Needs to be listed as demolished. The current structure is a chintzy cinderblock thing from maybe the ‘80s at oldest. The 1915 Sanborn shows a capacity of 960. The auditorium was pretty large, and the balcony was very deep, the opening forming almost a perfect circle.
I added a picture of the current 117. This was an opera house, built sometime before 1885. On the early maps, it is referred to as a ‘public hall’. By 1914, it is referred to as an opera house, and the extension has been added to the rear. The opera house was on the second floor, with stores below. It is still an opera house on the 1931 map. The building was most recently a thrift store, but appears to be vacant.
Note that on the 1931 map, the first to show addresses, this building was 104-106 E 2nd. 117 W 2nd was a huge one story brick building which looks vaguely industrial. Its address is now 214 W 2nd.
Nothing specifically labeled as a movie theater appears on any map, so I’m pretty confident the opera house was it.
Scammon’s decline was very rapid. Check out the census figures. This was a big coal mining area, and there were good sized towns all over the place. Seems that post 1920, the whole area collapsed. Most only have foundations left downtown. Scammon still has 3-4 old buildings.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jul 6, 2020 at 12:21 pm
Note that the address is a best guess for something on the fourth lot south of 4th Street on the east side of Main. The theater structure would have been just to the north of the concrete foundation visible just to the south of the house.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jul 6, 2020 at 12:19 pm
Note that the address is a best guess for something on the third lot north of 2nd street on the east side of Main.
Thanks! Greenwood is so tiny I think the map was only 2-3 sheets, and this was the only theater operating in 1916. I assume that any remodel of the front was restricted to the ground floor.
The building was constructed sometime before 1885, and had been a billiard room with a hall on the third floor. Sometime after it closed, it received an attractive white glazed tile facade, and is today a law office.
The Alhambra appears on the 1909 Sanborn with a capacity of 2,300. The balcony was a massive squared-off ‘U’, and extended all the way to the back wall. The stage seems to be a square centered on the back wall. By 1916 the building is a furniture store. This is either demolished, or the bottom floor was given a revolting dryvit remodel and is the current bank. The proper address was 205 W Sycamore.
If it opened in 1909, it was after July, when the map shows this as a saloon. The structure was originally built sometime before 1885, but was modified over the years. With a hideous remodel, the building is now incorporated into the jewelry store on the corner.
The building at 217 is the same one, but I would guess it was remodeled in the ‘20s, maybe for a bank. The 1916 Sanborn shows an oriel on the building, which is clearly not there now. There was a building on this lot sometime before 1885, but between 1909 and 1916 it was either replaced or extended in the rear.
I’m going to guess at a replacement, because the building at 219 once shared a facade, although it is now missing an oriel as well. So as a theater, it would have been roughly a mirror of 219, with an oriel and a large square awning over the entry. The first 10 or so feet of the wall separating the two buildings was actually a few feet further north than the rest. There are 1927, 1934, and 1965 maps, but they are not digitized.
The Indiana was obviously much older than the 1920s. It appears on the 1901 Sanborn, with the note ‘From Plans’. At that point it was called the Indiana Opera House. By 1911, it is the Indiana Theatre, with a capacity of 1,300. By 1920, the original balcony, which was an angular C-shape which ran up to the stage, has been cut back, and given a concave curved front. Between 1920 and 1952, the appearance is unchanged.
The naming sequence is backward. It was the Grand before it was the Royal Grand. As Esteyman says, the building was first the Allen Opera House, before becoming the Grand Opera House by 1901. By 1920, it’s called the Royal Grand. It is very likely that there was an extensive reconstruction. On the 1920 map, the building is two feet shorter, the east wall has been straightened, and a U-shaped balcony appears.
In both iterations, this was a fairly large 1-2 story brick building, with a large fly tower at the rear. Stage and scenery are shown up to its last appearance on the 1931 map. By 1947, it has been replaced by a parking lot and the little hot dog stand which is there today. The correct address was 122-124 W 5th.
The Paramount was built in 1929, and was a huge theater. It took up most of the quarter block it was on, and was 2-3 stories tall. It’s shown on the maps as ‘fireproof construction’, with the auditorium being brick. The balcony was large, with a concave front. There was a large stage, and scenery is noted even on the 1952 map. It’s now a parking lot for the ugly bank on the corner.
I’m not exactly sure what the Lyric looked like before the 1930s remodel, but it appears on the 1920 and 1931 Sanborns as a brick building of one story with the entrance into a small lobby on the east side under a small square metal awning. The exit was on the far west side, and was simply a narrow hallway. The space between these was a ladies' clothing store. The theater widened to the east just past the front of the auditorium, to fill the space left by the building next door, which was wider at the front.
On the 1920 and 1931 maps, stage and scenery are noted, and there is a dressing room on the NE corner, behind the building next door. This is gone on the 1947 map, and I assume it was removed when the theater was modernized sometime in the second half of the ‘30s.
Needs to be listed as demolished. The current structure is a chintzy cinderblock thing from maybe the ‘80s at oldest. The 1915 Sanborn shows a capacity of 960. The auditorium was pretty large, and the balcony was very deep, the opening forming almost a perfect circle.
Surprising that there is no information at all about a theater that is still open.
I added a picture of the current 117. This was an opera house, built sometime before 1885. On the early maps, it is referred to as a ‘public hall’. By 1914, it is referred to as an opera house, and the extension has been added to the rear. The opera house was on the second floor, with stores below. It is still an opera house on the 1931 map. The building was most recently a thrift store, but appears to be vacant.
Note that on the 1931 map, the first to show addresses, this building was 104-106 E 2nd. 117 W 2nd was a huge one story brick building which looks vaguely industrial. Its address is now 214 W 2nd.
Nothing specifically labeled as a movie theater appears on any map, so I’m pretty confident the opera house was it.
By the way, the address is a guess counting up from the south, and assuming the storefronts in the theater building had their own addresses.
Scammon’s decline was very rapid. Check out the census figures. This was a big coal mining area, and there were good sized towns all over the place. Seems that post 1920, the whole area collapsed. Most only have foundations left downtown. Scammon still has 3-4 old buildings.
Note that the address is a best guess for something on the fourth lot south of 4th Street on the east side of Main. The theater structure would have been just to the north of the concrete foundation visible just to the south of the house.
Note that the address is a best guess for something on the third lot north of 2nd street on the east side of Main.
Thanks for finding a name for this!
That would explain the new facade, which definitely looks early ‘20s.
Thanks! Greenwood is so tiny I think the map was only 2-3 sheets, and this was the only theater operating in 1916. I assume that any remodel of the front was restricted to the ground floor.
Just to help with dating, the 1902 map shows small wooden shops on this lot.
The address was originally 11, then the 1909 map shows it as 107, then the 1916 map has 111.
As I understand Joe Vogel’s research, this can’t have been the Fairview. The theater on E Sycamore was still operating at this point.
This theater was open by at least 1916, but the 1909 map shows a small repair shop on the lot.
The building was constructed sometime before 1885, and had been a billiard room with a hall on the third floor. Sometime after it closed, it received an attractive white glazed tile facade, and is today a law office.
By 1905, the Cahn guide calls it the Sipe Theatre. It disagrees slightly on capacity, giving it as 1,100. G.W. Sipe was the manager.
The Alhambra appears on the 1909 Sanborn with a capacity of 2,300. The balcony was a massive squared-off ‘U’, and extended all the way to the back wall. The stage seems to be a square centered on the back wall. By 1916 the building is a furniture store. This is either demolished, or the bottom floor was given a revolting dryvit remodel and is the current bank. The proper address was 205 W Sycamore.
The 1902 Sanborn shows this as Sipe’s Opera House, and the 1916 map shows it with a capacity of 1,000.
If it opened in 1909, it was after July, when the map shows this as a saloon. The structure was originally built sometime before 1885, but was modified over the years. With a hideous remodel, the building is now incorporated into the jewelry store on the corner.
The building at 217 is the same one, but I would guess it was remodeled in the ‘20s, maybe for a bank. The 1916 Sanborn shows an oriel on the building, which is clearly not there now. There was a building on this lot sometime before 1885, but between 1909 and 1916 it was either replaced or extended in the rear.
I’m going to guess at a replacement, because the building at 219 once shared a facade, although it is now missing an oriel as well. So as a theater, it would have been roughly a mirror of 219, with an oriel and a large square awning over the entry. The first 10 or so feet of the wall separating the two buildings was actually a few feet further north than the rest. There are 1927, 1934, and 1965 maps, but they are not digitized.
Address is a guess counting up from the city hall at 112.
The Indiana was obviously much older than the 1920s. It appears on the 1901 Sanborn, with the note ‘From Plans’. At that point it was called the Indiana Opera House. By 1911, it is the Indiana Theatre, with a capacity of 1,300. By 1920, the original balcony, which was an angular C-shape which ran up to the stage, has been cut back, and given a concave curved front. Between 1920 and 1952, the appearance is unchanged.
The naming sequence is backward. It was the Grand before it was the Royal Grand. As Esteyman says, the building was first the Allen Opera House, before becoming the Grand Opera House by 1901. By 1920, it’s called the Royal Grand. It is very likely that there was an extensive reconstruction. On the 1920 map, the building is two feet shorter, the east wall has been straightened, and a U-shaped balcony appears.
In both iterations, this was a fairly large 1-2 story brick building, with a large fly tower at the rear. Stage and scenery are shown up to its last appearance on the 1931 map. By 1947, it has been replaced by a parking lot and the little hot dog stand which is there today. The correct address was 122-124 W 5th.
The Paramount was built in 1929, and was a huge theater. It took up most of the quarter block it was on, and was 2-3 stories tall. It’s shown on the maps as ‘fireproof construction’, with the auditorium being brick. The balcony was large, with a concave front. There was a large stage, and scenery is noted even on the 1952 map. It’s now a parking lot for the ugly bank on the corner.
I’m not exactly sure what the Lyric looked like before the 1930s remodel, but it appears on the 1920 and 1931 Sanborns as a brick building of one story with the entrance into a small lobby on the east side under a small square metal awning. The exit was on the far west side, and was simply a narrow hallway. The space between these was a ladies' clothing store. The theater widened to the east just past the front of the auditorium, to fill the space left by the building next door, which was wider at the front.
On the 1920 and 1931 maps, stage and scenery are noted, and there is a dressing room on the NE corner, behind the building next door. This is gone on the 1947 map, and I assume it was removed when the theater was modernized sometime in the second half of the ‘30s.