The Lyric Theatre at Lexington, Virginia, is listed in the 1913-1914 Cahn guide as a ground floor house with 578 seats. It must have been exclusively a live theater at that time, as it is not one of the two movie houses listed for Lexington in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory (Star Theatre and Savoy Theatre.)
An essay about movie theaters in the Shenandoah Valley by historian Douglas Gomery says that the 600-seat Home Theatre in Strasburg was opened by the Dalke chain in 1949, as a replacement for their 260-seat Strand Theatre, which they had opened in 1921.
This item from the June 16, 1921 issue of Manufacturers Record must be about the Strand, though it gives a much larger seating capacity which, I suppose, could simply have been a typo:
“Va. Strasburg– Dalke & Linn will erect theater; 60x125 ft.; 2 stories; fireproof; steel ceiling; seating capacity 750.
The Rives Theatre was destroyed by a fire on September 8, 2019. I’ve found conflicting opening dates for the house. Some sources say it was built in 1928, and others says it opened in 1932. To my eye, this photo of the Rives on the theater’s Facebook page looks more like 1932, but I can’t rule out 1928.
The October 14, 1927 issue of Motion Picture News said that the plans for the new theater to be built at Chestertown by L. Bates Russell were being drawn by Baltimore architect A. Lowther Forrest. The history of the Prince Theatre on the web site of the operators, the Garfield Center for the Arts, says that L. Bates Russell opened the house as the New Lyceum Theatre on October 25, 1928.
Russell and his sons operated the house until 1946, when it was leased to new operators (this is most likely when it was renamed Chester Theatre.) The house was bought by C. E. Prince in 1957. He operated the theater until his death in 1988, and his wife continued until 1991. In 1991, the theatre was remodeled by new owner Joyce Huber, who reopened it on March 15 that year, and the Prince Theatre closed as a movie house on August 26, 1993.
The October 14, 1927 issue of Motion Picture News said that the Mar-Var [sic] Theatre in Pocomoke City had opened on Monday, October 3. The original owner was named Fred Bartlett.
An essay about theaters in the Shenandoah Valley by historian Douglas Gomery says that the Hiway Theatre was opened by William Dalke Sr. in 1926 as the New Theatre. At 200 seats, New Market’s New was the smallest house in the Dalke chain.
This 2017 article from the Greeley Tribune says that the Sterling Theatre was closed in May, 1959 and was razed in January, 1969. The article also notes that the earlier Greeley Opera House, located on 8th Avenue at 8th Street, had closed in 1908.
I wonder if the Grover Theatre is the same building that was once the Grover Opera House? It was an upstairs theater originally built as a lodge hall for the Odd Fellows, but was used off and on for various entertainments as well as many other functions. The closest thing to a complete history of it I’ve found is on this Facebook page from the Pawnee Historical Society, which says that it was a movie house three times over the course of its history.
Warren Mall was opened in 1979 and the theater probably dates from the same year. It closed in 1999, probably at the end of a 20 year lease, but was later reopened by Dipson Theatres. The mall itself has been largely demolished, but the cinemas are in a freestanding building which was outside the main mall structure.
This web page about architect George V. Bedell says that the Dream Theatre was in operation at least through 1956. It doesn’t mention the name Nagel’s Grand Theatre, but there is a scan of a 1916 directory page listing a Nagel’s Dream Theatre at 2335 Station Street. I found Nagel’s Dream in the Indianapolis Star’s movie listings as late as 1940. I’ve also found a few references to Harry Nagel as owner of the Dream Theatre from the late 1910s through the 1930s. Nagel’s Grand was likely just a temporary name change, if not a complete phantom.
The Shapiro Theatre was badly damaged by a fire in March, 1957. Boxoffice of August 31 reported that the house had recently reopened after a $25,000 rebuilding project that had taken five months to complete. A page about the Mount Union Historic District says that the Shapiro Theatre closed in 1970.
The August 19, 1914 issue of The American Contractor ran a notice saying that Joseph Shapiro planned to erect a three story building, 43x160, to house a theater, store, and apartments, on Shirley Street in Mount Union. The project was being designed by Huntingdon architect J. Herbert Hall.
The Silverman Brothers retired in 1957 and the Blair Theatre was taken over by Altoona exhibitor Saul Perilman, according to an item in Boxoffice of August 31 that year.
The August 31, 1957 issue of Boxoffice said that the Pershing Theatre, formerly the Harris, had recently opened in DuBois under the management of Tony Calose. The house had been modernized and redecorated, with new seats, drapes, and carpeting, as well as new screen, sound, and projection equipment. Exterior lighting had also been upgraded.
The Blair must have been on the site a block away, as the Grand was still standing in 1957, when the October 26 issue of Boxoffice reported that Steve Chingos, owner of the house, which had been leased out for twenty years, had modernized and renovated the theater and reopened it under his own management. Chingos also operated a confectionery called the Sugar Bowl next door to the Grand.
The August 31 Boxoffice had revealed that the Grand had been called the Manos Theatre for some time, but had been dark for several years. It appears that Manos had pulled out of Hollidaysburg, as the item also noted that the Blair Theatre had recently been transferred to Altoona exhibitor Saul Perilman.
The West Theatre building was built in 1922 for Fred Farmer, and was designed by a well-known local architect, U. G. Charles. The project was noted in the July 15, 1922 issue of The American Contractor. Although designed as a theater, in early 1924 the building was occupied by a business called the West Side Racket Store. The April 29, 1924 issue of the Wichita Beacon said that B. R. Gundy, of Oklahoma, had leased the building from Farmer and would open it as a movie house called the West Theatre in July.
This history of Gothenburg’s theaters from the Gothenburg Leader says that from 1923 to 1927, this theater was owned by the city and was called the Community House.
A new lessee, Glen Van Wey, restored the name Sun Theatre and reopened the house as a movie theater on February 5, 1927. The city sold the building to Van Wey in 1938. It wasn’t until an extensive remodeling in 1948 that the flat main floor was removed and replaced with a sloped floor. The Van Wey family managed to keep the Sun open until December 31, 1981. The Gothemburg Community Playhouse then began a fund raising drive and were able to purchase the theater in 1983. Since then the non-profit organization has presented movies at least 48 weekends a year (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays), and live events at other times.
From May through September, 2020, the Sun Theatre was closed for a $400,000 dollar renovation project, focused primarily on the front of the house. The Sun now boasts new, accessible rest rooms, and accessible seating in the auditorium. Total seating capacity is now 240.
robboehm: If you right click a photo at eBay and some other sites, and select “open in new tab” or “open in new window” from the drop-down menu, you will usually get a larger, higher resolution copy of the photo. Sometimes if you repeat the process with that larger photo you can get an even bigger one.
The Princess Theatre was at 260 West Main Street, and opened on July 3, 1909. After closing as a theater, the building was occupied for many years by an automobile repair garage. The theater and adjacent buildings have since been demolished, and replaced by a strip mall.
The Princess Theatre was mentioned in the July 20, 1918 issue of Exhibitors Herald Motography, which said that it and Plain City’s Wall Theatre had been taken over by S. H. Lawwill, manager of two movie houses in London, Ohio.
Here is an item from the July 5, 1930 issue of Exhibitors Herald World:
“Plain City Houses Merge
“(Special to the Herald-World)
"PLAIN CITY, O., July 1.— The Princess and the Rialto theatres have merged. The merger was brought about by H. C. Robey, who when manager of the Princess organized the Plain City Theatre Co. and bought the Rialto. The Princess will be closed and the Rialto will be remodeled. Sound installation will be rushed.”
The Rialto was most likely the proposed theater mentioned in an item from the July 14, 1927 issue of The Film Daily which said “Plain City Theater Co. will build a $50,000 theater and office building.” Names of earlier Plain City theaters mentioned in trade journals included the
Exhibit, the Star, and the Wall, as well as the Princess.
The Empire Theatre at Two Rivers is mentioned in the February 12, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World. Management of the house had just been taken over by Hans Henrickson & Son. An adjacent item noted that Samuel Nelson had just resigned as manager of the same town’s Armory Theatre.
Frankly, Waynesboro has me really confused. It’s possible that the It Theatre was next door to the building with the gable, and at some point that building was expanded onto the gabled building’s site. The gabled building looks to be wood framed, and the Strand’s building was brick.
It’s quite annoying that three of the images on this theater’s photo page, including the one currently displayed above, are posted upside down.
The Lyric Theatre at Lexington, Virginia, is listed in the 1913-1914 Cahn guide as a ground floor house with 578 seats. It must have been exclusively a live theater at that time, as it is not one of the two movie houses listed for Lexington in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory (Star Theatre and Savoy Theatre.)
An essay about movie theaters in the Shenandoah Valley by historian Douglas Gomery says that the 600-seat Home Theatre in Strasburg was opened by the Dalke chain in 1949, as a replacement for their 260-seat Strand Theatre, which they had opened in 1921.
This item from the June 16, 1921 issue of Manufacturers Record must be about the Strand, though it gives a much larger seating capacity which, I suppose, could simply have been a typo:
The Rives Theatre was destroyed by a fire on September 8, 2019. I’ve found conflicting opening dates for the house. Some sources say it was built in 1928, and others says it opened in 1932. To my eye, this photo of the Rives on the theater’s Facebook page looks more like 1932, but I can’t rule out 1928.
The October 14, 1927 issue of Motion Picture News said that the plans for the new theater to be built at Chestertown by L. Bates Russell were being drawn by Baltimore architect A. Lowther Forrest. The history of the Prince Theatre on the web site of the operators, the Garfield Center for the Arts, says that L. Bates Russell opened the house as the New Lyceum Theatre on October 25, 1928.
Russell and his sons operated the house until 1946, when it was leased to new operators (this is most likely when it was renamed Chester Theatre.) The house was bought by C. E. Prince in 1957. He operated the theater until his death in 1988, and his wife continued until 1991. In 1991, the theatre was remodeled by new owner Joyce Huber, who reopened it on March 15 that year, and the Prince Theatre closed as a movie house on August 26, 1993.
The October 14, 1927 issue of Motion Picture News said that the Mar-Var [sic] Theatre in Pocomoke City had opened on Monday, October 3. The original owner was named Fred Bartlett.
An essay about theaters in the Shenandoah Valley by historian Douglas Gomery says that the Hiway Theatre was opened by William Dalke Sr. in 1926 as the New Theatre. At 200 seats, New Market’s New was the smallest house in the Dalke chain.
This 2017 article from the Greeley Tribune says that the Sterling Theatre was closed in May, 1959 and was razed in January, 1969. The article also notes that the earlier Greeley Opera House, located on 8th Avenue at 8th Street, had closed in 1908.
I wonder if the Grover Theatre is the same building that was once the Grover Opera House? It was an upstairs theater originally built as a lodge hall for the Odd Fellows, but was used off and on for various entertainments as well as many other functions. The closest thing to a complete history of it I’ve found is on this Facebook page from the Pawnee Historical Society, which says that it was a movie house three times over the course of its history.
Warren Mall was opened in 1979 and the theater probably dates from the same year. It closed in 1999, probably at the end of a 20 year lease, but was later reopened by Dipson Theatres. The mall itself has been largely demolished, but the cinemas are in a freestanding building which was outside the main mall structure.
This web page about architect George V. Bedell says that the Dream Theatre was in operation at least through 1956. It doesn’t mention the name Nagel’s Grand Theatre, but there is a scan of a 1916 directory page listing a Nagel’s Dream Theatre at 2335 Station Street. I found Nagel’s Dream in the Indianapolis Star’s movie listings as late as 1940. I’ve also found a few references to Harry Nagel as owner of the Dream Theatre from the late 1910s through the 1930s. Nagel’s Grand was likely just a temporary name change, if not a complete phantom.
The Shapiro Theatre was badly damaged by a fire in March, 1957. Boxoffice of August 31 reported that the house had recently reopened after a $25,000 rebuilding project that had taken five months to complete. A page about the Mount Union Historic District says that the Shapiro Theatre closed in 1970.
The August 19, 1914 issue of The American Contractor ran a notice saying that Joseph Shapiro planned to erect a three story building, 43x160, to house a theater, store, and apartments, on Shirley Street in Mount Union. The project was being designed by Huntingdon architect J. Herbert Hall.
The Silverman Brothers retired in 1957 and the Blair Theatre was taken over by Altoona exhibitor Saul Perilman, according to an item in Boxoffice of August 31 that year.
The August 31, 1957 issue of Boxoffice said that the Pershing Theatre, formerly the Harris, had recently opened in DuBois under the management of Tony Calose. The house had been modernized and redecorated, with new seats, drapes, and carpeting, as well as new screen, sound, and projection equipment. Exterior lighting had also been upgraded.
The Blair must have been on the site a block away, as the Grand was still standing in 1957, when the October 26 issue of Boxoffice reported that Steve Chingos, owner of the house, which had been leased out for twenty years, had modernized and renovated the theater and reopened it under his own management. Chingos also operated a confectionery called the Sugar Bowl next door to the Grand.
The August 31 Boxoffice had revealed that the Grand had been called the Manos Theatre for some time, but had been dark for several years. It appears that Manos had pulled out of Hollidaysburg, as the item also noted that the Blair Theatre had recently been transferred to Altoona exhibitor Saul Perilman.
The principals of the firm of Washburn & Stookey were Clarence Washburn and his brother-in-law, Roy Stookey.
The West Theatre building was built in 1922 for Fred Farmer, and was designed by a well-known local architect, U. G. Charles. The project was noted in the July 15, 1922 issue of The American Contractor. Although designed as a theater, in early 1924 the building was occupied by a business called the West Side Racket Store. The April 29, 1924 issue of the Wichita Beacon said that B. R. Gundy, of Oklahoma, had leased the building from Farmer and would open it as a movie house called the West Theatre in July.
This history of Gothenburg’s theaters from the Gothenburg Leader says that from 1923 to 1927, this theater was owned by the city and was called the Community House.
A new lessee, Glen Van Wey, restored the name Sun Theatre and reopened the house as a movie theater on February 5, 1927. The city sold the building to Van Wey in 1938. It wasn’t until an extensive remodeling in 1948 that the flat main floor was removed and replaced with a sloped floor. The Van Wey family managed to keep the Sun open until December 31, 1981. The Gothemburg Community Playhouse then began a fund raising drive and were able to purchase the theater in 1983. Since then the non-profit organization has presented movies at least 48 weekends a year (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays), and live events at other times.
From May through September, 2020, the Sun Theatre was closed for a $400,000 dollar renovation project, focused primarily on the front of the house. The Sun now boasts new, accessible rest rooms, and accessible seating in the auditorium. Total seating capacity is now 240.
robboehm: If you right click a photo at eBay and some other sites, and select “open in new tab” or “open in new window” from the drop-down menu, you will usually get a larger, higher resolution copy of the photo. Sometimes if you repeat the process with that larger photo you can get an even bigger one.
The Lyric Theatre was listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
The Princess Theatre was at 260 West Main Street, and opened on July 3, 1909. After closing as a theater, the building was occupied for many years by an automobile repair garage. The theater and adjacent buildings have since been demolished, and replaced by a strip mall.
The Princess Theatre was mentioned in the July 20, 1918 issue of Exhibitors Herald Motography, which said that it and Plain City’s Wall Theatre had been taken over by S. H. Lawwill, manager of two movie houses in London, Ohio.
Here is an item from the July 5, 1930 issue of Exhibitors Herald World:
The Rialto was most likely the proposed theater mentioned in an item from the July 14, 1927 issue of The Film Daily which said “Plain City Theater Co. will build a $50,000 theater and office building.” Names of earlier Plain City theaters mentioned in trade journals included the Exhibit, the Star, and the Wall, as well as the Princess.The Empire Theatre at Two Rivers is mentioned in the February 12, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World. Management of the house had just been taken over by Hans Henrickson & Son. An adjacent item noted that Samuel Nelson had just resigned as manager of the same town’s Armory Theatre.
Frankly, Waynesboro has me really confused. It’s possible that the It Theatre was next door to the building with the gable, and at some point that building was expanded onto the gabled building’s site. The gabled building looks to be wood framed, and the Strand’s building was brick.