A list of theaters in the Orpheum vaudeville circuit published in 1917 included the Mary Anderson Theatre, with the note that the house was also affiliated with the B.F. Keith circuit.
An item in the November 24, 1917, issue of the Chicago business journal The Economist confirms that the theater at 16 E. Mifflin Street was designed by Rapp & Rapp. The contract for concrete work on the project had just been awarded to William Oakley of Madison.
This article in the December, 1910, issue of the trade journal The Nickelodeon says that the Star Theatre opened on November 1, 1907. The auditorium originally seated 453, and boasted an early example of indirect lighting.
An article about the history of movie exhibition in Vancouver appeared in the July 15, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World. This page includes a few lines about the Rex, and small photo of it. It says that the Rex opened in the fall of 1913 and was built at a cost of $130,000.
Keith McKellar’s Neon Eulogy: Vancouver Café and Street says that the Army & Navy store took over the Rex Theatre’s space in 1959.
There is an early photo of the Majestic Theatre in the left column of this page of The Moving Picture World, July 1, 1916. The right column features a photo of Paxton’s other movie house, the Crystal Theatre.
An advertisement for the Philip Carey Roofing Company of Cincinnati appearing in the December, 1921, issue of the Journal of the American Institute of Architects featured a photo of the Hippodrome Theatre in Murphysboro. The caption credited the design of the house to the Murphysboro architectural firm Gill & Fath.
The Royal Theatre dates from around 1910. The June 21, 1917, issue of Engineering News-Record said that the Royal Theatre was to be rebuilt at a cost of about $150,000. Plans for the rebuilding were being prepared by local architect T.M. Sanders.
In 1909, the theater at 608 Washington Avenue was called the Bijou Dream. Trade Journal The Nickelodeon gave its seating capacity as 700. The house was at that time equipped to show Cameraphone sound films as well as regular silent movies.
Tinseltoes: I’ve found that the Lyric Theatre was an earlier name for the house listed at Cinema Treasures as the Ranger Theatre. I’ve reported the missing AKA in a comment on the Ranger’s page.
This comment by Bill Dakota on a retailing history web site says that the Ranger Theatre had once been called the Lyric Theatre. The house was located on Main Street between High and North Streets.
The October, 1915, issue of house organ Bell Telephone News mentions a Lyric Theatre in Lima. I’ve found the house mentioned in connection with George Settos in 1922 and in 1929. In the 1930s, the Lyric was the site of several professional boxing matches which are noted at the web site BoxRec.
I found a single reference to a stage production being mounted at the Lyric in 1946, so the name change took place between then and 1950, when the ad for the Ranger that kencmcintyre linked to earlier was published.
It looks like the Miners' Temple was even older than I thought. The Annual Report on Labour Organization in Canada published in 1921 said that the Miners' Temple in Bellaire, Ohio, was dedicated on October 30, 1920.
Although a timeline of Bellaire history at the Bellaire Public Library' web site says that the Miners' Temple was built in 1926, the web page lostmemory linked to earlier, which is also from the library’s web site, says that the building first appeared on Sanborn insurance maps in 1924.
I have found a reference to the Miners' Temple in the January 15, 1923, issue of the trade union publication Cigar Makers' Official Journal, the phrasing of which suggests that the building was already occupied at that time. It’s possible that the Miners' Temple was completed in late 1922, and this might have been too late for it to be included in the 1923 edition of the Sanborn maps.
The Capitol Theatre opened on January 3, 1925, according to the caption of a photo on page 53 of Bellaire, by Holly Bruno and Andrew Ehritz (Google Books preview).) An item in the December 1, 1928, issue of Motion Picture News ran this item about the house:
“The Capitol Theatre, Bellaire, Ohio, owned by A. G. Constant and associates, has reopened after being dark several months to permit extensive remodeling.”
Google Books also lists a small book titled The Capitol Movie Theatre, Bellaire, Ohio, which was published in 1930, but Google has no views of it available. The book has apparently been digitized by the State Library of Ohio and should be available as an e-book which can be checked out by card holders of many public libraries in the state (here’s a list.) Maybe a Cinema Treasures user with a card from one of those libraries can take a look at it and add more information here.
This house opened around 1915 as the Majestic Theatre, according to the caption of photos on page 51 of Bellaire, by Holly Bruno and Andrew Ehritz (Google Books Preview.)
A major remodeling of the Strand Theatre was carried out in 1951, according to Kendallville Heritage Association’s Historic Places tour (PDF file here.) The remodeling was designed by the A.M. Strauss architectural firm of Fort Wayne (Alvin M. Strauss, a Kendallville native.)
The July 22, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World had this item datelined Fort Payne: “Miss Leona Thomason will expend $5,000 to remodel opera house for a moving picture theater.”
The side walls of the Urbana Cinema look much older than its 1941 build date. A number of sources indicate that the Gloria Theatre was on the site of an earlier house called the Clifford Theatre, which burned. A couple of sources say that the Gloria was rebuilt from the Clifford.
Judging from the apparent age of the side walls, at least parts of the Clifford must have survived the fire to be incorporated in the new structure, though the Clifford was a larger theater than the Gloria. The Cahn guide of 1910 said that the house seated 1,200, and its stage was 35 feet from footlights to back wall and 80 feet between its side walls. The proscenium was 40 feet wide and 30 feet high. The modern theater doesn’t appear to have a stage house at all.
This web page has a photo of the historical marker commemorating the Clifford Theatre. I’ve been unable to find any period photos of the outside of the Clifford Theatre, which opened in 1905, but a 1911 picture of the auditorium appears on page 2 of the May, 2008, issue of the Champaign County Historical Society’s newsletter, available in PDF format at this link.
The University of Vermont library has four photos of the Strong Theatre, most of them showing the street sides of the building, like this one dated 1950, but there is one photo showing the other side, where the auditorium and stage tower were visible.
Quite a few sources note that the Strong Theatre opened on October 24, 1904. Most Internet sources I’ve seen say that the fire that destroyed it took place in 1970, but the caption of a photo on this page of the book Burlington Firefighting, by Liisa Reimann and James M. Woodmanthe, says that the fire took place in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 9, 1971.
An item in a 1933 issue of Motion Picture Herald, which I’ve only seen in a snippet view from Google Books, says that the Strong Theatre was being remodeled at a cost of $20,000. The architect for the project was Frank Lyman Austin, of Burlington.
We currently have the wrong the initials for architect Holmboe. I’ve found many period references to an architect named E.C.S. Holmboe, but none to an R.C. Holmboe. Holmboe’s partner in the firm of Holmboe & Lafferty was Robert C. Lafferty, which is probably where the initials R.C. came from.
In addition to the Robinson Grand, Holmboe & Lafferty designed the Cottrill Opera House in Thomas, West Virginia and possibly the Elk’s Theatre in Bluefield, West Virginia (attributed to Lafferty but built in 1902, the year the partnership of Holmboe & Lafferty was formed.)
A list of theaters in the Orpheum vaudeville circuit published in 1917 included the Mary Anderson Theatre, with the note that the house was also affiliated with the B.F. Keith circuit.
An item in the November 24, 1917, issue of the Chicago business journal The Economist confirms that the theater at 16 E. Mifflin Street was designed by Rapp & Rapp. The contract for concrete work on the project had just been awarded to William Oakley of Madison.
This article in the December, 1910, issue of the trade journal The Nickelodeon says that the Star Theatre opened on November 1, 1907. The auditorium originally seated 453, and boasted an early example of indirect lighting.
Here is an article about the Cinema House in the November 1, 1910, issue of the Chicago-based trade journal The Nickelodeon.
An article about the history of movie exhibition in Vancouver appeared in the July 15, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World. This page includes a few lines about the Rex, and small photo of it. It says that the Rex opened in the fall of 1913 and was built at a cost of $130,000.
Keith McKellar’s Neon Eulogy: Vancouver Café and Street says that the Army & Navy store took over the Rex Theatre’s space in 1959.
There is an early photo of the Majestic Theatre in the left column of this page of The Moving Picture World, July 1, 1916. The right column features a photo of Paxton’s other movie house, the Crystal Theatre.
The May, 1915, issue of The Western Architect said that the Calhoun Theatre had been designed by architect Clifford T. McElroy.
An advertisement for the Philip Carey Roofing Company of Cincinnati appearing in the December, 1921, issue of the Journal of the American Institute of Architects featured a photo of the Hippodrome Theatre in Murphysboro. The caption credited the design of the house to the Murphysboro architectural firm Gill & Fath.
The Royal Theatre dates from around 1910. The June 21, 1917, issue of Engineering News-Record said that the Royal Theatre was to be rebuilt at a cost of about $150,000. Plans for the rebuilding were being prepared by local architect T.M. Sanders.
In 1909, the theater at 608 Washington Avenue was called the Bijou Dream. Trade Journal The Nickelodeon gave its seating capacity as 700. The house was at that time equipped to show Cameraphone sound films as well as regular silent movies.
The Orpheum Theatre at Lima, Ohio, was being mentioned in The Billboard and Variety in 1908.
Note the address of 118 W. Market Street given in kencmcintyre’s earlier comment, as well as the missing AKA.
Tinseltoes: I’ve found that the Lyric Theatre was an earlier name for the house listed at Cinema Treasures as the Ranger Theatre. I’ve reported the missing AKA in a comment on the Ranger’s page.
This comment by Bill Dakota on a retailing history web site says that the Ranger Theatre had once been called the Lyric Theatre. The house was located on Main Street between High and North Streets.
The October, 1915, issue of house organ Bell Telephone News mentions a Lyric Theatre in Lima. I’ve found the house mentioned in connection with George Settos in 1922 and in 1929. In the 1930s, the Lyric was the site of several professional boxing matches which are noted at the web site BoxRec.
I found a single reference to a stage production being mounted at the Lyric in 1946, so the name change took place between then and 1950, when the ad for the Ranger that kencmcintyre linked to earlier was published.
It looks like the Miners' Temple was even older than I thought. The Annual Report on Labour Organization in Canada published in 1921 said that the Miners' Temple in Bellaire, Ohio, was dedicated on October 30, 1920.
Although a timeline of Bellaire history at the Bellaire Public Library' web site says that the Miners' Temple was built in 1926, the web page lostmemory linked to earlier, which is also from the library’s web site, says that the building first appeared on Sanborn insurance maps in 1924.
I have found a reference to the Miners' Temple in the January 15, 1923, issue of the trade union publication Cigar Makers' Official Journal, the phrasing of which suggests that the building was already occupied at that time. It’s possible that the Miners' Temple was completed in late 1922, and this might have been too late for it to be included in the 1923 edition of the Sanborn maps.
The Capitol Theatre opened on January 3, 1925, according to the caption of a photo on page 53 of Bellaire, by Holly Bruno and Andrew Ehritz (Google Books preview).) An item in the December 1, 1928, issue of Motion Picture News ran this item about the house:
Google Books also lists a small book titled The Capitol Movie Theatre, Bellaire, Ohio, which was published in 1930, but Google has no views of it available. The book has apparently been digitized by the State Library of Ohio and should be available as an e-book which can be checked out by card holders of many public libraries in the state (here’s a list.) Maybe a Cinema Treasures user with a card from one of those libraries can take a look at it and add more information here.This house opened around 1915 as the Majestic Theatre, according to the caption of photos on page 51 of Bellaire, by Holly Bruno and Andrew Ehritz (Google Books Preview.)
A major remodeling of the Strand Theatre was carried out in 1951, according to Kendallville Heritage Association’s Historic Places tour (PDF file here.) The remodeling was designed by the A.M. Strauss architectural firm of Fort Wayne (Alvin M. Strauss, a Kendallville native.)
Error in the architect field: There should be no “s” in the architect’s first name. It’s Edward Bates Franzheim.
The Temple Theatre had a Wurlitzer type D organ, opus 592.
The July 22, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World had this item datelined Fort Payne: “Miss Leona Thomason will expend $5,000 to remodel opera house for a moving picture theater.”
The side walls of the Urbana Cinema look much older than its 1941 build date. A number of sources indicate that the Gloria Theatre was on the site of an earlier house called the Clifford Theatre, which burned. A couple of sources say that the Gloria was rebuilt from the Clifford.
Judging from the apparent age of the side walls, at least parts of the Clifford must have survived the fire to be incorporated in the new structure, though the Clifford was a larger theater than the Gloria. The Cahn guide of 1910 said that the house seated 1,200, and its stage was 35 feet from footlights to back wall and 80 feet between its side walls. The proscenium was 40 feet wide and 30 feet high. The modern theater doesn’t appear to have a stage house at all.
This web page has a photo of the historical marker commemorating the Clifford Theatre. I’ve been unable to find any period photos of the outside of the Clifford Theatre, which opened in 1905, but a 1911 picture of the auditorium appears on page 2 of the May, 2008, issue of the Champaign County Historical Society’s newsletter, available in PDF format at this link.
The University of Vermont library has four photos of the Strong Theatre, most of them showing the street sides of the building, like this one dated 1950, but there is one photo showing the other side, where the auditorium and stage tower were visible.
Quite a few sources note that the Strong Theatre opened on October 24, 1904. Most Internet sources I’ve seen say that the fire that destroyed it took place in 1970, but the caption of a photo on this page of the book Burlington Firefighting, by Liisa Reimann and James M. Woodmanthe, says that the fire took place in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 9, 1971.
An item in a 1933 issue of Motion Picture Herald, which I’ve only seen in a snippet view from Google Books, says that the Strong Theatre was being remodeled at a cost of $20,000. The architect for the project was Frank Lyman Austin, of Burlington.
E.C.S. Holmboe and Robert C. Lafferty of the Clarksburg architectural firm Holmboe & Rafferty designed the Cottrill Opera House.
We currently have the wrong the initials for architect Holmboe. I’ve found many period references to an architect named E.C.S. Holmboe, but none to an R.C. Holmboe. Holmboe’s partner in the firm of Holmboe & Lafferty was Robert C. Lafferty, which is probably where the initials R.C. came from.
In addition to the Robinson Grand, Holmboe & Lafferty designed the Cottrill Opera House in Thomas, West Virginia and possibly the Elk’s Theatre in Bluefield, West Virginia (attributed to Lafferty but built in 1902, the year the partnership of Holmboe & Lafferty was formed.)