The original opened November 22, 1968 as an ABC theater. It was a single screen and went twin in the 1970s. In 1988 it moved to another part of the mall big enough to accommodate the seven theaters built there.
Check out View link
for a halfway decent account of the life of the Egyptian/Colonial Theater.
The Colonial closed in 1926 and reopened later that same year as the Egyptian. The 1938 renovation brought a larger, more impressive marquee by Liebenberg, but the Egyptian was there before that remodel.
The State Theater received a facade easement and is now nearly as beautiful as it was when first built in 1926. The Marquee, though not original to the theater has be revamped and is beautiful. Currently we are waiting to find out if the Sioux Falls State Theater group will be granted the opportunity by the owners to turn this gem back into a first-run movie house. Go to www.siouxfallsstatetheater.com for updates.
According to Building South Dakota: A Historical Survey of the State’s Architecture to 1945 by David Erpestad and David Wood, the Egyptian was designed by Henry J. Schwarz in 1913 as a Senior project at the University of Pennsylvania. The Marquee was designed by J.J. Liebenberg in 1938. It does not mention anything about further renovation by Liebenberg. I have pictures of the Egyptian as early as 1927. If it was ever known as the Colonial, I don’t yet know.
The original opened November 22, 1968 as an ABC theater. It was a single screen and went twin in the 1970s. In 1988 it moved to another part of the mall big enough to accommodate the seven theaters built there.
For more info on the Strand/Granada/Cinema/Downtown Cinema go here:
View link
Thanks for posting that, Roger!
Expect some more updates in the near future reflecting the additional info you’ve provided.
Thanks again for the support!
-Eric
Check out
View link
for a halfway decent account of the life of the Egyptian/Colonial Theater.
The Colonial closed in 1926 and reopened later that same year as the Egyptian. The 1938 renovation brought a larger, more impressive marquee by Liebenberg, but the Egyptian was there before that remodel.
The State Theater received a facade easement and is now nearly as beautiful as it was when first built in 1926. The Marquee, though not original to the theater has be revamped and is beautiful. Currently we are waiting to find out if the Sioux Falls State Theater group will be granted the opportunity by the owners to turn this gem back into a first-run movie house. Go to www.siouxfallsstatetheater.com for updates.
According to Building South Dakota: A Historical Survey of the State’s Architecture to 1945 by David Erpestad and David Wood, the Egyptian was designed by Henry J. Schwarz in 1913 as a Senior project at the University of Pennsylvania. The Marquee was designed by J.J. Liebenberg in 1938. It does not mention anything about further renovation by Liebenberg. I have pictures of the Egyptian as early as 1927. If it was ever known as the Colonial, I don’t yet know.