Built and opened as Hefferlin Opera House in 1892 by C.F. Hefferlin. (Photo Added)
The first in Livingston to start showing movies in 1912.
Renamed Orpheum Theatre circa 1920, then Park Theatre in 1938, then destroyed by fire and demolished in the 1950s.
Parking and drive-thru for American Bank of Montana is on the site today.
Additional history below.
Dropping this from the Gibson County Tennessee Historical Society here, until I can figure out what is what with which theatre in Rutherford.
“Rutherford had two theatres I believe, one on Main St that burned down and one on Trenton St that was turned into the Masonic Lodge bldg. I’ll see what I can’t find out about the one on Main St.
The Fire of 1946 – On January 1, 1946, a fire in the Gem Theatre was discovered at 3:50 AM, by Miss Tiny Starkes, an employee of the theatre, who lived near by. She ran to the telephone office, awakened the night operator, Mrs. Nell Peel, who turned on the siren and fled her building, which also was burning.
With telephone communication gone, Blaine Karnes drove to Dyer and summoned the fire departments from Trenton and Humboldt. The blaze was finally contained by 6:00 AM.
The top two floors of the three-story building which housed the John W. Akins Dry Goods Store were destroyed, and Mr. Akins’ merchandise was badly damaged by smoke and water. The Gem Theatre and Horne’s Variety Store were completely destroyed. Only a heavy fire wall prevented the spread of the blaze to the Rutherford Barber Shop.
Less than five months later, work was well underway replacing the two burned buildings and modernizing the John W. Akins store-front. A new and larger theatre was built back of the Akins store, where the Masonic Lodge now stands. Page 40"
Address is 538 Broad Street, located in the Elyria Block building built in 1910.
It had replaced the first Elyria Block building and previous American Theatre at the same address, which had burned down April 14, 1909. That one had been built in 1890.
Street view confirms address and matches the photo.
Brickwork and upper floor windows are a perfect match, and the first floor facade and former theatre entrance has been modified.
Address confirmed as 110 S. Front Street. Still standing. October 2019 Street View shows a law office who confirmed it was indeed the former Palace Theatre.
Address is 112-114 E. Main Street and still standing.
Street view confirms buildings are the same.
Ray’s Liquors is the current tenant.
1940’s photo added credit West Tennessee County History.
The Varsity Theatre operated until 1987, then closed for several years and reopened in 1992, but closed in 1996.
Additional history credit Tennessee Good Old Days Facebook page.
The 1999 National Register of Historic Place application for the Capitol Theatre, oddly makes no mention of the Ritz Theatre.
It says that only Jimmy’s Playhouse 1921-1927, and the Capitol (now Masquerade) showed movies between 1921-1978 in Union City, when the Volunteer Twin Cinema opened located South of the downtown.
The latter forced the Capitol to become a twin.
I added pages for Jimmy’s Playhouse and Volunteer Twin Cinema.
Full Capitol/Masquerade history in the below application for the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
As the Capitol it was a twin from June 1981 to August 1991, after the 1978 opening of Volunteer Twin Cinema South of downtown.
All past renovations are covered in below link as well.
Opened circa 1922.
“The Preston Park theatre on King Street near Central Park was the first in South Waterloo to have movies with soundtracks.” Credit Laura (Queen’s Square) | March 2, 2016 History of Park and Cambridge theatres below.
Address was 175 S. Washington St. Opened December 7th, 1906, Closed circa 1941. Confirmed Demolished in 1956. First Bank of Ohio Tiffin branch is now on the site. 1921 photo added. (Tiffin Masonic Lodge next door in photo still stands.)
Below additional history credit Seneca County Museum.
“The Grand Theater – Walter and T. K. Allbaugh purchased a building called the “German Inn” from Mrs. Mary Wagner and this small 2-story building was razed in 1906 to make way for the construction of the Grand Theater. Demolition started in late August with the plan to open the theater by December. The Tiffin Opera House company was organized during this time, with $50,000 of stock sold to many of the area’s successfully businessmen. The theater was to hold live shows and the first was Victor Hugo’s dramatization of “Les Miserables”, which was titled; “The Law and the Man”. It opened on December 7th, 1906 with seats on the main floor going for $3 to $5, while seats in the balcony were $2. The interior of the building was incredible with chandeliers, marble floors and plush restrooms. A huge, lighted marquee sign greeted customers as they passed by. The theater received terrific reviews from the many actors who came to Tiffin to perform.
The Grand was also used for local productions by aspiring actors, musicians and singers. Local organizations such as the Elks and Lincoln Club sponsored dramas, minstrel shows and comedies. Movies were shown at The Grand starting in 1909 and a Saturday bill of fare included: a 20 minutes news reel, a comedy movie and 3 vaudeville acts – and these were shown 3 times a day. In 1927, the wooden seats were replaced with new padded seats on metal frames. But even with the upgrades, The Grand Theater was losing customers to the new theater up the street: The Ritz. The Ritz was designed for movies, which by the 1920’s was what most people wanted to see, plus The Grand refused to sell popcorn and other concessions. The theater eventually closed and in 1956, the Grand was sold.
This magnificent theater was just 50 years old when it was demolished to make room for the new Tiffin Savings Bank. Today’s photo shows the exterior of the Grand in the 1920’s with its’ huge marquee sign.“ (1921 photo added)
1949 photo & description credit Seneca County Museum. (December 2018)
“This Month in Seneca County History – December 1928 – It was on December 20th, 1928 that the new Ritz Theater opened in downtown Tiffin, and this month we plan to post some historic photos to celebrate this event that happened 90 years ago. Today’s photo was taken probably in 1949, because the Ritz marquee is advertising their current movie “It Happens Every Spring” starring Ray Milland and Jean Peters. This movie was released in June 1949.
This is a great photo that offers us views that we don’t normally see. On the left of the entrance is the “Ritz Nut Shop” where you could get beer, wine and nuts. We also love the nice Coca-Cola sign on the bottom of the nut shop door. Above the main front doors are advertisements for a future movie at the Ritz called: “Come to the Stable”, a movie that was released in September 1949. To the right of the front doors is an open stairway to the second floor, and today this opening is now covered by a door."
“The Ritz first opened in December 1928 and these marquee changes (1949 photo added) happened only 21 years after that event. With the sudden popularity of neon signage in Tiffin, maybe the owners of the Ritz felt that they needed to change over to neon in order to attract customers. Many years later, when the Ritz was restored, the flashy neon signage was removed and the old original style marquee returned.”
Built and opened as Hefferlin Opera House in 1892 by C.F. Hefferlin. (Photo Added) The first in Livingston to start showing movies in 1912. Renamed Orpheum Theatre circa 1920, then Park Theatre in 1938, then destroyed by fire and demolished in the 1950s. Parking and drive-thru for American Bank of Montana is on the site today. Additional history below.
http://yellowstonegatewaymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/YGMSpring2011.pdf
1927 photo added courtesy RuralMontana.org
Circa November 1935 photo courtesy David Sadowski in below link. Scaffolding for then upcoming art deco facade completed by 1937.
https://theclarktheater.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/the-windsor-theater/?fbclid=IwAR3syZ-XI4G94o_b-g9ih-9aqJUH0UJyoaQlyNS-56op1mCUZJ4Iq07dGDg
Operated by Martin Theater chain along with the Capri and Princess in Morristown Tennessee.
I add a page for the Volunteer Twin Cinema in Union City. Center Point Business Solutions is now at that site.
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/63072
The full movie is also free on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLbgta6CgO8
Dropping this from the Gibson County Tennessee Historical Society here, until I can figure out what is what with which theatre in Rutherford.
“Rutherford had two theatres I believe, one on Main St that burned down and one on Trenton St that was turned into the Masonic Lodge bldg. I’ll see what I can’t find out about the one on Main St. The Fire of 1946 – On January 1, 1946, a fire in the Gem Theatre was discovered at 3:50 AM, by Miss Tiny Starkes, an employee of the theatre, who lived near by. She ran to the telephone office, awakened the night operator, Mrs. Nell Peel, who turned on the siren and fled her building, which also was burning.
With telephone communication gone, Blaine Karnes drove to Dyer and summoned the fire departments from Trenton and Humboldt. The blaze was finally contained by 6:00 AM.
The top two floors of the three-story building which housed the John W. Akins Dry Goods Store were destroyed, and Mr. Akins’ merchandise was badly damaged by smoke and water. The Gem Theatre and Horne’s Variety Store were completely destroyed. Only a heavy fire wall prevented the spread of the blaze to the Rutherford Barber Shop.
Less than five months later, work was well underway replacing the two burned buildings and modernizing the John W. Akins store-front. A new and larger theatre was built back of the Akins store, where the Masonic Lodge now stands. Page 40"
Article with photo of the 1909 fire that destroyed the original Elyria Block building and first American Theatre.
https://www.fireengineering.com/1909/05/26/200394/elyria-business-block-destroyed/#gref
The Walmart which utilizes the old Chief Drive-In marquee and address will be running movies in it’s parking lot.
https://www.cjonline.com/news/20200801/south-topeka-walmart-to-temporarily-offer-drive-in-movies-in-its-lot?fbclid=IwAR0bA3t86QLOdu49XosrAH2r906FSyV0-XtPxqIhyff3f8AT_OYRPe8pHAU
https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/07/01/walmart-launches-virtual-summer-camp-and-drive-in-movie-theater-to-help-families-make-the-most-of-summer
“Hollywood Nudes Report” on the Plaza marquee, released December 27, 1963.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291246/
Address is 538 Broad Street, located in the Elyria Block building built in 1910. It had replaced the first Elyria Block building and previous American Theatre at the same address, which had burned down April 14, 1909. That one had been built in 1890. Street view confirms address and matches the photo. Brickwork and upper floor windows are a perfect match, and the first floor facade and former theatre entrance has been modified.
1943 photograph courtesy of the TSLA Nashville, Tennessee.
Address confirmed as 110 S. Front Street.
Still standing.
October 2019 Street View shows a law office who confirmed it was indeed the former Palace Theatre.
Address is 112-114 E. Main Street and still standing. Street view confirms buildings are the same. Ray’s Liquors is the current tenant. 1940’s photo added credit West Tennessee County History.
“Blue Lagoon” released October 1, 1949. British film starring Jean Simmons & Donald Houston.
Christmas 1959.
The Varsity Theatre operated until 1987, then closed for several years and reopened in 1992, but closed in 1996. Additional history credit Tennessee Good Old Days Facebook page.
The 1999 National Register of Historic Place application for the Capitol Theatre, oddly makes no mention of the Ritz Theatre. It says that only Jimmy’s Playhouse 1921-1927, and the Capitol (now Masquerade) showed movies between 1921-1978 in Union City, when the Volunteer Twin Cinema opened located South of the downtown. The latter forced the Capitol to become a twin. I added pages for Jimmy’s Playhouse and Volunteer Twin Cinema.
https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/02f84e54-a36f-45ba-9f9f-1b439cda8093
Full Capitol/Masquerade history in the below application for the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. As the Capitol it was a twin from June 1981 to August 1991, after the 1978 opening of Volunteer Twin Cinema South of downtown. All past renovations are covered in below link as well.
https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/02f84e54-a36f-45ba-9f9f-1b439cda8093
Opened circa 1922. “The Preston Park theatre on King Street near Central Park was the first in South Waterloo to have movies with soundtracks.” Credit Laura (Queen’s Square) | March 2, 2016 History of Park and Cambridge theatres below.
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2013/07/02/cambridge-s-movie-man-recalls-days-as-park-theatre-usher-drive-in-attendant.html
https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/living-story/9269883-flash-from-the-past-hespeler-preston-and-galt-s-movie-palaces-all-gone/
https://ideaexchange.org/life/idea/lost-movie-theatres-cambridge
Norm Culley worked at the Sunset Drive-in.
Story below.
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2013/07/02/cambridge-s-movie-man-recalls-days-as-park-theatre-usher-drive-in-attendant.html
Located on Queen Street. Only the theatre name Queens is plural. History of Cambridge theatres in below links.
https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/living-story/9269883-flash-from-the-past-hespeler-preston-and-galt-s-movie-palaces-all-gone/
https://ideaexchange.org/life/idea/lost-movie-theatres-cambridge
Address was 175 S. Washington St. Opened December 7th, 1906, Closed circa 1941. Confirmed Demolished in 1956. First Bank of Ohio Tiffin branch is now on the site. 1921 photo added. (Tiffin Masonic Lodge next door in photo still stands.)
Below additional history credit Seneca County Museum.
“The Grand Theater – Walter and T. K. Allbaugh purchased a building called the “German Inn” from Mrs. Mary Wagner and this small 2-story building was razed in 1906 to make way for the construction of the Grand Theater. Demolition started in late August with the plan to open the theater by December. The Tiffin Opera House company was organized during this time, with $50,000 of stock sold to many of the area’s successfully businessmen. The theater was to hold live shows and the first was Victor Hugo’s dramatization of “Les Miserables”, which was titled; “The Law and the Man”. It opened on December 7th, 1906 with seats on the main floor going for $3 to $5, while seats in the balcony were $2. The interior of the building was incredible with chandeliers, marble floors and plush restrooms. A huge, lighted marquee sign greeted customers as they passed by. The theater received terrific reviews from the many actors who came to Tiffin to perform.
The Grand was also used for local productions by aspiring actors, musicians and singers. Local organizations such as the Elks and Lincoln Club sponsored dramas, minstrel shows and comedies. Movies were shown at The Grand starting in 1909 and a Saturday bill of fare included: a 20 minutes news reel, a comedy movie and 3 vaudeville acts – and these were shown 3 times a day. In 1927, the wooden seats were replaced with new padded seats on metal frames. But even with the upgrades, The Grand Theater was losing customers to the new theater up the street: The Ritz. The Ritz was designed for movies, which by the 1920’s was what most people wanted to see, plus The Grand refused to sell popcorn and other concessions. The theater eventually closed and in 1956, the Grand was sold.
This magnificent theater was just 50 years old when it was demolished to make room for the new Tiffin Savings Bank. Today’s photo shows the exterior of the Grand in the 1920’s with its’ huge marquee sign.“ (1921 photo added)
1949 photo & description credit Seneca County Museum. (December 2018)
“This Month in Seneca County History – December 1928 – It was on December 20th, 1928 that the new Ritz Theater opened in downtown Tiffin, and this month we plan to post some historic photos to celebrate this event that happened 90 years ago. Today’s photo was taken probably in 1949, because the Ritz marquee is advertising their current movie “It Happens Every Spring” starring Ray Milland and Jean Peters. This movie was released in June 1949.
This is a great photo that offers us views that we don’t normally see. On the left of the entrance is the “Ritz Nut Shop” where you could get beer, wine and nuts. We also love the nice Coca-Cola sign on the bottom of the nut shop door. Above the main front doors are advertisements for a future movie at the Ritz called: “Come to the Stable”, a movie that was released in September 1949. To the right of the front doors is an open stairway to the second floor, and today this opening is now covered by a door."
Additional history credit Seneca County Museum.
“The Ritz first opened in December 1928 and these marquee changes (1949 photo added) happened only 21 years after that event. With the sudden popularity of neon signage in Tiffin, maybe the owners of the Ritz felt that they needed to change over to neon in order to attract customers. Many years later, when the Ritz was restored, the flashy neon signage was removed and the old original style marquee returned.”