Comments from SethG

Showing 526 - 550 of 1,737 comments

SethG
SethG commented about Avalon Theatre on Aug 23, 2023 at 2:18 pm

Can’t believe I walked right past this and decided not to bother!

SethG
SethG commented about Gem Theatre on Aug 22, 2023 at 3:54 pm

Probably accounts for a lot of the ugly buildings and empty lots, but the town was pretty sad when i was there in 2009.

SethG
SethG commented about Gem Theatre on Aug 22, 2023 at 10:47 am

Found a postcard from 1956 or so (going by the last model of car), and this was still in good shape, and two stories. Most or all of the ground floor looks like it was a Rexall. 1960 was the peak census, and I think the downtown declined a lot after that.

SethG
SethG commented about Ritz Theatre on Aug 22, 2023 at 10:31 am

There actually was a three story building just north of the Ritz. It also was constructed after the 1906 map, and on the 1914 map, the third floor is a ‘Hall’. Perhaps that was the new opera house? Odd that it was right across the street from an opera house shown on the 1906 map, and a hall on the 1914 map.

SethG
SethG commented about Theatre on Aug 21, 2023 at 7:12 am

Note that this historic address was 40, but this block had been renumbered by 1918.

SethG
SethG commented about Dreamland Theatre on Aug 20, 2023 at 7:38 pm

Thanks for finding the name!

SethG
SethG commented about Dreamland Theatre on Aug 20, 2023 at 7:31 am

The only possible theater on the Jan. 1906 map is an opera house in the upper stories of 9-13 N Frederick. That is just a ‘Hall’ on the 1914 map, and the building is still there.

SethG
SethG commented about Gem Theatre on Aug 20, 2023 at 7:30 am

Perhaps the Orpheum is what later became the Ritz?

SethG
SethG commented about Gem Theatre on Aug 20, 2023 at 7:25 am

Then this was for sure the Gem. Orpheum must have been elsewhere, but it was not where the Grand is today.

SethG
SethG commented about Academy Theatre on Aug 19, 2023 at 9:20 pm

Dates are incorrect. This theater appears on the 1918 Sanborn as Nixon’s Academy Theatre, with a capacity of 1,070. The building itself is much older. It was built sometime before 1887 as the Baldwin Hotel, and contained from the beginning a theater space called the Academy of Music.

Sometime after 1910, the building was extensively remodeled into ‘The Arcade’. The 5th floor was added. The eastern portion got a more elaborate facade than the rest, and became a department store. The auditorium was extensively remodeled, becoming both wider and quite a bit deeper. It appears that a multi-layered set of balconies was replaced by a single, deeper balcony.

I have added both a 1910 and 1918 view, as a before/after.

SethG
SethG commented about Gem Theatre on Aug 19, 2023 at 6:34 am

Picture incorrectly posted under another listing shows this theater was still open in 1925. Unknown when this was chopped down to one story.

SethG
SethG commented about Ritz Theatre on Aug 18, 2023 at 1:38 pm

Address is wrong, and this has been demolished. Downtown is completely trashed, so it was hard to figure out where this was. It was where the ugly modern bank is. The theater was at 8 N Frederick. The dates are also wrong, since the theater appears on the 1914 Sanborn (replacing a large wooden house on the 1906 map).

SethG
SethG commented about Opera House on Aug 18, 2023 at 7:42 am

I bet that’s his garage/dealership right next door. Almost the entire block has now been laid waste for a parking lot.

SethG
SethG commented about Bremer Theatre on Aug 17, 2023 at 5:57 am

There are Sanborns from the mid-20s and early 40s, but I can’t find them online. We need someone with an Iowa State ID, I think. That would help fill in the gaps.

SethG
SethG commented about Bremer Theatre on Aug 17, 2023 at 5:55 am

Yeah, I knew that Palace aka couldn’t be right. I know where the Opera House was. I’ll add it. Do you know anything more about dates, etc. for that one?

SethG
SethG commented about Bremer Theatre on Aug 16, 2023 at 5:04 am

The NRHP listing, which seems meticulously researched, gave the end date. I thought it was odd that there was no name given for such a long tenure. They say it only had a few historical tenants - bank, theater, and Sears (which combined two buildings). There was new lighting/ceiling installed in 1948, which might show up in trade journals. Anyhow, I think you’ve got the name and capacity, and we know it was open as late as 1950.

SethG
SethG commented about Dreamland Theatre on Aug 15, 2023 at 2:10 pm

Capacity sounds right.

SethG
SethG commented about Ada Theatre on Aug 15, 2023 at 5:26 am

Added a 2016 photo of mine.

SethG
SethG commented about Opera House on Aug 14, 2023 at 10:29 am

Thanks for that research. I think you found the name.

SethG
SethG commented about Waverly Palace Theatre on Aug 14, 2023 at 6:31 am

Original architect was Louis H. Rust. Slight remodel in 1930, then a more major one in 1937, by Mortimer B. Cleveland. Modern remodel in 1972 cut the front off the stage, and seating was realigned. The lobby was also enlarged at this point, and the entrance remodeled. It was remodeled again sometime after 1990.

SethG
SethG commented about Queen Theatre on Aug 10, 2023 at 12:57 pm

No, Open does not mean everything short of abandoned. Open means live performances. If it isn’t serving as some sort of theater or music venue, Closed is the proper status.

SethG
SethG commented about Queen Theatre on Aug 10, 2023 at 4:59 am

Why is this listed as open?

SethG
SethG commented about Firemen's Theatre on Aug 9, 2023 at 11:59 am

Portion to the left of the photo is still there, looking pretty shabby (everything to the right of the canvas awning is gone). The rest is a parking lot and solar array. Not sure why this is described as small. It was obviously massive, especially for a little town.

SethG
SethG commented about Cresco Theatre & Opera House on Aug 9, 2023 at 8:27 am

Capacity must have been a lot larger, but the balcony is probably closed.

SethG
SethG commented about Cresco Theatre & Opera House on Aug 9, 2023 at 8:23 am

Saw a movie here in 2009, and about the only other people there were a boy scout troop who got a tour after the film. I tagged along. The auditorium is amazing, and was mostly original, with the seats maybe from the ‘40s or '50s. Lots of ornate plaster, and little light bulbs set into the front of the balcony.