Adler Theatre
136 E. 3rd Street,
Davenport,
IA
52801
136 E. 3rd Street,
Davenport,
IA
52801
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Original Set Of Original Bawden Brothers Photographic Prints Of Graven And Mayger’s Rko Orpheum Theater, Located In Davenport, Ia.
https://www.urbanremainschicago.com/original-set-of-original-bawden-brothers-photographic-prints-of-graven-and-mayger-s-rko-orpheum-theater-located-in-davenport-ia.html
Reopened as Adler Theatre on Thursday January 9, 1986 with the New York based trio Mozart on Fifth. Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center Facebook link with 3 images including the Quad-City Times article about the reopening.
https://www.facebook.com/davenportlibrarysc/photos/pcb.1348120562013499/1348120465346842
Link with photos of the Alder, Capitol and others.
https://qctimes.com/entertainment/movies/retro-thursday-historic-q-c-movie-theaters/collection_f1da3456-0ef7-11e2-a0dc-0019bb2963f4.html?fbclid=IwAR1LLS3u6q0SHq08TTxIMIvy1g2IKVjdDuF7zMNG2fz1OQAWZKJBB_dpgvw#1
New sign going up, May 2018 photo added credit Retro Quad Cities Facebook page.
Marquee being removed today.
http://qctimes.com/news/local/end-of-an-era-crew-tears-down-adler-theatre-marquee/article_18b2a854-34ab-59b1-bfc4-3d05bbfeb7e1.html
November 27, 1947 photo in below link.
http://www.umvphotoarchive.org/digital/collection/scdpl/id/3107
Grand opening ad in the photo section.
14 photos & copy added courtesy of the Davenport Iowa History Facebook page.
June 16, 1972 photo and copy added courtesy of the Davenport Iowa History Facebook page.
1953 photo added courtesy of the Retro Quad Cities Facebook page.
November 25, 1931 photo and copy added courtesy of the Retro Quad Cities Facebook page. The banner in the foreground reads in part “Welcome New RKO Orpheum. Opens 6pm, Wed. Nov. 25.”
I have just discovered that Graven & Mayger discontinued their association in 1930.
Surprised to see George Rapp name here.Graven & Mayger left the firm of Rapp & Rapp and formed their own firm in 1926.
1976 Joe Cocker poster added, designed by and courtesy of long time Chicago graphic artist Shelley Howard.
The original interior of the RKO Orpheum Theatre was designed by the noted industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss. A photo of one of the lighting fixtures he designed for the theater can be seen on page 60 of Twentieth Century Limited: Industrial Design In America 1925-1939, by Jeffrey Meikle (Google Books preview.)
136 would be about right. The (then) Mississippi Hotel’s address was 106. The hotel stands right at 3rd and Brady (a one-way, and the main road north from downtown). Down the street to the east wass the Blackhawk Hotel; about a block west was the Davenport. Those were the three main hotels of their day. They’re all still open, although I believe as apartments.
The Orpheum was a huge theater; it and the Fort in Rock Island got all of the best movies in their day. The prefab multi-screen theaters came into existence in the late 60s, and they put almost all of the downtown theaters on both sides of the river out of business within a few years. Fortunately, this and the Fort (the biggest on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities) are both still open, albeit not as movie houses anymore.
Boxoffice magazine of September 15, 1956 has two small photos of the revamping of the marquee:
View link
Cary Grant fell ill here on November 29, 1986 while preparing for his one-man show entitled “Conversations with Cary Grant.” He died later that night at St. Luke’s Hospital.
In 1923, businesses on the opposite side of the 100 block of E. 3rd Street from the future site of the Adler included a small theatre called the Mirror, seen at far left in this photograph.
That marquee if awful.
The Adler was just reopened after over a year of extensive renovation to the stage so it can attract more broadway plays. Plus, it will be celebrating it’s 75th anniversary.
Read more here.
View link
Recent color photos of this theatre can be found on the site: “America’s Stunning Theatres” by photographer and stagehand Noah Kern at: http://www.pbase.com/affablebeef/theatres Comments and information may be left there without registration; such can be public view or only to Mr. Kern. Scroll down the page to find the name, and then click on the sample image above it to be taken to the page of photos of it.
I was an Usher at the former RKO Orpheum Theatre from 1966-68,under the tutelage of the late Milt Troehler,long time manager of the Theatre.I loved the theatre and my experiences there!
Kurt J. Noack
As the RKO Orpheum Theatre it seated 2708 people.