The new listings would be the Airdome (which does not appear on the March 1912 map), the Silver Cloud (complicated by the fact that there never was any such thing as Depot St), and the New Electric (if we can figure out what the Leavitt building was).
Based on the information we have from the NRHP and Joe, and I, this opened as the Princess, and became the Amus-U. It’s completely separate from the Park. The 1926 map still shows this building as a store.
This was operated by Kerr Theatres, who had also owned the preceding Frontier Drive-In. This was built to replace the Frontier after a dam project forced its closure.
A lot of the history is wrong. This was never the Grand Opera House, that was a wooden building at the corner of Marion and 1st, and it was not built in the 1880s, since it doesn’t appear until the 1907 map. Since it sounds like it showed movies, I’ll add it. There was an opera house/skating rink at the SE corner of Robinson and 4th, which did date to sometime before 1886, and was replaced by the Grand. It’s still there on the 1913 map, used only as a rink. That 1913 map shows your typical older tin front commercial building where the theater is now. I’m not sure when this theater actually was built or opened. It was definitely after 1913, and might have been after the fire in 1922 (if there even was one, most of the buildings in the postcard clearly predate 1922). The original facade, which has now been revealed or recreated, is certainly pretty old-fashioned.
The 1926 listings show the Grand with 800 seats, which seems like a lot for this building, and might represent the old opera house. The 1935 listings still show 800 for the Grand, and 500 for an Iowa. By 1947, it is shown with 600 seats, and by 1954 it has 300, and the listing identifies the location, making it certain that it’s the same Grand as today.
I think this may have been the just recently demolished building on N Webster St. Still on streetview in 2021. It had some character, but I did not bother with it. Does have a lot of windows on the side for a theater, but those could have been added.
The history is wrong. This did not open in 1900, and was not originally called the Iowa. The building may have existed before 1886, but definitely by 1899, when a deeper structure appears on the Sanborn map. It was originally a one story brick storefront. The 1907 map shows this as ‘meat & grocery’.
Its use as a theater came much later, when R.E. Goshorn and Cail Creger remodeled the building in August of 1914, using seats and equipment from the short-lived Court theater (possibly on Court St?). The Majestic opened on September 24, 1914. It was known as the Iowa by 1919, when an extensive remodel was performed under the ownership of A.B. Pettit. A Star Theatre was apparently operated during this closure.
Pettit still owned the theater when it was enlarged in the summer of 1928. The addition of a balcony supposedly added about 200 to the capacity (and necessitated adding a second story). Curiously, the capacity is listed as 340 in 1926, and in 1931. It may have been that an already existing balcony was moved higher up or more steeply raked to improve sightlines. The facade was replaced with the current brick (the old theater seems to have had a stucco front). Movies were shown at the Chataqua pavilion while the work was performed.
This information comes from the Sanborn maps and the NRHP listing for downtown. Curiously, that listing also notes that the local paper said that Pettit had owned the Iowa for 16 years as of 1928, which cannot be correct.
This is pretty vague, and there’s no certainty that these were all the same place. There was a theater on the 1913 map, which is still there on the 1932 version. I’ve made a separate listing for it. The Community name appears in the 1928 listings with 200 seats.
I just realized that the opening date of 1914 cannot be right. It is possible that whoever supplied the 1914 date confused this theater with the Crystal.
The 1905 Cahn guide gives the Temple Grand a capacity of 884. I suggest that the Masonic name was likely generic, and it should be removed, or at least switched to the aka.
The Montgomery Ward store in the photo is the building that was the Comet, before it and the building to the right of it were ruined by a dull remodel.
If the address is correct, the identification of the building is wrong. 115-117 is part of the furniture store, but it is a wide building with a brick front that appears to date from after the closure of the theater.
On the 1923 map, this appears to be a remodel of a two story brick building constructed between 1899 and 1907. It now appears as two separate buildings with the addresses 117 and 119. The block south of this is all two story buildings of an identical height, so obviously there’s been quite a bit of remodeling and replacement.
This may have opened earlier. The 1913 map shows a movie theater in the prior building at 215. This was a two story wooden storefront, fairly large, which was constructed sometime before 1886. The 1907 map shows a barber there. By 1923, that building had been replaced by a brick building, two stories, which served as the entrance and lobby to a much larger theater with the auditorium on N Elm St. The whole complex today is used as retail.
The new listings would be the Airdome (which does not appear on the March 1912 map), the Silver Cloud (complicated by the fact that there never was any such thing as Depot St), and the New Electric (if we can figure out what the Leavitt building was).
Based on the information we have from the NRHP and Joe, and I, this opened as the Princess, and became the Amus-U. It’s completely separate from the Park. The 1926 map still shows this building as a store.
You say in the other listing that the Park opened in the Odd Fellows building, which is obviously this one.
If the Park opened in the Odd Fellows building, then this was never the Park. The Odd Fellows is on a different street.
Unfortunately, the 1931 and 1944 maps are not available online. They would provide some assistance with the timeline.
This was part of the Kerr Theatres circuit for at least a few years around 1960.
This was being run by Kerr Theatres in 1959, but it seems they dropped it to concentrate on the Noll.
The Noll was run by Kerr Theatres from at least 1959 through 1966.
This was operated by Kerr Theatres, who had also owned the preceding Frontier Drive-In. This was built to replace the Frontier after a dam project forced its closure.
Kerr Theatres was a small circuit based in Colorado (but owning no theatres there). They ran the Frontier here, as well as a Frontier in Bethany, MO.
The Grand was run by Kerr Theatres from at least 1959 to 1966.
A lot of the history is wrong. This was never the Grand Opera House, that was a wooden building at the corner of Marion and 1st, and it was not built in the 1880s, since it doesn’t appear until the 1907 map. Since it sounds like it showed movies, I’ll add it. There was an opera house/skating rink at the SE corner of Robinson and 4th, which did date to sometime before 1886, and was replaced by the Grand. It’s still there on the 1913 map, used only as a rink. That 1913 map shows your typical older tin front commercial building where the theater is now. I’m not sure when this theater actually was built or opened. It was definitely after 1913, and might have been after the fire in 1922 (if there even was one, most of the buildings in the postcard clearly predate 1922). The original facade, which has now been revealed or recreated, is certainly pretty old-fashioned.
The 1926 listings show the Grand with 800 seats, which seems like a lot for this building, and might represent the old opera house. The 1935 listings still show 800 for the Grand, and 500 for an Iowa. By 1947, it is shown with 600 seats, and by 1954 it has 300, and the listing identifies the location, making it certain that it’s the same Grand as today.
I think this may have been the just recently demolished building on N Webster St. Still on streetview in 2021. It had some character, but I did not bother with it. Does have a lot of windows on the side for a theater, but those could have been added.
Is 1956 or 1957 correct for the fire? Listing says one thing, info from dmt another.
I skipped this during my 2010 visit, but when I get to my pictures from 2016, I’ll add a photo if no-one else has by then.
The history is wrong. This did not open in 1900, and was not originally called the Iowa. The building may have existed before 1886, but definitely by 1899, when a deeper structure appears on the Sanborn map. It was originally a one story brick storefront. The 1907 map shows this as ‘meat & grocery’.
Its use as a theater came much later, when R.E. Goshorn and Cail Creger remodeled the building in August of 1914, using seats and equipment from the short-lived Court theater (possibly on Court St?). The Majestic opened on September 24, 1914. It was known as the Iowa by 1919, when an extensive remodel was performed under the ownership of A.B. Pettit. A Star Theatre was apparently operated during this closure.
Pettit still owned the theater when it was enlarged in the summer of 1928. The addition of a balcony supposedly added about 200 to the capacity (and necessitated adding a second story). Curiously, the capacity is listed as 340 in 1926, and in 1931. It may have been that an already existing balcony was moved higher up or more steeply raked to improve sightlines. The facade was replaced with the current brick (the old theater seems to have had a stucco front). Movies were shown at the Chataqua pavilion while the work was performed.
This information comes from the Sanborn maps and the NRHP listing for downtown. Curiously, that listing also notes that the local paper said that Pettit had owned the Iowa for 16 years as of 1928, which cannot be correct.
I’ve added a map view. I did not take a picture of this for whatever reason.
This is pretty vague, and there’s no certainty that these were all the same place. There was a theater on the 1913 map, which is still there on the 1932 version. I’ve made a separate listing for it. The Community name appears in the 1928 listings with 200 seats.
I just realized that the opening date of 1914 cannot be right. It is possible that whoever supplied the 1914 date confused this theater with the Crystal.
Opened September 1914, closed summer of 1985, started restoration in 2003. It seems the building dates to 1887.
Building constructed 1886-1893 as a store, still a general store on the 1919 map. Open by 1926 with 250 seats, not sure when it closed.
The 1905 Cahn guide gives the Temple Grand a capacity of 884. I suggest that the Masonic name was likely generic, and it should be removed, or at least switched to the aka.
The Montgomery Ward store in the photo is the building that was the Comet, before it and the building to the right of it were ruined by a dull remodel.
If the address is correct, the identification of the building is wrong. 115-117 is part of the furniture store, but it is a wide building with a brick front that appears to date from after the closure of the theater. On the 1923 map, this appears to be a remodel of a two story brick building constructed between 1899 and 1907. It now appears as two separate buildings with the addresses 117 and 119. The block south of this is all two story buildings of an identical height, so obviously there’s been quite a bit of remodeling and replacement.
This may have opened earlier. The 1913 map shows a movie theater in the prior building at 215. This was a two story wooden storefront, fairly large, which was constructed sometime before 1886. The 1907 map shows a barber there. By 1923, that building had been replaced by a brick building, two stories, which served as the entrance and lobby to a much larger theater with the auditorium on N Elm St. The whole complex today is used as retail.