The Palace opened on October 4, 1920 with the stage production of “The Old Homestead.â€
In 1937 the Palace was remodeled.
The orchestra pit and organ were taken out.
(The organ was sold to a church in Stevens Point Wisconsin.)
New seats were installed.
A new ticket booth was built.
The projection booth was revamped.
The Palace was operated until January 15, 1957.
The last film was “Seven Men From the Nile.â€
This is an article from the Stevens Point Journal.
May 6, 1954
Installing Big Screen At Fox For Cinemascope
A screen more than double the width of the present one is being installed at the Fox theater in preparation for the showing of cinemascope movies.
The new screen is 37 feet wide, according to the theater Manager Gerald McMillan compared to the old screen’s 15-foot width.
The first widescreen movie to be shown here “The Robe†will be Friday. McMillan said there will be no change in prices. The present admission schedule for standard movies, including early bird prices will be retained for cinemascope showings.
In addition to the wide, curved screen, “stereophonic sound†is being installed. New speakers are being placed behind the screen and along the walls, to heighten the viewer’s impression that he is “part†of the action. Sound will come part of the screen where action is taking place, McMillan said.
Cinemascope involves the use of a special “anamorphic†lens on both movie camera and the project. A wide angle view is condensed on film and then projected to its original width on the screen.
No special glasses are necessary to view cinemascope.
“The Robe†will run through next Thursday, with matinees every day, McMillan reported. “Prince Valiant,†another widescreen movie will follow, he said, and all showings for the next few weeks will be cinemascope.
After that, McMillan said, some standard movies will be shown until the movie industry builds up a backlog of cinemascope shows. When standard movies are shown, he said, drapes will cover the unused part of the screen.
This is an article from the Stevens Point Journal.
May 6, 1954
Installing Big Screen At Fox For Cinemascope
A screen more than double the width of the present one is being installed at the Fox theater in preparation for the showing of cinemascope movies.
The new screen is 37 feet wide, according to the theater Manager Gerald McMillan compared to the old screen’s 15-foot width.
The first widescreen movie to be shown here “The Robe†will be Friday. McMillan said there will be no change in prices. The present admission schedule for standard movies, including early bird prices will be retained for cinemascope showings.
In addition to the wide, curved screen, “stereophonic sound†is being installed. New speakers are being placed behind the screen and along the walls, to heighten the viewer’s impression that he is “part†of the action. Sound will come part of the screen where action is taking place, McMillan said.
Cinemascope involves the use of a special “anamorphic†lens on both movie camera and the project. A wide angle view is condensed on film and then projected to its original width on the screen.
No special glasses are necessary to view cinemascope.
“The Robe†will run through next Thursday, with matinees every day, McMillan reported. “Prince Valiant,†another widescreen movie will follow, he said, and all showings for the next few weeks will be cinemascope.
After that, McMillan said, some standard movies will be shown until the movie industry builds up a backlog of cinemascope shows. When standard movies are shown, he said, drapes will cover the unused part of the screen.
This is an article from the Stevens Point Journal
December 28, 1928
Fox Company Takes Lyric and Majestic
Houses to Go Under New Management Commencing on January 1.
Negotiations have been completed for the sub-letting of the Majestic and Lyric theaters in Stevens Point to the Fox-Midwesco Theater Company, Wisconsin subsidiary of the Fox Film Corporation.
J. P. Adler of Marshfield, owner of the leases on the two houses, declined to give confirmation. Joe Leo, vice-president of the Fox-Midwesco Company, in a telephone conversation stated to the Journal that the papers had been “signed and sealed.â€
Mr. Adler was in Milwaukee Friday, returning home early this morning. He was accompanied by George B. Nelson of Stevens Point, his counsel in the negotiations with the Fox Midwesco company. In his statement to the Journal Mr. Adler admitted that negotiations had been in progress and he intimated that the deal would be concluded no later than Monday.
Start January 1.
The Midwesco Company, according to the terms of the transaction will take over the two local houses January 1. The Adler interests will retire from management December 31.
Virtual rebuilding of the Majestic Theater is contemplated by the Fox interests, Mr. Leo said. The plans call for tearing out practically all of the interior, he declared, the project to include redecoration, reseating, new heating apparatus, carpeting all the aisles and installation of both movietone and vitaphone equipment. This equipment will enable the theater o show sound pictures. A new canopy will be erected at the entrance.
May Spend $60,000
The total expenditure planned by the Fox Company, Mr. Leo added, would be “in the neighborhood of $60,000.â€
Operation of both theaters will be continued and the Lyric especially will maintained, he said, during the time the Majestic theater renovations are under way.
Lyric Future in Doubt
As to continuance of the Lyric afterward, he said, “that would be a mater of practical operation.†If operation were decided upon for the Lyric, after the Majestic had been rebuilt, he declared, it would be in the lower-priced filed.
Work on the reconstruction project, he said, will be started before the end of January.
Under Way Seven Weeks
Negotiations for operation of the theaters by the Fox interests, it was learned by the Journal, have been in progress for six or seven weeks. It was understood that at one time, after agreements had virtually been reached, the Fox people declined to continue until they had secured permission of the owner of the Majestic Theater, G. W. Andrae, to make the changes contemplated in its interior. This permission having been secured within recent days, the negotiations were resumed and conclude, it was said. Mr. Leo spent five days here this fall in connection with the transaction.
Leases on the Majestic and Lyric have 11 and 10 years to run, respectively. Mr. Alder entered the local filed five years ago when he assumed operation of the Lyric Theater from Myron H. Clifford. Two years later he secured the lease of the Majestic theater and since then has operated both houses.
On Monthly Plan
It was understood, although no confirmation of this was secured, that the present deal calls for monthly payments to Mr. Adler, who did not surrender ownership of the leases. The sub-letting, it was reported, did not include rentals of the two stores in the Majestic building, which will continue as lessees of Adler.
The local theater deal cuts the Adler string of theaters in Wisconsin to three, one at Waupaca and two at Marshfield. Within a few weeks, the Adler Theater at Antigo went under Midwesco management. Six theaters at Marshfield, Stevens Point, Waupaca and Antigo were formerly under one management.
The Midwesco chain in Wisconsin includes theaters in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Beloit, Janesville, Waukesha, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Green Bay, Wausau, Antigo and Marinette.
They are from a report done by the Historic American Buildings Survey.
BWChicago posted the link on August 16, 2006.
The inside of the theater has been remodeled several times.
The major renovations were done in 1920 and in 1929.
There is very little left of the original Opera House.
This is an article from the Stevens Point Journal.
October 19, 1920
New Majestic to Open Nov. 1
“All Abroad For Cuba†to be first performance in Stevens Point $60,000 playhouse.
Work Nearly Completed.
Installing light fixtures and seats and finishing dressing rooms.
The first performance to be given in the Majestic Theater, Stevens Point sixty thousand dollar playhouse with a seating capacity of 975 will be presented the evening of November 1. The opening show will be “All Aboard For Cuba†a musical comedy success. The ticket sale is in charge of the citizen’s committee of the Chamber of Commerce.
Work on the new Majestic Theater is rapidly nearing completion. The floor which required seven coats of material was finished today and workmen are now installing the seats. The decoration of the interior of the building is entirely completed with the exception of a few finishing touches and the installation of the lights. The projecting machines are in place and workmen who will place the scenery are expected to arrive in the city Thursday or Friday. Carpenters are finishing the work in the balcony and dressing rooms and painters are at work in the lobby. The canopy extending over the sidewalk is yet to be redecorated and the lights in the lobby to be installed.
Light Fixtures Cost $1,200
The auditorium is finished in decorative relief work with a color scheme of ivory, old rose and Persian blue. The light fixtures are finished in gold and the shades are of blue silk. Besides the lights on the walls, which will be in clusters of three, there will be two dome lights in the ceiling each are seven feet in diameter. The fourteen main lighting fixtures in the auditorium and lobby cost $1,200. The entire lighting system will be on the indirect and semi-direct plan.
Audience safe from fire
Four fire exits from the main floor of the auditorium in addition to the main entrance, will make the audience safe from any danger of fire. It is estimated that the building when filled to capacity can be emptied in less than three minutes. The two fire escapes from the balconies extend to the rear of the building where stairs lead to ground. This system prevents the blocking of the side exits from the first floor, by persons coming from the balconies. There are no steps to stumble over in order to get exits, as inclines in the floor lead to the exit. “Panic†locks which allow the door knob are fitted to every door in the theater.
The floor of the auditorium is made by a process only recently patented. It is mastic compassion which gives one the effect of walking on rubber soles, and is noiseless and fireproof.
The Stage Equipment
The stage opening is unusually large 27 feet wide by 22 feet high. The stage is large enough and thoroughly equipped for the presentation of any show on the road. A loft extending 30 feet above the top of the stage is adequate to hold several complete sets of scenery. The stage lights are wired in series of three and any series can be dimmed without altering the others. The scenery equipment will include six complete sets and five drops, including a 1,200 pound asbestos curtain and gold fiber movie screen.
There are 15 dressing rooms, each equipped with running water. A music room under the stage opens to into the orchestra pit.
The lobby like the auditorium is finished in relief decoration. The ceiling will be panted a cream buff color, the relief work French gray and the wall panels bluish green with a mottled effect. The woodwork will be finished in mahogany.
Ventilation and Heat
The ventilation and heating system is capable of changing the warm air in the auditorium every few minutes. The ventilation system consists of a six foot fan, driven by a 7 ½ horse power motor, which draws air though an air shaft leading to the outside of the building and blows it though the furnace, where it is warmed and sent into the auditorium. The warm air rises to the top of the building and escapes though an opening in the ceiling.
Sound-proof Operating Room
The operating room is fire-proof and sound-proof. The projection equipment consists of twin simplex machines of the latest design and a spot light projector.
An inter-phone system has been installed, with phones in the managers office, operating room, ticket office, janitors quarters and music room.
Drums Added to Orchestra
A drummer and xylophone player, Richard Stroll, formerly of Minneapolis has been added to the orchestra, making a total of five pieces. A few more musicians may be added to the orchestra within the next few weeks.
Twenty employees will be required for the operation of the new theater. Which is controlled by the Majestic Theater Company, in which M. F. Bruce and Russell Gregory are the principal stockholders.
These are articles from the Stevens Point Journal.
September 28, 1985
Rogers theaters sold to Essaness
Two Stevens Point movie theaters have been purchased by Essaness Theaters of Chicago.
Rogers Cinema and Fox Theater were part of a seven-theater package sold by Rogers Cinema Inc., owned by Paul J. Rogers and John V. Koran. Rogers Cinema is based in Marshfield.
Essaness will assume control of the theater operations Oct. 4. Rogers, a member of the National Association of Theater Owners, will join Essaness in an executive and consulting position.
Essaness will have the second largest theater chain in Wisconsin with the addition of Rogers Theaters’ 15 screens. Essaness has the second largest theater group in the Chicago area, with operations dating back to 1929.
The expansion program will continue through next year as Essaness plans to operate more than 100 theater screens in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. “We plan to dramatically accelerate our expansion program during the next year to 18 months,†said Robert Persa, chief financial officer.
“While we’re a very entrepreneurial company, our goals in the theater business are unchanged,†said Larry D. Hanson, Essaness vice president. “We will continue to book diversity of quality movies, screen them with the most technologically advanced equipment, fill our concessions with the best products, keep our theaters clean and comfortable, and treat our customers with courtesy. We will keep challenging our employees with career opportunities so their personal growth and our corporate growth coincides.â€
Besides the two Stevens Point theaters, the acquisition included the Rogers Cinema and Cinema Park Theater, in Marshfield, the Rogers Cinema in Wisconsin Rapids, the Rogers Cinema in Wausau, and The Chief Theaters, in Red Wing, Minn.
October 21, 1985
Big chill at the Fox
You almost have to eat popcorn with your gloves on at the Fox Theater theses days.
No, theaters management hasn’t forgotten to switch off the air conditioning and turn on the heat. But the heat comes from temporary wall units that apparently are not enough to adequately warm the place.
“It’s not our fault,†said manager Mike Sowinski. “There’s nothing I can physically do to get more heat in the building.â€
Movie-goers are being asked to bear with it. The problem is with the city, they are told.
“Everybody’s got to blame somebody,†is the response from Jon Van Alstine, city public works director.
The problem resulted when the city removed the rear 40 feet of the theater last spring, a move required because the south wall of CenterPoint Mall was to located there.
The theater lost about 25 seats when its screen was moved forward 10 feet. That portion of the theater also is where the furnace and other electrical work were located.
The city had designed an aboveground furnace system, and an architect for the theater designed a basement system, Van Alstine said. The city said if the theater did not like its design, the city would pay $5,000 more than its estimate for a system. The price difference is somewhere between $10,000 and $40,000, he said.
That was last spring, and the issue has not been resolved yet. It was not a pressing matter during the summer, Van Alstine said, but city officials and the theater owner have been in contact during the past few weeks.
Van Alstine said he has no idea how long it will take before the two parties settle the matter. Construction of the furnace will take about a month, he said.
Sowinski said he has had a few complaints from patrons. Informing them of the problem before the movie starts has helped, he said, adding he has not noticed that lack of heat is hurting business.
The Fox Theater in downtown closed for supposed interior work today as it busiest season of the year approaches. That has left the owners of the theater chain that operates the Fox chagrined.
Essaness Theaters of the Chicago, which purchased the theater business but not the Fox building last September, ordered the theater closed “I will not operate a theater that does not offer patrons a good experience,†said Larry Hanson, vice president of Essaness. Owner of the Fox building is the Sanders family of Stevens Point.
At issue is a furnace for the building. When the city of Stevens Point acquired the rear portion of the theater for the downtown mall project after a lengthy dispute over historical clearance, replacement of the heating system was still unsettled. The old furnace was in the portion the city acquired.
Temporary heaters were installed but are not sufficient for the winter season.
The city’s estimate of what it would cost to replace the furnace was about $75,000, based on a study conducted by a city consultant.
But the Fox owners disagreed with the city’s plans for replacement, the estimated cost and over who should do the work.
City Attorney Louis Molepske said today that some of those problems had been worked out Monday. The owners agreed to accept a check for $74,525 for the furnace work. The agreement calls on the owners to contract for the work themselves. And if the owners can show that the city’s estimates for the work done if the city’s plan had been followed are too low, they will have an opportunity to collect more money, Molepske said.
Certain other matters remain to be worked out with the owners, he added.
Essaness, meanwhile, is disturbed by the affair. Hanson said he doesn’t believe that the Sanders family is receiving what it should for the work. And he said he’s disappointed that the matter dragged out this long, blaming the city and not the owners.
“I’m going to lose,†he said. “I will have a serious problem with film companies in terms of my commitments.â€
Essaness prides itself in operating quality theaters, and it won’t operate the Fox until it meets those standards, he said. “I have scheduled a lot of refurbishing there,†he said, citing plans for new restrooms, a remodeled lobby and other changes. “But they can’t be done without adequate heating plant,†he said.
Hanson was informed of recent developments in negotiations between the city and owners, and said, “It’s an amount of money that does not adequately compensate the Sanders people.â€
Negotiations have been going on for more than a year, and “The city is trying to negotiate the landlord’s acceptance of something that the landlord doesn’t think is possible or adequate,†Hanson said.
He would give no date for reopening, but said that Essaness won’t operate the theater again until it meets Essaness standards.
December 11, 1985
Fox Theater reopening Friday
The Fox Theater, which closed recently because of heating problems, will reopen Friday, according to Mike Sowinski, its manager.
Temporary heating unites weren’t providing enough heat. They were installed after the downtown mall project resulting in the removal of the rear portion of the Fox, which contained the furnace.
Discussions between the city and the buildings owners about a permanent heating system continue. Meanwhile, Sowinski said an old heat exchange unit and the temporary heaters will be used to provide sufficient heat.
April 25, 1986
No comments on Fox closing
Rogers Fox Theater is closed.
None of the parties involved will say why the theater is not open or how long it will be closed.
The theater, at 1124 Main St., is owned by Jeanette Sanders and has been operated by Essaness Theaters, Chicago, since September 1985.
“The Fox will not have films this week,†was the response to a call to the theater this morning. The business stopped advertising movies in the Stevens Point Journal Wednesday.
Local manager Michael Sowinski said he could address the matter further. “No comment. You’ll have to get that from Chicago.â€
Numerous calls to Essaness officials were not returned.
“We just have no comment. We don’t know. No comment,†said Donald Sanders, Jeanette’s husband.
Their attorney, Gray Dreler, said he did not know the theater was closed. “I am negotiating on behalf of the owner with the preset lessee and operator,†he said. “It’s our position that we have a valid, binding lease, and we intend to hold them to it.â€
He would not say how long the lease is or detail why negotiations are needed. “That’s a rather involved matter, and at this point I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the negotiations.â€
Plans to expand Rogers Cinema, 2725 Church St. from two to five theaters were announced earlier this mouth. Essaness operates it.
This is an article from The Gazette, another Stevens Point paper.
It was printed on July 19, 1893.
Now For the Opera House
This forenoon G. F. Andrae secured the deed for the ground upon which he will erect a new Opera House. The ground has a frontage of fifty-five feet on Main Street, and extends thought to Brown Street, the consideration being $4,165. Mr. Andrae has also purchased the lot on Brown Street, adjoining on the west, giving plenty of ground room on the rear for entrance, storage purposes, etc. The property was formerly owned by Henry and J. D. Curran. The contract has been let for moving the building, now occupied as a Chinese laundry, to Brown Street, and the building will be moved on Monday next. The contract for excavation for the basement has also been made, and work upon the same will be commenced at once. Mr. Andrae as has been stated before, has already received a number of plans, but the one he is most favorably impressed with is that furnished by a Chicago architect, who will be here today or tomorrow and look the ground over. This is something that Stevens Point has long needed, and it is a pleasure to be able to announce that the Andrae Opera House will be pushed forward to completion as fast as men can do the work and money provide the material, and that it will be erected in a model style and supplied with the latest and most approved furnishing and conveniences.
This postcard is from the 1920’s, facing west down Main Street. The old sign for the Majestic Theater and part of the original balcony are visible in the photo. The Lyric Theater is also on the postcard next to the Post Office (the large white building). http://library.uwsp.edu/PCHS/pictures/d1047i.jpg
This postcard is from the 1930’s. The photo was taken from Third Street looking east down Main Street. The Majestic sign and marquee can be seen in the far back, over the car facing forward. View link
This is an article form Stevens Point Weekly Journal.
It was printed on August 12, 1893.
Plans for the new Opera House
Saturday morning of last week, Mr. Andrae received the plans for the new Opera house block, and they are without doubt the most complete plans and specifications that ever came to Stevens Point. They were prepared by architects Oscar Cobb & Son of Chicago, according to the original ideas and views of Mr. Andrae. Two fine stores will occupy the front part of the block, which is to be 56 feet wide and 60 feet deep, with a hall 42x54 feet overhead. In the center of the block, between the stores, will be a 12-foot entrance leading back to the Opera House, which is to be 48 feet wide by 105 feet long. The latter will be built from modern architectural designs and when completed will be one of the finest in the state, outside of Milwaukee. The interior will be fitted up with all modern conveniences for comfort and safety of its patrons. It will have a seating capacity for about 650 people. Besides the auditorium, a gallery and six boxes, it will be provided with reception rooms, toilet rooms, etc., with steam heat, electric light and water works thought-out. Several exits will be conveniently arranged whereby an audience could easily escape in case of fire or other accident. The stage will be well equipped with spacious dressing rooms and other apartments for the convenience of actors, and supplied with beautiful scenery. The front of the building will be constructed of pressed brick, trimmed with brown stone and very ornamented. The contract for laying the foundation has been let to W. E. Ule, who will begin the work as soon as the excavating, which is progressing finely, is finished.
Some of my photos of the Grand can be seen at.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwilke/
Some of my photos of the Brin can be seen at.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwilke/
I bought a program and recipe book from a local antique mall today. They came from a cooking school that was held at the Fox Theater.
The recipe book is from the third annual cooking school of February 24-26, 1937
The program is not dated. But it could be from the same year as the recipe book.
C. W. Nelson was the architect.
The Palace opened on October 4, 1920 with the stage production of “The Old Homestead.â€
In 1937 the Palace was remodeled.
The orchestra pit and organ were taken out.
(The organ was sold to a church in Stevens Point Wisconsin.)
New seats were installed.
A new ticket booth was built.
The projection booth was revamped.
The Palace was operated until January 15, 1957.
The last film was “Seven Men From the Nile.â€
I don’t know how old this property listing is, but it states the building is for sale or lease. The asking price is $ 650,000.00.
View link
The grand opening was March 1, 1915.
The seating capacity was originally 500.
The correct spelling is Shawano.
Here is a link to a postcard of the Palace.
View link
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View link
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View link
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View link
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View link
This is an article from the Stevens Point Journal.
May 6, 1954
Installing Big Screen At Fox For Cinemascope
A screen more than double the width of the present one is being installed at the Fox theater in preparation for the showing of cinemascope movies.
The new screen is 37 feet wide, according to the theater Manager Gerald McMillan compared to the old screen’s 15-foot width.
The first widescreen movie to be shown here “The Robe†will be Friday. McMillan said there will be no change in prices. The present admission schedule for standard movies, including early bird prices will be retained for cinemascope showings.
In addition to the wide, curved screen, “stereophonic sound†is being installed. New speakers are being placed behind the screen and along the walls, to heighten the viewer’s impression that he is “part†of the action. Sound will come part of the screen where action is taking place, McMillan said.
Cinemascope involves the use of a special “anamorphic†lens on both movie camera and the project. A wide angle view is condensed on film and then projected to its original width on the screen.
No special glasses are necessary to view cinemascope.
“The Robe†will run through next Thursday, with matinees every day, McMillan reported. “Prince Valiant,†another widescreen movie will follow, he said, and all showings for the next few weeks will be cinemascope.
After that, McMillan said, some standard movies will be shown until the movie industry builds up a backlog of cinemascope shows. When standard movies are shown, he said, drapes will cover the unused part of the screen.
This is an article from the Stevens Point Journal.
May 6, 1954
Installing Big Screen At Fox For Cinemascope
A screen more than double the width of the present one is being installed at the Fox theater in preparation for the showing of cinemascope movies.
The new screen is 37 feet wide, according to the theater Manager Gerald McMillan compared to the old screen’s 15-foot width.
The first widescreen movie to be shown here “The Robe†will be Friday. McMillan said there will be no change in prices. The present admission schedule for standard movies, including early bird prices will be retained for cinemascope showings.
In addition to the wide, curved screen, “stereophonic sound†is being installed. New speakers are being placed behind the screen and along the walls, to heighten the viewer’s impression that he is “part†of the action. Sound will come part of the screen where action is taking place, McMillan said.
Cinemascope involves the use of a special “anamorphic†lens on both movie camera and the project. A wide angle view is condensed on film and then projected to its original width on the screen.
No special glasses are necessary to view cinemascope.
“The Robe†will run through next Thursday, with matinees every day, McMillan reported. “Prince Valiant,†another widescreen movie will follow, he said, and all showings for the next few weeks will be cinemascope.
After that, McMillan said, some standard movies will be shown until the movie industry builds up a backlog of cinemascope shows. When standard movies are shown, he said, drapes will cover the unused part of the screen.
This is an article from the Stevens Point Journal
December 28, 1928
Fox Company Takes Lyric and Majestic
Houses to Go Under New Management Commencing on January 1.
Negotiations have been completed for the sub-letting of the Majestic and Lyric theaters in Stevens Point to the Fox-Midwesco Theater Company, Wisconsin subsidiary of the Fox Film Corporation.
J. P. Adler of Marshfield, owner of the leases on the two houses, declined to give confirmation. Joe Leo, vice-president of the Fox-Midwesco Company, in a telephone conversation stated to the Journal that the papers had been “signed and sealed.â€
Mr. Adler was in Milwaukee Friday, returning home early this morning. He was accompanied by George B. Nelson of Stevens Point, his counsel in the negotiations with the Fox Midwesco company. In his statement to the Journal Mr. Adler admitted that negotiations had been in progress and he intimated that the deal would be concluded no later than Monday.
Start January 1.
The Midwesco Company, according to the terms of the transaction will take over the two local houses January 1. The Adler interests will retire from management December 31.
Virtual rebuilding of the Majestic Theater is contemplated by the Fox interests, Mr. Leo said. The plans call for tearing out practically all of the interior, he declared, the project to include redecoration, reseating, new heating apparatus, carpeting all the aisles and installation of both movietone and vitaphone equipment. This equipment will enable the theater o show sound pictures. A new canopy will be erected at the entrance.
May Spend $60,000
The total expenditure planned by the Fox Company, Mr. Leo added, would be “in the neighborhood of $60,000.â€
Operation of both theaters will be continued and the Lyric especially will maintained, he said, during the time the Majestic theater renovations are under way.
Lyric Future in Doubt
As to continuance of the Lyric afterward, he said, “that would be a mater of practical operation.†If operation were decided upon for the Lyric, after the Majestic had been rebuilt, he declared, it would be in the lower-priced filed.
Work on the reconstruction project, he said, will be started before the end of January.
Under Way Seven Weeks
Negotiations for operation of the theaters by the Fox interests, it was learned by the Journal, have been in progress for six or seven weeks. It was understood that at one time, after agreements had virtually been reached, the Fox people declined to continue until they had secured permission of the owner of the Majestic Theater, G. W. Andrae, to make the changes contemplated in its interior. This permission having been secured within recent days, the negotiations were resumed and conclude, it was said. Mr. Leo spent five days here this fall in connection with the transaction.
Leases on the Majestic and Lyric have 11 and 10 years to run, respectively. Mr. Alder entered the local filed five years ago when he assumed operation of the Lyric Theater from Myron H. Clifford. Two years later he secured the lease of the Majestic theater and since then has operated both houses.
On Monthly Plan
It was understood, although no confirmation of this was secured, that the present deal calls for monthly payments to Mr. Adler, who did not surrender ownership of the leases. The sub-letting, it was reported, did not include rentals of the two stores in the Majestic building, which will continue as lessees of Adler.
The local theater deal cuts the Adler string of theaters in Wisconsin to three, one at Waupaca and two at Marshfield. Within a few weeks, the Adler Theater at Antigo went under Midwesco management. Six theaters at Marshfield, Stevens Point, Waupaca and Antigo were formerly under one management.
The Midwesco chain in Wisconsin includes theaters in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Beloit, Janesville, Waukesha, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Green Bay, Wausau, Antigo and Marinette.
No there were lost when the mall built.
These are the best pictures of the stage and dressings rooms.
View link))
They are from a report done by the Historic American Buildings Survey.
BWChicago posted the link on August 16, 2006.
The inside of the theater has been remodeled several times.
The major renovations were done in 1920 and in 1929.
There is very little left of the original Opera House.
This is an article from the Stevens Point Journal.
October 19, 1920
New Majestic to Open Nov. 1
“All Abroad For Cuba†to be first performance in Stevens Point $60,000 playhouse.
Work Nearly Completed.
Installing light fixtures and seats and finishing dressing rooms.
The first performance to be given in the Majestic Theater, Stevens Point sixty thousand dollar playhouse with a seating capacity of 975 will be presented the evening of November 1. The opening show will be “All Aboard For Cuba†a musical comedy success. The ticket sale is in charge of the citizen’s committee of the Chamber of Commerce.
Work on the new Majestic Theater is rapidly nearing completion. The floor which required seven coats of material was finished today and workmen are now installing the seats. The decoration of the interior of the building is entirely completed with the exception of a few finishing touches and the installation of the lights. The projecting machines are in place and workmen who will place the scenery are expected to arrive in the city Thursday or Friday. Carpenters are finishing the work in the balcony and dressing rooms and painters are at work in the lobby. The canopy extending over the sidewalk is yet to be redecorated and the lights in the lobby to be installed.
Light Fixtures Cost $1,200
The auditorium is finished in decorative relief work with a color scheme of ivory, old rose and Persian blue. The light fixtures are finished in gold and the shades are of blue silk. Besides the lights on the walls, which will be in clusters of three, there will be two dome lights in the ceiling each are seven feet in diameter. The fourteen main lighting fixtures in the auditorium and lobby cost $1,200. The entire lighting system will be on the indirect and semi-direct plan.
Audience safe from fire
Four fire exits from the main floor of the auditorium in addition to the main entrance, will make the audience safe from any danger of fire. It is estimated that the building when filled to capacity can be emptied in less than three minutes. The two fire escapes from the balconies extend to the rear of the building where stairs lead to ground. This system prevents the blocking of the side exits from the first floor, by persons coming from the balconies. There are no steps to stumble over in order to get exits, as inclines in the floor lead to the exit. “Panic†locks which allow the door knob are fitted to every door in the theater.
The floor of the auditorium is made by a process only recently patented. It is mastic compassion which gives one the effect of walking on rubber soles, and is noiseless and fireproof.
The Stage Equipment
The stage opening is unusually large 27 feet wide by 22 feet high. The stage is large enough and thoroughly equipped for the presentation of any show on the road. A loft extending 30 feet above the top of the stage is adequate to hold several complete sets of scenery. The stage lights are wired in series of three and any series can be dimmed without altering the others. The scenery equipment will include six complete sets and five drops, including a 1,200 pound asbestos curtain and gold fiber movie screen.
There are 15 dressing rooms, each equipped with running water. A music room under the stage opens to into the orchestra pit.
The lobby like the auditorium is finished in relief decoration. The ceiling will be panted a cream buff color, the relief work French gray and the wall panels bluish green with a mottled effect. The woodwork will be finished in mahogany.
Ventilation and Heat
The ventilation and heating system is capable of changing the warm air in the auditorium every few minutes. The ventilation system consists of a six foot fan, driven by a 7 ½ horse power motor, which draws air though an air shaft leading to the outside of the building and blows it though the furnace, where it is warmed and sent into the auditorium. The warm air rises to the top of the building and escapes though an opening in the ceiling.
Sound-proof Operating Room
The operating room is fire-proof and sound-proof. The projection equipment consists of twin simplex machines of the latest design and a spot light projector.
An inter-phone system has been installed, with phones in the managers office, operating room, ticket office, janitors quarters and music room.
Drums Added to Orchestra
A drummer and xylophone player, Richard Stroll, formerly of Minneapolis has been added to the orchestra, making a total of five pieces. A few more musicians may be added to the orchestra within the next few weeks.
Twenty employees will be required for the operation of the new theater. Which is controlled by the Majestic Theater Company, in which M. F. Bruce and Russell Gregory are the principal stockholders.
Here’s a link with a picture of the 51 Outdoor Theater.
View link
These are articles from the Stevens Point Journal.
September 28, 1985
Rogers theaters sold to Essaness
Two Stevens Point movie theaters have been purchased by Essaness Theaters of Chicago.
Rogers Cinema and Fox Theater were part of a seven-theater package sold by Rogers Cinema Inc., owned by Paul J. Rogers and John V. Koran. Rogers Cinema is based in Marshfield.
Essaness will assume control of the theater operations Oct. 4. Rogers, a member of the National Association of Theater Owners, will join Essaness in an executive and consulting position.
Essaness will have the second largest theater chain in Wisconsin with the addition of Rogers Theaters’ 15 screens. Essaness has the second largest theater group in the Chicago area, with operations dating back to 1929.
The expansion program will continue through next year as Essaness plans to operate more than 100 theater screens in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. “We plan to dramatically accelerate our expansion program during the next year to 18 months,†said Robert Persa, chief financial officer.
“While we’re a very entrepreneurial company, our goals in the theater business are unchanged,†said Larry D. Hanson, Essaness vice president. “We will continue to book diversity of quality movies, screen them with the most technologically advanced equipment, fill our concessions with the best products, keep our theaters clean and comfortable, and treat our customers with courtesy. We will keep challenging our employees with career opportunities so their personal growth and our corporate growth coincides.â€
Besides the two Stevens Point theaters, the acquisition included the Rogers Cinema and Cinema Park Theater, in Marshfield, the Rogers Cinema in Wisconsin Rapids, the Rogers Cinema in Wausau, and The Chief Theaters, in Red Wing, Minn.
October 21, 1985
Big chill at the Fox
You almost have to eat popcorn with your gloves on at the Fox Theater theses days.
No, theaters management hasn’t forgotten to switch off the air conditioning and turn on the heat. But the heat comes from temporary wall units that apparently are not enough to adequately warm the place.
“It’s not our fault,†said manager Mike Sowinski. “There’s nothing I can physically do to get more heat in the building.â€
Movie-goers are being asked to bear with it. The problem is with the city, they are told.
“Everybody’s got to blame somebody,†is the response from Jon Van Alstine, city public works director.
The problem resulted when the city removed the rear 40 feet of the theater last spring, a move required because the south wall of CenterPoint Mall was to located there.
The theater lost about 25 seats when its screen was moved forward 10 feet. That portion of the theater also is where the furnace and other electrical work were located.
The city had designed an aboveground furnace system, and an architect for the theater designed a basement system, Van Alstine said. The city said if the theater did not like its design, the city would pay $5,000 more than its estimate for a system. The price difference is somewhere between $10,000 and $40,000, he said.
That was last spring, and the issue has not been resolved yet. It was not a pressing matter during the summer, Van Alstine said, but city officials and the theater owner have been in contact during the past few weeks.
Van Alstine said he has no idea how long it will take before the two parties settle the matter. Construction of the furnace will take about a month, he said.
Sowinski said he has had a few complaints from patrons. Informing them of the problem before the movie starts has helped, he said, adding he has not noticed that lack of heat is hurting business.
I have never been inside the theater. I moved to Stevens Point in 1998.
I have been researching the local theaters off and on since late 2000.
I also posted the Lyric Theater and The 51 Outdoor Theater. At one time all three theaters were operated by the same company.
I read old newspapers on microfilm at the libraries.
They had two movies playing when they closed. Off Beat was at 5:30 and Out of Africa was at 7:30. It was the last movie posting.
Here is a list of movies that played at the Fox. It starts with the last movie and goes to September 1, 1985. It still needs a lot of work.
Off Beat
April 11th-24th 1986
Out of Africa
April 1986
The Naked Cage
April 3rd-10th 1986
Gung Ho
March 14th 1986-April 2nd 1986
The Blob (Trivia Kickoff 1986)
March 12, 1986
The Color Purple
February 7th 1986-March 11th 1986
The Longshot
January 31st 1986-February 6th 1986
My Chauffer
January 24th 1986-Febuary 6th 1986
Troll
January 16th-23rd 1986
The Care Bear Movie
January 23rd, 24th, and 25th 1986
Rainbow Brite and The Star Stealer
January 1986
Rocky IV
December 20th, 1985-January 16th, 1986
Back To The Future
December 12th-19th 1985
To Live An Die In L. A.
November 21st-26th 1985
The Journey of Natty Gann
November 14th-20th 1985
The Smurfs and The Magic Flute
November 8th, 9th, and 10th 1985
Death Wish 3
November 1st-14th 1985
He-Man and She-Ra – The Secret of The Sword
October 23rd-26th 1985
Agnes of Gold
October 4th-31st 1985
The Road Warrior
September 27th 1985-October 3rd 1985
Mad Max Beyond Thunder-Dome
September 27th 1985-October 3rd 1985
Superstition
September 20th-26th 1985
Burial Ground
September 13th-19th 1985
Tomboy
September 6th-12th 1985
Follow That Bird
September 1985
The Return of The Living Dead
September 1985
These are articles for the Stevens Point Journal.
November 26, 1985
Fox closing irks theater chain
The Fox Theater in downtown closed for supposed interior work today as it busiest season of the year approaches. That has left the owners of the theater chain that operates the Fox chagrined.
Essaness Theaters of the Chicago, which purchased the theater business but not the Fox building last September, ordered the theater closed “I will not operate a theater that does not offer patrons a good experience,†said Larry Hanson, vice president of Essaness. Owner of the Fox building is the Sanders family of Stevens Point.
At issue is a furnace for the building. When the city of Stevens Point acquired the rear portion of the theater for the downtown mall project after a lengthy dispute over historical clearance, replacement of the heating system was still unsettled. The old furnace was in the portion the city acquired.
Temporary heaters were installed but are not sufficient for the winter season.
The city’s estimate of what it would cost to replace the furnace was about $75,000, based on a study conducted by a city consultant.
But the Fox owners disagreed with the city’s plans for replacement, the estimated cost and over who should do the work.
City Attorney Louis Molepske said today that some of those problems had been worked out Monday. The owners agreed to accept a check for $74,525 for the furnace work. The agreement calls on the owners to contract for the work themselves. And if the owners can show that the city’s estimates for the work done if the city’s plan had been followed are too low, they will have an opportunity to collect more money, Molepske said.
Certain other matters remain to be worked out with the owners, he added.
Essaness, meanwhile, is disturbed by the affair. Hanson said he doesn’t believe that the Sanders family is receiving what it should for the work. And he said he’s disappointed that the matter dragged out this long, blaming the city and not the owners.
“I’m going to lose,†he said. “I will have a serious problem with film companies in terms of my commitments.â€
Essaness prides itself in operating quality theaters, and it won’t operate the Fox until it meets those standards, he said. “I have scheduled a lot of refurbishing there,†he said, citing plans for new restrooms, a remodeled lobby and other changes. “But they can’t be done without adequate heating plant,†he said.
Hanson was informed of recent developments in negotiations between the city and owners, and said, “It’s an amount of money that does not adequately compensate the Sanders people.â€
Negotiations have been going on for more than a year, and “The city is trying to negotiate the landlord’s acceptance of something that the landlord doesn’t think is possible or adequate,†Hanson said.
He would give no date for reopening, but said that Essaness won’t operate the theater again until it meets Essaness standards.
December 11, 1985
Fox Theater reopening Friday
The Fox Theater, which closed recently because of heating problems, will reopen Friday, according to Mike Sowinski, its manager.
Temporary heating unites weren’t providing enough heat. They were installed after the downtown mall project resulting in the removal of the rear portion of the Fox, which contained the furnace.
Discussions between the city and the buildings owners about a permanent heating system continue. Meanwhile, Sowinski said an old heat exchange unit and the temporary heaters will be used to provide sufficient heat.
April 25, 1986
No comments on Fox closing
Rogers Fox Theater is closed.
None of the parties involved will say why the theater is not open or how long it will be closed.
The theater, at 1124 Main St., is owned by Jeanette Sanders and has been operated by Essaness Theaters, Chicago, since September 1985.
“The Fox will not have films this week,†was the response to a call to the theater this morning. The business stopped advertising movies in the Stevens Point Journal Wednesday.
Local manager Michael Sowinski said he could address the matter further. “No comment. You’ll have to get that from Chicago.â€
Numerous calls to Essaness officials were not returned.
“We just have no comment. We don’t know. No comment,†said Donald Sanders, Jeanette’s husband.
Their attorney, Gray Dreler, said he did not know the theater was closed. “I am negotiating on behalf of the owner with the preset lessee and operator,†he said. “It’s our position that we have a valid, binding lease, and we intend to hold them to it.â€
He would not say how long the lease is or detail why negotiations are needed. “That’s a rather involved matter, and at this point I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the negotiations.â€
Plans to expand Rogers Cinema, 2725 Church St. from two to five theaters were announced earlier this mouth. Essaness operates it.
This is an article from The Gazette, another Stevens Point paper.
It was printed on July 19, 1893.
Now For the Opera House
This forenoon G. F. Andrae secured the deed for the ground upon which he will erect a new Opera House. The ground has a frontage of fifty-five feet on Main Street, and extends thought to Brown Street, the consideration being $4,165. Mr. Andrae has also purchased the lot on Brown Street, adjoining on the west, giving plenty of ground room on the rear for entrance, storage purposes, etc. The property was formerly owned by Henry and J. D. Curran. The contract has been let for moving the building, now occupied as a Chinese laundry, to Brown Street, and the building will be moved on Monday next. The contract for excavation for the basement has also been made, and work upon the same will be commenced at once. Mr. Andrae as has been stated before, has already received a number of plans, but the one he is most favorably impressed with is that furnished by a Chicago architect, who will be here today or tomorrow and look the ground over. This is something that Stevens Point has long needed, and it is a pleasure to be able to announce that the Andrae Opera House will be pushed forward to completion as fast as men can do the work and money provide the material, and that it will be erected in a model style and supplied with the latest and most approved furnishing and conveniences.
Here are some links from the Archives Collections.
This is the earliest postcard of the Opera House. This is what the building originally looked like.
http://library.uwsp.edu/PCHS/pictures/d2072i.jpg
This postcard is from the 1920’s, facing west down Main Street. The old sign for the Majestic Theater and part of the original balcony are visible in the photo. The Lyric Theater is also on the postcard next to the Post Office (the large white building).
http://library.uwsp.edu/PCHS/pictures/d1047i.jpg
This postcard is from the 1930’s. The photo was taken from Third Street looking east down Main Street. The Majestic sign and marquee can be seen in the far back, over the car facing forward.
View link
This is a postcard from the late 1960’s facing west down Main Street. The Fox Theater can be seen.
http://library.uwsp.edu/PCHS/pictures/d1037i.jpg
There are files in the Archives at the UWSP Library. There are photos and other information in the folders.
This is an article form Stevens Point Weekly Journal.
It was printed on August 12, 1893.
Plans for the new Opera House
Saturday morning of last week, Mr. Andrae received the plans for the new Opera house block, and they are without doubt the most complete plans and specifications that ever came to Stevens Point. They were prepared by architects Oscar Cobb & Son of Chicago, according to the original ideas and views of Mr. Andrae. Two fine stores will occupy the front part of the block, which is to be 56 feet wide and 60 feet deep, with a hall 42x54 feet overhead. In the center of the block, between the stores, will be a 12-foot entrance leading back to the Opera House, which is to be 48 feet wide by 105 feet long. The latter will be built from modern architectural designs and when completed will be one of the finest in the state, outside of Milwaukee. The interior will be fitted up with all modern conveniences for comfort and safety of its patrons. It will have a seating capacity for about 650 people. Besides the auditorium, a gallery and six boxes, it will be provided with reception rooms, toilet rooms, etc., with steam heat, electric light and water works thought-out. Several exits will be conveniently arranged whereby an audience could easily escape in case of fire or other accident. The stage will be well equipped with spacious dressing rooms and other apartments for the convenience of actors, and supplied with beautiful scenery. The front of the building will be constructed of pressed brick, trimmed with brown stone and very ornamented. The contract for laying the foundation has been let to W. E. Ule, who will begin the work as soon as the excavating, which is progressing finely, is finished.