with “Paper Moon” & “Play it Again, Sam”. At 50 cents, it was a bargain.
The Colonial Theatre opened in 1900. It was refurbished slightly with another grand re-opening in 1909. As the Esquire Theatre, it closed September 25, 1960 with “Ocean’s 11”. A salvage sale was conducted two months later with the theatre razed in 1961.
The local paper reports that Elmer Keeler of Howard C. Crane drew the plans for the 1939-era Gladmer Theatre. The original Buck’s Opera House (May 1873) / Baird’s Opera House (1990) / Gladmer Theatre (1910) ended its run in March of 1939 with “St. Louis Blues.”
Following a salvage sale, the theatre was ripped out in May of 1939 – minus perhaps two walls – and replaced by the new Gladmer Theatre. That theatre opened October 12, 1939 with “Cafe Society” for the Butterfield Circuit. It ended after a 20-year lease lapsed on March 25, 1979 with “The Bermuda Triangle.” The theatre was offered for sale in 1979 remaining empty until finally sold in 1984 which led to its razing.
The theatre was largely an African American theatre though became segregated in 1959. Its continuous film run was interrupted in the early 1960s becoming the Lakeside Baptist Church in the 1963 before returning for an ill-fated cinematic run at decade’s end. It finished its run as the Ritz Cinema with Blaxploitation double features in the 1970s. Appears to have closed after the operator was murdered on November 1, 1974.
Saenger Bros. launched the Queen Theatre in the Simon Building on June 7, 1912. The silent-era theatre used promotions such as “$10 to anyone who can find a cooler auditorium” than the Queen’s. But it didn’t work and the Queen was abdicated in favor of a grocery store. The final showing was “The Woman with Four Faces” on October 31, 1923.
After Y&W dropped the theatre, Christina Burnett of the Fountain Theatre relaunched the Idaho converting to widesreen in 1955. The Idaho closed after a July 6, 1958 showing of “Witness of the Prosecution” and “The Dalton Gals.” The space was converted the next month to the long-running Club Idaho closing in 1978 and followed by the Recess Club and Jubilation in the 1980s.
In May of 1981, the Jerry Lewis Cinema played “Hardly Working” directed by and starring the late Mr. Lewis.
Autocorrect correction – Stutson Theatre
The DeKalb County Historical Society fills in some blanks here. The Waldo Opera House was built in 1908. The Opera House / Waldo Theatre was on the upper floor with Beaty Grocery on the main floor. The address would be 101-5 South 4th Street at Cedar. High school graduations took place there from 1909-1930. Long after its usefulness, the building collapsed in the 1990s and its remnants removed.
The Cook Opera House opened on January 14, 1892 with “Pinafore” live. In addition to opera and live stage plays, circuses and mostly vaudeville entertained locals. By 1909, the building was already considered passé and the offerings were moved to the nearby Temple Theatre. But the Opera House’s days were far from over.
On October 12, 1912, the Cook Opera House landed the Keith Vaudeville Circuit and changed its name to the Family Theatre likely with a 25-year lease. Under the leadership of the Fenyvessy Bros., the Family Theatre attracted top live acts.
By the early 1920s, films were a part of the vaudeville presentation at the Family. By the end of 1924, the Family Theatre had converted to full time film presentation. The Family would convert to sound. But by that time, the theatre was badly dated and appears ceased operations in 1932 ending Fas a ten cent sub-run theatre. As the lease lapsed in 1937, the Fenyvessy Bros. moved on and E.M. Loew of Boston was the next operator.
Reinforcing the building with steel and refurbishing took place, the Embassy Theatre launched on January 9, 1937 as a second-run house with “Earthworm Tractors” and “Rose Marie.” The theatre founds its audience with burlesque which ran there until 1952. A farewell performance with Rose la Rose occurred in 1952 and the Embassy appears to have closed despite promises to reopen.
The theatre was slated for demolition in 1959 but that was halted due to issues regarding the neighboring business. A small fire led to exterior changes to the theatre in 1962. A project called Canaltown looked to refurbish the theatre in 1973. But in the money raising period, the theatre was decimated by a May 17, 1974 fire ending the building’s tenure downtown.
The Dixie Theatre launched in 1928. The theatre converted to sound in 1930 and was taken over by the Schine Circuit in 1932. Schine dropped the theatre in 1949 which reopened in 1950 under a subleasing agreement with independent operation. The Dixie completed its run in 1956 showing Spanish language films. It was auctioned off with eight other Schine Theatres in 1958. Its pipe organ and all other items were sold shortly thereafter when the theatre was converted to an apartment complex in 1959.
Opened as the Thurston Theatre on December 6. 1925 by Burpee & West Circuit. The theatre was a late adopter of sound converting to sound in 1931 relaunching Sept. 5, 1931 as the West End Theatre. On January 30, 1962, it became the Coronet Theatre.
In its latter years, the Coronet did well beginning in 1978 with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” But in the multiplex era, the Coronet struggled and a shift to art cinema stalled with competition from other art cinemas. The Coronet closed on April 11, 1984 after a screening of “Ernesto.”
The Temple Theatre launched on December 6, 1907. The final show at the RKO Temple Theatre was May 7, 1951 with “Bandit Queen.” Plans to reopen the Temple by the operators of the Capitol on a month to month basis fell apart in 1952. The theatre was demolished in November of 1952 for a parking lot. (The theatre’s closing date has been confused with Schine’s Temple Theatre in Fairport which barely outsurvived the RKO Temple.)