The August 4, 1926, issue of Variety carried this brief item about the Rialto: “Rialto, seating 486, at Massena, N. Y., has been leased from Frank J. Kuras by Schine Enterprises.” That’s the earliest mention of the Rialto I’ve found so far.
A user on a Massena forum said that the last movie shown was The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, so the closing was probably sometime in 1992. Another forum user mentioned a fire which destroyed the curtains and did other damage. This was after the theater had been closed.
I’ve found the Strand mentioned in the trade journals as early as January, 1921. It was operated by Mr. V. A. Warren, who in 1917 had operated a house in Massena called the Star Theatre. The Schine circuit took over the Strand in 1931 and reopened it as the Massena Theatre in August that year after extensive remodeling.
The design of the rebuilt Pabst Theatre following the fire of 1895 is attributed to architect Otto Strack. A late 1920s remodeling was designed by Milwaukee theater specialists Dick & Bauer.
Sometime prior to December, 1929, the Milwaukee architectural firm Dick & Bauer did some work on the Davidson Theatre. The house was on a list of their projects that was published that month. No details about the nature or extent of the project were given.
A list of theaters designed or remodeled by the Milwaukee architectural firm Dick & Bauer that was published in December, 1929, included the Fox Theatre in Stevens Point among their projects.
A list of theaters designed or remodeled by the Milwaukee architectural firm Dick & Bauer, published in December, 1929, included the Myers Theatre in Janesville among their remodeling jobs. This must have been the remodeling done earlier that year for James Zanias.
The Appleton Theatre underwent major remodeling in 1929. The December 24 issue of the Appleton Post-Crescent said that the renovated, one-time opera house, now operated by Brin Theatres, Inc., would reopen with a matinée on Christmas Day. The remodeling was designed by the Milwaukee architectural firm Dick & Bauer, theater specialists.
Architect Alexander Bauer was a partner in the Milwaukee firm Dick & Bauer. The Sprague Theatre was listed as one of their works in an ad the firm published in 1929.
The late-1920s remodeling of the Grand Opera House in Oshkosh into the Granada Theatre was designed by the Milwaukee architectural firm of Dick & Bauer. It was listed among their works in an ad the firm published in the December 24, 1929, issue of the Appleton Post-Crescent.
Jim Rankin’s introduction to the Colonial Theatre says that the rebuilding of 1926 was the work of the architectural firm of Dick & Bauer. They should be added to the Architects and Firms field.
This house opened on May 26, 1917, as the New Dreamland Theatre. Within a few months it was being advertised as the White Way Theatre, which was later changed to Whiteway Theatre. An item about the opening appeared in the May 31 issue of the Neosho Daily Democrat:
“NEW THEATRE OPENED.
“The New Dreamland Theatre on Wood street was opened Saturday afternoon by Manager G. D. Hall and the first picture presented there was ‘Miss George Washington,’ by Marguerite Clark. The new picture-show was not quite finished as there were many little things to be done but it was far enough along to present the pictures. The house was filled in the afternoon and at night two shows with full houses were given. The new theatre is the largest and best that Neosho ever had. It is on the ground floor and practically fire proof. The stage is large enough for large dramatic companies and it is built in modern style.”
Pointing out that the house was on the ground floor suggests that the old Opera House/Dreamland was probably an upstairs theater.
The Booth Theatre was opened by Glen Dickinson Enterprises on February 4, 1927. The February 7 edition of the Neosho Daily Democrat, Neosho, Missouri, reported that Hugh Gardner, operator of Neosho’s Orpheum Theatre, had been among the people attending the opening.
In 1944, the Bandbox Theatre was advertising for cashiers and an “…elderly man for door work….” in the September 17 and 18 issues of the Neosho Daily Democrat, so the theater was probably preparing to open soon.
In 1920, the Neosho Daily Democrat frequently mentioned a movie house called the Fotosho Theatre. The February 7, 1921, issue of the paper said that Hugh Gardner was converting a store building into a movie theater and the name Fotosho would be moved to that house, while the present Fotosho, which had previously called the Whiteway Theatre, would get a new name.
The March 4, 1921, issue of the Democrat said that the new name chosen for the old Fotosho was Orpheum Theatre, and that the new Fotosho would begin operation that evening. A full-page ad for the Orpheum and Fotosho Theatres in the October 17, 1925, issue of the paper said that the Fotosho was on the south side of the courthouse square.
So Hugh Gardner opened this house, the second Fotosho Theatre, on March 4, 1921. I haven’t been able to discover when the spelling was changed to Photosho.
It turns out that the Orpheum Theatre was not the old Opera House renamed. The June 30, 1920, issue of the Neosho Daily Democrat had an article about the purchase of the Whiteway Theatre by Hugh Gardner. The Whiteway had been built by G. D. Hall in 1917, after his Dreamland Theatre, located in the old Opera House on the north side of the square, had been destroyed by a fire on December 1, 1916.
The 1920 article said that Gardner intended to rename the Whiteway the Photosho Theatre, but later issues of the paper spelled the name as Fotosho. The February 7, 1921, issue of the Democrat said that Gardner was converting a nearby store building into a movie theater and would move the name Fotosho to the new house. The March 4 issue of the paper said that the former Whiteway/Fotosho Theatre would reopen that night as the Orpheum Theatre, presenting moving pictures and vaudeville.
Given the size of the building, and its Victorian style, I wonder if the Bourbon Theatre wasn’t the Grand Opera House, built around 1890, and later operated as the Grand or Paris Grand Theatre?
Paris also had a movie house opened in 1910 as the Comet Theatre. Later there was a Columbia Theatre, operating around 1913 to 1917, and later still an Alamo Theatre,open at least as late as 1922. These three might all have been the same house.
I’ve also found references to a Marigold Theatre, possibly built around 1920. Information about the theaters in Paris is extremely sparse on the Internet.
This photo of White Castle Restaurant #8 shows the Evanston Theatre next door as it appeared in the 1940s (Blue Skies was released in 1946.) The theater front looks to have been remodeled in a Streamline Modern style in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
Architect Joseph G. Steinkamp and his younger brother Bernard F. Steinkamp were the sons of the German-born Cincinnati architect John (Johann) Bernhard Steinkamp. The brothers were active from around 1900 to around 1948.
Max: That photo was actually uploaded by John Rice. His most recent comment at CinemaTreasures is on this page, so that’s where you’d probably be most likely to catch him (I don’t think CT sends notifications of comments made on photo pages.)
The June 24, 1916, issue of The American Contractor said that work had begun on the rebuilding of the Avenue Theatre in McKeesport for the new lessee, H. A. Victor. The architect for the project was H. J. Lehman of McKeesport.
This theater was built for Samuel H. Thal, according to an item about it in the January 31, 1914, issue of The Construction Record, which said that architect Gustave Niehaus [sic] was preparing the plans.
The same column listed another theatre project by Niehus (again with his name misspelled as Niehaus,) saying that he was ready to take bids on a one-story brick picture theater to be built at at Fifth and Ringgold Streets for James Montgomery and Earl R. Lines. We don’t have a theater listed at that location, and I haven’t been able to track down a name for it.
The January 31, 1914, issue of The Construction Record had this item that must have been about the Evanston Theatre:
“Cincinnati, O — Architects J. G. Steinkamp & Brother, 414 Walnut street, have plans in progress for a one-story brick nickelodeon, to be erected on Montgomery road and Dana avenue, for Andrew Niedenthal, Montgomery road. Cost, $15,000.”
There was a theater called the Majestic in Ellwood City at least as early as 1910, when the house appeared several times in lists of current vaudeville engagements published in various issues of Variety.
The June 26, 1914, issue of the New Castle News said that many improvements were being made to the Majestic Theatre in Ellwood City.
The Majestic Theatre was destroyed by a fire on January 11, 1984. The last movie shown was Return of the Jedi. There is a photo of the fire on this page of the Ellwood City Ledger web site.
The December 21, 1941, issue of the Las Cruces Sun-News mentioned Guy Frazer as the architect of the new State Theatre, which was scheduled to open Christmas Day. This must have been Guy L. Frazer of the El Paso, Texas, firm Frazer & Benner.
The January 1, 1940, issue of the Clovis News-Journal said that the formal opening of the new State Theatre would take place at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, January 3.
The August 4, 1926, issue of Variety carried this brief item about the Rialto: “Rialto, seating 486, at Massena, N. Y., has been leased from Frank J. Kuras by Schine Enterprises.” That’s the earliest mention of the Rialto I’ve found so far.
The Massena Theatre at American Classic Images.
A user on a Massena forum said that the last movie shown was The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, so the closing was probably sometime in 1992. Another forum user mentioned a fire which destroyed the curtains and did other damage. This was after the theater had been closed.
I’ve found the Strand mentioned in the trade journals as early as January, 1921. It was operated by Mr. V. A. Warren, who in 1917 had operated a house in Massena called the Star Theatre. The Schine circuit took over the Strand in 1931 and reopened it as the Massena Theatre in August that year after extensive remodeling.
The design of the rebuilt Pabst Theatre following the fire of 1895 is attributed to architect Otto Strack. A late 1920s remodeling was designed by Milwaukee theater specialists Dick & Bauer.
Sometime prior to December, 1929, the Milwaukee architectural firm Dick & Bauer did some work on the Davidson Theatre. The house was on a list of their projects that was published that month. No details about the nature or extent of the project were given.
A list of theaters designed or remodeled by the Milwaukee architectural firm Dick & Bauer that was published in December, 1929, included the Fox Theatre in Stevens Point among their projects.
A list of theaters designed or remodeled by the Milwaukee architectural firm Dick & Bauer, published in December, 1929, included the Myers Theatre in Janesville among their remodeling jobs. This must have been the remodeling done earlier that year for James Zanias.
The Appleton Theatre underwent major remodeling in 1929. The December 24 issue of the Appleton Post-Crescent said that the renovated, one-time opera house, now operated by Brin Theatres, Inc., would reopen with a matinée on Christmas Day. The remodeling was designed by the Milwaukee architectural firm Dick & Bauer, theater specialists.
Architect Alexander Bauer was a partner in the Milwaukee firm Dick & Bauer. The Sprague Theatre was listed as one of their works in an ad the firm published in 1929.
The late-1920s remodeling of the Grand Opera House in Oshkosh into the Granada Theatre was designed by the Milwaukee architectural firm of Dick & Bauer. It was listed among their works in an ad the firm published in the December 24, 1929, issue of the Appleton Post-Crescent.
Jim Rankin’s introduction to the Colonial Theatre says that the rebuilding of 1926 was the work of the architectural firm of Dick & Bauer. They should be added to the Architects and Firms field.
This house opened on May 26, 1917, as the New Dreamland Theatre. Within a few months it was being advertised as the White Way Theatre, which was later changed to Whiteway Theatre. An item about the opening appeared in the May 31 issue of the Neosho Daily Democrat:
Pointing out that the house was on the ground floor suggests that the old Opera House/Dreamland was probably an upstairs theater.The Booth Theatre was opened by Glen Dickinson Enterprises on February 4, 1927. The February 7 edition of the Neosho Daily Democrat, Neosho, Missouri, reported that Hugh Gardner, operator of Neosho’s Orpheum Theatre, had been among the people attending the opening.
In 1944, the Bandbox Theatre was advertising for cashiers and an “…elderly man for door work….” in the September 17 and 18 issues of the Neosho Daily Democrat, so the theater was probably preparing to open soon.
In 1920, the Neosho Daily Democrat frequently mentioned a movie house called the Fotosho Theatre. The February 7, 1921, issue of the paper said that Hugh Gardner was converting a store building into a movie theater and the name Fotosho would be moved to that house, while the present Fotosho, which had previously called the Whiteway Theatre, would get a new name.
The March 4, 1921, issue of the Democrat said that the new name chosen for the old Fotosho was Orpheum Theatre, and that the new Fotosho would begin operation that evening. A full-page ad for the Orpheum and Fotosho Theatres in the October 17, 1925, issue of the paper said that the Fotosho was on the south side of the courthouse square.
So Hugh Gardner opened this house, the second Fotosho Theatre, on March 4, 1921. I haven’t been able to discover when the spelling was changed to Photosho.
It turns out that the Orpheum Theatre was not the old Opera House renamed. The June 30, 1920, issue of the Neosho Daily Democrat had an article about the purchase of the Whiteway Theatre by Hugh Gardner. The Whiteway had been built by G. D. Hall in 1917, after his Dreamland Theatre, located in the old Opera House on the north side of the square, had been destroyed by a fire on December 1, 1916.
The 1920 article said that Gardner intended to rename the Whiteway the Photosho Theatre, but later issues of the paper spelled the name as Fotosho. The February 7, 1921, issue of the Democrat said that Gardner was converting a nearby store building into a movie theater and would move the name Fotosho to the new house. The March 4 issue of the paper said that the former Whiteway/Fotosho Theatre would reopen that night as the Orpheum Theatre, presenting moving pictures and vaudeville.
Given the size of the building, and its Victorian style, I wonder if the Bourbon Theatre wasn’t the Grand Opera House, built around 1890, and later operated as the Grand or Paris Grand Theatre?
Paris also had a movie house opened in 1910 as the Comet Theatre. Later there was a Columbia Theatre, operating around 1913 to 1917, and later still an Alamo Theatre,open at least as late as 1922. These three might all have been the same house.
I’ve also found references to a Marigold Theatre, possibly built around 1920. Information about the theaters in Paris is extremely sparse on the Internet.
This photo of White Castle Restaurant #8 shows the Evanston Theatre next door as it appeared in the 1940s (Blue Skies was released in 1946.) The theater front looks to have been remodeled in a Streamline Modern style in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
Architect Joseph G. Steinkamp and his younger brother Bernard F. Steinkamp were the sons of the German-born Cincinnati architect John (Johann) Bernhard Steinkamp. The brothers were active from around 1900 to around 1948.
Max: That photo was actually uploaded by John Rice. His most recent comment at CinemaTreasures is on this page, so that’s where you’d probably be most likely to catch him (I don’t think CT sends notifications of comments made on photo pages.)
Some interesting digital images generated by laser scans of the Grand Theatre can be seen in this PDF.
The June 24, 1916, issue of The American Contractor said that work had begun on the rebuilding of the Avenue Theatre in McKeesport for the new lessee, H. A. Victor. The architect for the project was H. J. Lehman of McKeesport.
This theater was built for Samuel H. Thal, according to an item about it in the January 31, 1914, issue of The Construction Record, which said that architect Gustave Niehaus [sic] was preparing the plans.
The same column listed another theatre project by Niehus (again with his name misspelled as Niehaus,) saying that he was ready to take bids on a one-story brick picture theater to be built at at Fifth and Ringgold Streets for James Montgomery and Earl R. Lines. We don’t have a theater listed at that location, and I haven’t been able to track down a name for it.
The January 31, 1914, issue of The Construction Record had this item that must have been about the Evanston Theatre:
There was a theater called the Majestic in Ellwood City at least as early as 1910, when the house appeared several times in lists of current vaudeville engagements published in various issues of Variety.
The June 26, 1914, issue of the New Castle News said that many improvements were being made to the Majestic Theatre in Ellwood City.
The Majestic Theatre was destroyed by a fire on January 11, 1984. The last movie shown was Return of the Jedi. There is a photo of the fire on this page of the Ellwood City Ledger web site.
The December 21, 1941, issue of the Las Cruces Sun-News mentioned Guy Frazer as the architect of the new State Theatre, which was scheduled to open Christmas Day. This must have been Guy L. Frazer of the El Paso, Texas, firm Frazer & Benner.
The January 1, 1940, issue of the Clovis News-Journal said that the formal opening of the new State Theatre would take place at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, January 3.