State Theatre
13 Main Street,
Ipswich,
SD
57451
13 Main Street,
Ipswich,
SD
57451
No one has favorited this theater yet
Located on the Main street of Ipswich the State Theatre opened by 1913 as part of a hotel building. It was a mainstay for movies until its closing in 1976.
The theatre had a small lobby and the concession stand was located at the back of the auditorium. The theatre also had a small balcony that is pretty much intact.
The auditorium has been remodeled and the floors leveled. It now functions as a community center.
Contributed by
Chuck Van Bibber
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
Appeared to be abandoned as of this past weeekend. There are plastic bags taped to the inside of the doors, so I couldn’t see in.
I don’t think the history is accurate. Reviewing the Sanborn maps, here is what I have come up with: 1893 – Two-story wood-frame feed store on the corner, only on the south lot. 1899 – Building is now the Stever Hotel, with the notation that it is to be brick veneered. 1908 – Building now shown as brick with wooden interior structure (named Grand Central Hotel), northern section added completely in brick, housing a vacant bar and hotel rooms upstairs. 1913 – Hotel now called Pete’s Home Hotel, movie theater in northern section (which I imagine would be 11 Main), which also contains part of the hotel office and a bathroom. 1926 – Theater now in southern section, which is shown entirely in brick. Old theater is two storefronts. Very deep balcony with square cutout in the front. Stage and scenery shown, and two small brick rooms have been added at the back which may have been dressing rooms. Marquee is a small metal rectangular structure.
I can’t swear that the old feed store structure was part of the theater on the 1926 map. Fires were very frequent, but the footprint is roughly the same. At any rate, extensive reconstruction of the hotel area would have been required to create the theater. The architecture of the present facade looks no later than about 1915 to me.