The September 13, 1913 edition of The Lake County Times had a brief notice about the proposed Aubry theatre: “START WORK ON AUBRY THEATER
“Edward A. Aubrey, the city comptroller, is about to become an ‘angel’ of the drama. That the north side may have a Little Rialto of its own he has made arrangements to finance the construction of a pretensious playhouse on property he owns near the South Shore depot. Thereabout the bright lights have already gleamed but something has always been lacking. Aubry thinks that something is a vaudeville house. The foundation will be begun the first of next week and as soon as possible the suprestructure is to go up. The house is to seat 300. It will most likely be named ‘The Aubrey.’”
The Aubry Theatre was mentioned in the October 19, 1917 issue of the Lake County Times, but the item was about a political meeting held there, so I don’t know if it was still regularly operating as a movie house by that time: “Last night Aubrey theatre was packed when Mayor John D. Smalley, Treasurer Otto Duelke, Clerk William Kolb, Councilman at Large Candidate Albert Roo and Attorney Phil Greenwald spoke.”
The October 23, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World used most of one page for an article headed “Competition Keen at Fort Bragg, Cal.” It reveals that the Union Theatre was still being operated by its original owner, Phil Brubeck.
The October 23, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World used most of one page for an article headed “Competition Keen at Fort Bragg, Cal.” which includes this information about the Sequoia: “The house has been conducted almost steadily since 1908 under different managements, and not long ago was remodeled and enlarged. It has a seating capacity of four hundred and boasts a small balcony, a ladies' rest room and a commodious office in front with a fireplace that assists in heating the house in winter. A motor-driven Simplex machine is installed in the operating room, where there is also a mercury arc rectifier.”
The December 2, 1929 issue of Waterloo daily The Courier said that the Plaza Theatre, under lease to Lew Rosenthal of Dubuque, would reopen as the Iowa Theatre around Christmas. Renovations underway included the installation of a Western Electric sound system and new furnishings.
The original architect of Wysor’s Grand Opera House was Harry W. Matson. Locally notable architect Cuno Kibele, of the firm Kibele & Garrard, drew plans for alterations to the Wysor Grand Theatre building in 1905 and 1917, but Matson’s original Romanesque Revival style structure largely retained its integrity throughout the theater’s history.
This Facebook post from Main St Torrington has the story of the State Theatre. Originally slated to open in 1926 as the Oriental Theatre, construction delays and the depression left the project in limbo for over a decade, and it finally opened as the State Theatre in 1938 (other sources say 1937.) Conflicting comments on the post say that the house closed in the late 1970s or that it was already closed in the mid-1960s. One newspaper item said that the State Theatre was damaged by a flood in 1955. One certainty is that the building was condemned in 1994 and demolished the following year.
This item from the November 6, 1937 Film Daily tells of improvements at the Orpheum Theatre in Hammond: “The Orpheum Theater, a Warner Bros. house, is being improved at a cost of $15,000. A new lobby and marquee have been added and the interior redecorated. New sound equipment has been installed.”
The Capitol Theatre is still listed in the 1951 FDY, but does not appear in a 1954 Hammond area city directory. This house could have been another victim of the cost of converting theaters for wide-screen processes. Some elderly locals recall the Capitol being Whiting’s “cowboy” theater when they were young, according to this article about Whiting’s theaters from the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society.
The Ace theatre is one of seven movie houses, two of which are drive-ins, listed in the 1954 Hammond area City Directory. One of them, the Hoosier, is in Whiting. In the 1941 directory, the Ace is one of nine houses listed, all of which are indoor operations. Two, the Hoosier and the Capitol, are in Whiting.
After a bit of digging I’ve concluded that Boxoffice misspelled the surnames of two of the architects of the Cape Coral Cinema. Borelli should be changed to Borrelli, and Albasia should be changed to Albaisa. I’ve found no indication that Donald Bouterse’s name was misspelled, but Jaime Borrelli and Adolfo Albaisa stumped the editors of Boxoffice.
The closing of the Fortuna Theatre following the earthquake of December 20, 2023 was supposed to be temporary, but due to the fact that the house was performing poorly for some time before the earthquake, Cinema West has been reluctant to make the necessary costly repairs to get it reopened. In an article in Lost Coast Outpost last August, Cinema West’s owner David Corkill said that he would “entertain an offer” if someone wanted to buy the house, though it has not been placed on the market. I’ve found no more recent information indicating any plans by Cinema West to either sell or reopen the Fortuna.
Closed again, alas. The only “upcoming events” listed on the El Rey’s web site now (here) took place last April. The theater is being offered for sale. Its LoopNet listing gives the price as 1.95 million. It also gives the seating capacity as 750.
A biographical note in the finding aid for the Lenski family papers at Pittsburg State College has this information about the Cozy’s origin:
“Joe Lenski owned and operated the Cozy Theatre, Lenski’s Tire Company, the Green Lantern Inn, and Modern Electric Company. The Cozy Inn was originally a shooting gallery theater. In 1929, he had the original building demolished and built the Cozy Theater in a Spanish style with room for 860 people. The theater played movies, news reels, radio shows, dance recitals, and vaudevillian-style stage shows. The Heyburn Dane [Dance?] Academy, run by Virginia Heyburn, often had their shows in the Cozy Theater. Regina Lenski, Joe’s older sister, was one the instructors.”
The papers include some photos and other material pertaining to the Cozy, but they are not available online. They are in the Special Collections of the Leonard H. Axe Library, and the collection is open for access, the finding aid says, in case anyone visiting Pittsburg wants to check them out.
The Elk Grove Historical Society says the Boulevard Theatre opened on February 4, 1955. It was at the northeast corner of Elk Grove Boulevard (then called Main Street) and Williamson Drive, but the building was set back from both streets to provide a parking area. It operated as a movie theater until 1965, when the building was sold to the local congregation of the Assembly of God and was converted for use as their church. In 1977 the building suffered two fires, the second of which leveled the structure. The modern retail building that replaced it appears to be somewhat larger than the theater was, and has the address 8805 Elk Grove Blvd.
The Boulevard was actually the second movie theater operated in Elk Grove by the Amundsons. From 1949 to 1954 they ran a house called the Cow Palace Theatre, a 500-seat operation which was in a large, rather rustic structure that also served as a cattle auction house by day. It was said that the scent from stalls for cattle which occupied part of the building lent a unique air of authenticity to western movies.
The Film Board of Trade report in Film Daily of January 13, 1929 listed the Palace Theatre at Exira as a new house, but this was probably its reopening as a sound house under new owners, which probably took place in late 1928.
The Film Board of Trade report in Film Daily of January 13, 1929 listed the Roben Theatre at Ashton as a new house. It had probably opened in late 1928.
The Howell Theatre appears to have been operated under lease by the Schulte Theatre Circuit from the time of its opening, as the announcement of the recent opening of the house in Film Daily of January 5, 1929 noted “Schulte Amuse. Co.” as operators.
Vern Morgan was the manager of the Hudson Theatre, according to a brief article in Boxoffice on June 10, 1950. The house was owned by the William Schulte circuit of Detroit. The old Hudson Theatre had been listed as a Schulte house in the 1938 FDY.
I haven’t found a full timeline for the new Hudson Theatre, but an article in Boxoffice of June 10, 1950 said that the house had been destroyed by a fire on May 30. Manager Vern Morgan estimated the loss at about $150,000. He and his wife were forced to evacuate the apartment above the theater when they were awakened by smoke in the early morning hours. A dry cleaning establishment in the same building was also lost. The theater, owned by the William Schulte circuit of Detroit, had only been open for a bit over a year.
Water Winter Wonderland has this page which unfortunately conflates the old and new Hudson Theatres, and doesn’t have any information from after the 1950 fire, so I don’t know if the building was restored as a theater or perhaps rebuilt at that time as the bowling alley, or rebuilt for some other use.
According to the Lynchburg News and Advance of October 25, 1962, the proposed movie theater in the Pittman Plaza Shopping Center would be leased to the Stewart & Everett chain, and had been designed by the architectural firm of Charles H. Wheatley & Associates.
The March 16, 1970 issue of Boxoffice said that United Artists' Sherwood 1 and 2 project, then under construction, had been designed by Dallas architect William H. Hidell. Each of the true twin auditoriums would seat 350. The project occupied part of the site of the Jet Drive-In which had been destroyed by fire in 1968.
The September 13, 1913 edition of The Lake County Times had a brief notice about the proposed Aubry theatre: “START WORK ON AUBRY THEATER
“Edward A. Aubrey, the city comptroller, is about to become an ‘angel’ of the drama. That the north side may have a Little Rialto of its own he has made arrangements to finance the construction of a pretensious playhouse on property he owns near the South Shore depot. Thereabout the bright lights have already gleamed but something has always been lacking. Aubry thinks that something is a vaudeville house. The foundation will be begun the first of next week and as soon as possible the suprestructure is to go up. The house is to seat 300. It will most likely be named ‘The Aubrey.’”
The Aubry Theatre was mentioned in the October 19, 1917 issue of the Lake County Times, but the item was about a political meeting held there, so I don’t know if it was still regularly operating as a movie house by that time: “Last night Aubrey theatre was packed when Mayor John D. Smalley, Treasurer Otto Duelke, Clerk William Kolb, Councilman at Large Candidate Albert Roo and Attorney Phil Greenwald spoke.”
The October 23, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World used most of one page for an article headed “Competition Keen at Fort Bragg, Cal.” It reveals that the Union Theatre was still being operated by its original owner, Phil Brubeck.
The October 23, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World used most of one page for an article headed “Competition Keen at Fort Bragg, Cal.” which includes this information about the Sequoia: “The house has been conducted almost steadily since 1908 under different managements, and not long ago was remodeled and enlarged. It has a seating capacity of four hundred and boasts a small balcony, a ladies' rest room and a commodious office in front with a fireplace that assists in heating the house in winter. A motor-driven Simplex machine is installed in the operating room, where there is also a mercury arc rectifier.”
The December 2, 1929 issue of Waterloo daily The Courier said that the Plaza Theatre, under lease to Lew Rosenthal of Dubuque, would reopen as the Iowa Theatre around Christmas. Renovations underway included the installation of a Western Electric sound system and new furnishings.
The original architect of Wysor’s Grand Opera House was Harry W. Matson. Locally notable architect Cuno Kibele, of the firm Kibele & Garrard, drew plans for alterations to the Wysor Grand Theatre building in 1905 and 1917, but Matson’s original Romanesque Revival style structure largely retained its integrity throughout the theater’s history.
This Facebook post from Main St Torrington has the story of the State Theatre. Originally slated to open in 1926 as the Oriental Theatre, construction delays and the depression left the project in limbo for over a decade, and it finally opened as the State Theatre in 1938 (other sources say 1937.) Conflicting comments on the post say that the house closed in the late 1970s or that it was already closed in the mid-1960s. One newspaper item said that the State Theatre was damaged by a flood in 1955. One certainty is that the building was condemned in 1994 and demolished the following year.
This photo is not of the State Theatre in Torrington.
This item from the November 6, 1937 Film Daily tells of improvements at the Orpheum Theatre in Hammond: “The Orpheum Theater, a Warner Bros. house, is being improved at a cost of $15,000. A new lobby and marquee have been added and the interior redecorated. New sound equipment has been installed.”
The Capitol Theatre is still listed in the 1951 FDY, but does not appear in a 1954 Hammond area city directory. This house could have been another victim of the cost of converting theaters for wide-screen processes. Some elderly locals recall the Capitol being Whiting’s “cowboy” theater when they were young, according to this article about Whiting’s theaters from the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society.
The Ace theatre is one of seven movie houses, two of which are drive-ins, listed in the 1954 Hammond area City Directory. One of them, the Hoosier, is in Whiting. In the 1941 directory, the Ace is one of nine houses listed, all of which are indoor operations. Two, the Hoosier and the Capitol, are in Whiting.
After a bit of digging I’ve concluded that Boxoffice misspelled the surnames of two of the architects of the Cape Coral Cinema. Borelli should be changed to Borrelli, and Albasia should be changed to Albaisa. I’ve found no indication that Donald Bouterse’s name was misspelled, but Jaime Borrelli and Adolfo Albaisa stumped the editors of Boxoffice.
The closing of the Fortuna Theatre following the earthquake of December 20, 2023 was supposed to be temporary, but due to the fact that the house was performing poorly for some time before the earthquake, Cinema West has been reluctant to make the necessary costly repairs to get it reopened. In an article in Lost Coast Outpost last August, Cinema West’s owner David Corkill said that he would “entertain an offer” if someone wanted to buy the house, though it has not been placed on the market. I’ve found no more recent information indicating any plans by Cinema West to either sell or reopen the Fortuna.
Closed again, alas. The only “upcoming events” listed on the El Rey’s web site now (here) took place last April. The theater is being offered for sale. Its LoopNet listing gives the price as 1.95 million. It also gives the seating capacity as 750.
A biographical note in the finding aid for the Lenski family papers at Pittsburg State College has this information about the Cozy’s origin:
“Joe Lenski owned and operated the Cozy Theatre, Lenski’s Tire Company, the Green Lantern Inn, and Modern Electric Company. The Cozy Inn was originally a shooting gallery theater. In 1929, he had the original building demolished and built the Cozy Theater in a Spanish style with room for 860 people. The theater played movies, news reels, radio shows, dance recitals, and vaudevillian-style stage shows. The Heyburn Dane [Dance?] Academy, run by Virginia Heyburn, often had their shows in the Cozy Theater. Regina Lenski, Joe’s older sister, was one the instructors.”
The papers include some photos and other material pertaining to the Cozy, but they are not available online. They are in the Special Collections of the Leonard H. Axe Library, and the collection is open for access, the finding aid says, in case anyone visiting Pittsburg wants to check them out.
The Elk Grove Historical Society says the Boulevard Theatre opened on February 4, 1955. It was at the northeast corner of Elk Grove Boulevard (then called Main Street) and Williamson Drive, but the building was set back from both streets to provide a parking area. It operated as a movie theater until 1965, when the building was sold to the local congregation of the Assembly of God and was converted for use as their church. In 1977 the building suffered two fires, the second of which leveled the structure. The modern retail building that replaced it appears to be somewhat larger than the theater was, and has the address 8805 Elk Grove Blvd.
The Boulevard was actually the second movie theater operated in Elk Grove by the Amundsons. From 1949 to 1954 they ran a house called the Cow Palace Theatre, a 500-seat operation which was in a large, rather rustic structure that also served as a cattle auction house by day. It was said that the scent from stalls for cattle which occupied part of the building lent a unique air of authenticity to western movies.
The Cozy Theatre is first listed in the 1932 FDY, with 700 seats.
The Film Board of Trade report in Film Daily of January 13, 1929 listed the Palace Theatre at Exira as a new house, but this was probably its reopening as a sound house under new owners, which probably took place in late 1928.
The Film Board of Trade report in Film Daily of January 13, 1929 listed the Roben Theatre at Ashton as a new house. It had probably opened in late 1928.
The recent opening of the Palace Theatre at Rensselaer, Indiana, was briefly noted in the January 13, 1929 issue of Film Daily.
The Howell Theatre appears to have been operated under lease by the Schulte Theatre Circuit from the time of its opening, as the announcement of the recent opening of the house in Film Daily of January 5, 1929 noted “Schulte Amuse. Co.” as operators.
Vern Morgan was the manager of the Hudson Theatre, according to a brief article in Boxoffice on June 10, 1950. The house was owned by the William Schulte circuit of Detroit. The old Hudson Theatre had been listed as a Schulte house in the 1938 FDY.
I haven’t found a full timeline for the new Hudson Theatre, but an article in Boxoffice of June 10, 1950 said that the house had been destroyed by a fire on May 30. Manager Vern Morgan estimated the loss at about $150,000. He and his wife were forced to evacuate the apartment above the theater when they were awakened by smoke in the early morning hours. A dry cleaning establishment in the same building was also lost. The theater, owned by the William Schulte circuit of Detroit, had only been open for a bit over a year.
Water Winter Wonderland has this page which unfortunately conflates the old and new Hudson Theatres, and doesn’t have any information from after the 1950 fire, so I don’t know if the building was restored as a theater or perhaps rebuilt at that time as the bowling alley, or rebuilt for some other use.
There is a typo in the architect and firm fields. The name should be Charles H. Wheatley, not Charles R. Wheatley.
According to the Lynchburg News and Advance of October 25, 1962, the proposed movie theater in the Pittman Plaza Shopping Center would be leased to the Stewart & Everett chain, and had been designed by the architectural firm of Charles H. Wheatley & Associates.
The 764-seat single-screener opened in late 1963.
The March 16, 1970 issue of Boxoffice said that United Artists' Sherwood 1 and 2 project, then under construction, had been designed by Dallas architect William H. Hidell. Each of the true twin auditoriums would seat 350. The project occupied part of the site of the Jet Drive-In which had been destroyed by fire in 1968.