The Gayety was one of six theaters operating in Indianapolis according to Hyman’s Handbook of Indianapolis, published in 1907. The Gayety was one of the town’s two burlesque houses.
I see a building at 2530 (bicycle shop) and a building at 2544-46, but there’s a parking lot in between them. Unless the addresses have been shifted, the Daisy Theatre has been demolished.
The Daisy Theatre was listed in Polk’s 1919 Indianapolis City Directory.
Polk’s 1919 and 1922 Indianapolis City Directories list the Emerald Theatre at 441-43 Blake Street. Most of Blake Street has been swallowed up by the Indianapolis campus of Indiana University-Perdue University. The Emerald Theatre was advertised as being at Blake and W. Washington Streets in issues of The Indianapolis Star in 1915.
Polk’s 1919 Indianapolis City Directory lists the Crystal Theatre at 119-21 N. Illinois Avenue. The theater might have moved to a new building at some point, unless the lots were renumbered or there was an error in the directory.
“The Bio theater, at Fifth avenue, between Sixth and Seventh streets, Moline, has opened,” was the brief notice in the January 4, 1913, issue of Motography, which means the event probably took place in late 1912.
In 1919, the Bio Theatre had a two manual, 27 register Möller organ, Opus 2792. Its fate is unknown.
There might have been a theater on the site of the Illini even before the bank that was later converted into the Illini was built in 1920. This item comes from the October 26, 1912, issue of The Moving Picture World:
“Moline, Ill — A contract has been let for the erection of a new theater for Rufus Walker. Location 1611 Fifth Avenue. Cost $12,000.”
I don’t know if Mr. Walker’s theater got built or not, but if it was it must have been demolished eight years later to make way for the bank building that became the Illini Theatre in 1941, or perhaps part of it was incorporated into the new building.
I think the correct address for the Bio Theatre is most likely 1615 Fifth Avenue, which would be in downtown Moline, rather than 1615 Fifth Street, which is in an old residential district. There is also this item from the August 26, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World which, though it doesn’t give a street number, does say that the Bio was then on Fifth Avenue:
“Moline, Ill. — The site of the Bio theater on Fifth avenue, has been sold to R. S. Woodburn, a local real estate dealer. It is given out that for a while at least the Bio, operated by A. C. Woodyatt, will continue.”
It’s possible that Mr. Woodburn later decided to kick the theater out, but more likely that he would have decided to keep it as a tenant. The building now on the site houses the Moline Community Center, but it is a low, wide structure that occupies at least three lots from 1613 (next door to the Illini Theatre building) to 1617, and it looks too modern to have been the building the theater was in. I’d surmise that it dates from the 1950s at the earliest, and probably housed a chain store or small local department store.
A Mrs. A. B. Woodyatt of the Bio Theatre, Moline, sent reviews of recent movies to Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World in the spring of 1928. An A. C. Woodyatt was operating the Lyric Theatre on 6th Avenue in 1911, so the Woodyatt family was involved in film exhibition at Moline for quite a while. Albert C. Woodyatt also operated a piano shop in Moline.
The Illini Theatre has not been demolished. It is listed as a contributing property in Moline’s Downtown Commercial Historic District. The structure was built in 1920 as a bank and converted into a theater in 1941. After closing as a theater it was converted into a Walgreen’s drug store. In the current Google street view the building is vacant.
Yes, the address is for the architect. Building trade journals usually gave the addresses of architects, builders, and sometimes even subcontractors, but only occasionally gave the addresses of the projects themselves. Theater trade journals such as Film Daily were more likely to give the addresses of the theaters, though they sometimes gave the address of the person or company having the theater built, which was often another theater that was already in operation.
The Lyric was probably in operation by 1921, as it is advertised in the January 12, 1922 issue of the Whitesville News.
A comment on this Facebook page says that the Lyric Theatre had been in the building that,in 1960, became a combination cattle auction/restaurant called the Cow Palace. The building had originally been the Chase Garage, seen in a photo on this web page. The photo must date from before the theater opened. It was a large structure, and the theater probably only occupied part of it.
After the Cow Palace closed, the building was demolished. It is now the site of a facility occupied by the Independence Emergency Squad, an ambulance service, at 508 Main Street. That might not have been the theater’s exact address, but it was probably close to it.
CinemaTour says that the Times Theatre was designed by local architect Raymond G. Johnson.
The May 15, 1953, issue of the Jacksonville Daily Journal reported that Fox Midwest has sold the Times and several other theaters in the region to a local company called El Fran Theatres. Houses in Centralia, Mt. Vernon, Benton, West Frankfort and Marion were part of the deal.
By 1964, the Times was being operated by the Frisina Amusement Company, who still controlled the house at least as late as 1976.
This item in the July 13, 1912, issue of The Moving Picture World mentions the Grand Theatre:
“SOME BIG PIECE OF GLASS.
“The Mirror Picture Screen Company has installed one of its screens in the Grand Theatre, Rochester, N. Y. This particular screen is 14 feet high, but our informant does not state the width. Presumably it is 18 or 20 feet in width. Another order is being filled for a theater at Rockaway Beach, N. Y., which will belong to the record breaking class.”
An editor of the magazine later visited the Grand Theatre and wrote about it in the August 31 issue:
“The reason for this excursion was a desire to examine the mirror screen in the Grand Theater of Rochester, which screen has a new finish. The mirror screen people claim this finish does away with the out-of-focus effect when sitting to one side of the screen.”
“…I went up and called on the management of the Grand Theater, Messrs. Thompson and Tyler, who have recently installed a mirror screen, said to be made from the largest piece of plate glass in the world. This was the screen I had come to look at and it was worth the trip. The house is quite wide and quite long, incidentally very tastefully and beautifully designed and decorated. I tested this screen from all parts of the house and find that the results are excellent. From the rear of the house the picture was certainly a marvel of beauty, clear, brilliant and as sharp as a knife. Down close to the screen the picture was still good, though of course a little of its sharpness was lost, as would be the case with any screen. Off to one side, at a very sharp angle, the picture was still fairly clear, and here was where a queer effect occurred. Those who have wide houses and an ordinary screen, know that when the picture is viewed at a sharp angle, the figures of actors appear to be abnormally tall and very thin. This seemed to be entirely absent with this screen, but there was a slight out-of-focus effect, though not enough , to present serious objection. I figured that the loss of the elongation fully balances any out-of-focus effect present, and I feel that I can say that the mirror screen with the rough finish, such as Messrs. Tyler and Thompson have, can be successfully used in any house, regardless of its width.
“Messrs. Thompson and Tyler are experienced show-
men, particularly Mr. Thompson, and the result of their experiences shows in the excellence of their projection, as well as in the beauty of their house; also in the fact that they do a land-office business, with automobiles lined up in front of the house every night.”
An article in the March 21, 1925, issue of the Oswego Daily Times listed the Grand Theatre in Rochester as one of 38 theaters owned or controlled by the Schine circuit, in which Universal Pictures had just bought an interest.
The May 11, 1924, issue of The Film Daily announced the end of the Rialto Theatre:
“Rochester Rialto Closes
“(Special to THE FILM DAILY)
“Rochester. N. Y.— The Rialto, owned by Albert A. Fenyvessy has closed its doors and the building will be torn down to make way for a new clothing structure. It is supposed to be the oldest theater building in Rochester.”
An article about A. N. Wolf, owner of the house in 1913 when it was called the Colonial Theatre can be seen on this page of the October 18, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World.
“On Labor Day the Majestic, a brand
new house at East St. Louis, opens with bookings through the Western Vaudeville Association of Chicago. Three shows daily will be given.”
If it was brand new it must have been the Majestic at 242-244 Collinsville.
The April 8, 1917, issue of The Moving Picture World had an article about the recently opened Strand Theatre in Brandon, Manitoba. The Canadian Amusement Company operated the house under lease from owner J. H. Hughes. The manager was George Semper.
The Capitol Theatre in Brandon was mentioned in the July 15, 1926, issue of The Film Daily. J. B. Reisman had just been named manager of the Famous Players house. The November 15 issue of the same publication said that Famous Players controlled both of the theaters then operating in Brandon. The theaters were not mentioned by name, but the other house must have been the Strand, which had opened in 1917.
An article about the Beacon Theatre in the June 9, 1917, issue of The Moving Picture World said that the Beacon had recently reopened after a fifteen-day shutdown for a $75,000 renovation. The project included both refurbishing the house and mechanical improvements such as a new ventilation system. The Beacon Theatre had originally cost $100,000 to build, and had opened on February 17, 1910.
The house at 136 N. Illinois Street was listed as the Palms Theatre in Polk’s 1919 Indianapolis City Directory.
The Gayety was one of six theaters operating in Indianapolis according to Hyman’s Handbook of Indianapolis, published in 1907. The Gayety was one of the town’s two burlesque houses.
I see a building at 2530 (bicycle shop) and a building at 2544-46, but there’s a parking lot in between them. Unless the addresses have been shifted, the Daisy Theatre has been demolished.
The Daisy Theatre was listed in Polk’s 1919 Indianapolis City Directory.
Polk’s 1919 and 1922 Indianapolis City Directories list the Emerald Theatre at 441-43 Blake Street. Most of Blake Street has been swallowed up by the Indianapolis campus of Indiana University-Perdue University. The Emerald Theatre was advertised as being at Blake and W. Washington Streets in issues of The Indianapolis Star in 1915.
Polk’s 1919 Indianapolis City Directory lists the Crystal Theatre at 119-21 N. Illinois Avenue. The theater might have moved to a new building at some point, unless the lots were renumbered or there was an error in the directory.
The Columbia Theatre was listed at 535 N. Senate Avenue in Polk’s 1919 Indianapolis City Directory.
The Washington Theatre at 521 Indiana Avenue was listed in Polk’s 1919 Indianapolis City Directory.
Not surprisingly, English’s Opera House was on this list of theaters designed by J. B. McElfatrick & Son, published in 1892.
The Annex Theater at 118 S. Illinois Street is listed in the 1909 Indianapolis city directory.
A Pekin house called the Capitol Theatre was mentioned in the September 8, 1918, issue of The Moving Picture World.
The Pekin Theatre probably opened in late 1928. A brief announcement that the house had opened appeared in the January 6, 1929, issue of Film Daily.
“The Bio theater, at Fifth avenue, between Sixth and Seventh streets, Moline, has opened,” was the brief notice in the January 4, 1913, issue of Motography, which means the event probably took place in late 1912.
In 1919, the Bio Theatre had a two manual, 27 register Möller organ, Opus 2792. Its fate is unknown.
There might have been a theater on the site of the Illini even before the bank that was later converted into the Illini was built in 1920. This item comes from the October 26, 1912, issue of The Moving Picture World:
I don’t know if Mr. Walker’s theater got built or not, but if it was it must have been demolished eight years later to make way for the bank building that became the Illini Theatre in 1941, or perhaps part of it was incorporated into the new building.I think the correct address for the Bio Theatre is most likely 1615 Fifth Avenue, which would be in downtown Moline, rather than 1615 Fifth Street, which is in an old residential district. There is also this item from the August 26, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World which, though it doesn’t give a street number, does say that the Bio was then on Fifth Avenue:
It’s possible that Mr. Woodburn later decided to kick the theater out, but more likely that he would have decided to keep it as a tenant. The building now on the site houses the Moline Community Center, but it is a low, wide structure that occupies at least three lots from 1613 (next door to the Illini Theatre building) to 1617, and it looks too modern to have been the building the theater was in. I’d surmise that it dates from the 1950s at the earliest, and probably housed a chain store or small local department store.A Mrs. A. B. Woodyatt of the Bio Theatre, Moline, sent reviews of recent movies to Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World in the spring of 1928. An A. C. Woodyatt was operating the Lyric Theatre on 6th Avenue in 1911, so the Woodyatt family was involved in film exhibition at Moline for quite a while. Albert C. Woodyatt also operated a piano shop in Moline.
The Illini Theatre has not been demolished. It is listed as a contributing property in Moline’s Downtown Commercial Historic District. The structure was built in 1920 as a bank and converted into a theater in 1941. After closing as a theater it was converted into a Walgreen’s drug store. In the current Google street view the building is vacant.
Yes, the address is for the architect. Building trade journals usually gave the addresses of architects, builders, and sometimes even subcontractors, but only occasionally gave the addresses of the projects themselves. Theater trade journals such as Film Daily were more likely to give the addresses of the theaters, though they sometimes gave the address of the person or company having the theater built, which was often another theater that was already in operation.
The Lyric was probably in operation by 1921, as it is advertised in the January 12, 1922 issue of the Whitesville News.
A comment on this Facebook page says that the Lyric Theatre had been in the building that,in 1960, became a combination cattle auction/restaurant called the Cow Palace. The building had originally been the Chase Garage, seen in a photo on this web page. The photo must date from before the theater opened. It was a large structure, and the theater probably only occupied part of it.
After the Cow Palace closed, the building was demolished. It is now the site of a facility occupied by the Independence Emergency Squad, an ambulance service, at 508 Main Street. That might not have been the theater’s exact address, but it was probably close to it.
CinemaTour says that the Times Theatre was designed by local architect Raymond G. Johnson.
The May 15, 1953, issue of the Jacksonville Daily Journal reported that Fox Midwest has sold the Times and several other theaters in the region to a local company called El Fran Theatres. Houses in Centralia, Mt. Vernon, Benton, West Frankfort and Marion were part of the deal.
By 1964, the Times was being operated by the Frisina Amusement Company, who still controlled the house at least as late as 1976.
This item in the July 13, 1912, issue of The Moving Picture World mentions the Grand Theatre:
An editor of the magazine later visited the Grand Theatre and wrote about it in the August 31 issue:An article in the March 21, 1925, issue of the Oswego Daily Times listed the Grand Theatre in Rochester as one of 38 theaters owned or controlled by the Schine circuit, in which Universal Pictures had just bought an interest.The May 11, 1924, issue of The Film Daily announced the end of the Rialto Theatre:
An article about A. N. Wolf, owner of the house in 1913 when it was called the Colonial Theatre can be seen on this page of the October 18, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World.This item appeared in Variety in September, 1909:
If it was brand new it must have been the Majestic at 242-244 Collinsville.The April 8, 1917, issue of The Moving Picture World had an article about the recently opened Strand Theatre in Brandon, Manitoba. The Canadian Amusement Company operated the house under lease from owner J. H. Hughes. The manager was George Semper.
The Capitol Theatre in Brandon was mentioned in the July 15, 1926, issue of The Film Daily. J. B. Reisman had just been named manager of the Famous Players house. The November 15 issue of the same publication said that Famous Players controlled both of the theaters then operating in Brandon. The theaters were not mentioned by name, but the other house must have been the Strand, which had opened in 1917.
An article about the Beacon Theatre in the June 9, 1917, issue of The Moving Picture World said that the Beacon had recently reopened after a fifteen-day shutdown for a $75,000 renovation. The project included both refurbishing the house and mechanical improvements such as a new ventilation system. The Beacon Theatre had originally cost $100,000 to build, and had opened on February 17, 1910.