Bruce Theatre
616 N. Main Street,
Bruce,
WI
54819
616 N. Main Street,
Bruce,
WI
54819
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Architects: Myles E. Belongia
Firms: Peacock & Belongia
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Feb 10, 2011 — 2 Northern Wisconsin single screen theatres for sale
The single-screen Bruce Theatre, which opened on April 6, 1947 with John Wayne in “Without Reservations”. It was closed in 2012. Renovations were being carried out in 2016, but seem to have stalled.
Contributed by
Bryan
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 7 comments)
Construction of the BRUCE Theatre began on September 14, 1946 with Fred Conover, a local contractor, erecting the theatre with local labor over that fall and winter through a period of six months.
Grand opening of the New Bruce Theatre was on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947 with the feature “Without Reservations,” starring John Wayne and Claudette Colbert.
H. E. Zielke of Hawkins and son Robert F. Zielke of Bruce were the owners and aso had a theatre in Hawkins beside Bruce. Bob Zielke was the BRUCE’s first manager.
(1950) The Bruce Theatre Presents The Chippewa Valley Barn Dance Show
TWO COMPLETE STAGE SHOWS 8:00 and 10:00 p. m. Bruce Theater TUESDAY – JUNE 20 The Chippewa Valley Barn Dance Show is headlined by two popular radio stars, Maggie and Scotty, who have been in the entertainment field for the past fifteen years. They have appeared and worked over WRFW in Eau Claire; WJMC in Rice Lake, Wisconsin; WEBC in Duluth, Minnesota; WENR in Chicago, Illinois; KSO in St. Paul, Minn.; and are presently making their headquarters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where they appear and entertain daily over WEAU. They point with pride at their Chippewa Valley Barn Dance Show which features such personalities as Jerry Wright, champion fiddler; Ronnie Champion, trick yodeler; Barefoot Bob Smith, the boy from Georgia; and many others.
LouRugani-Great info! Thanks for sharing. Do you know who currently owns the Bruce Theatre?
This theatre closed in 2012.
The theatre is under going renovations. The marquee has been restored with all neon and chaser bulbs replaced. Not sure on a re open date yet—but close!
Google Streetview of Aug 2023 shows the theatre still closed but in decent exterior shape. Still no date for reopening.
The decorative scheme of the auditorium and sta foyer carries out the same air of casual simplicity, and in fact differs from that of the lobby only in that the Nu-Wood planking above the wainscot is finished with assorted pastel shades instead of white. The rustic knotty pine wainscot continued throughout the house, even along the front of the screen platform.
The Nu-Wood panels above the auditorium wainscot are the only acoustical material inatalied. Robert Zielke declares that acoustically they are perfect.
Lighting of the auditorium is carried at by means of colored fluorescent tubing along the center of sta celling with rulveed incandescents in semi-indirect fixtures along the side walls for running lights. Flush type ceiling lighting is used elsewhere in the theatre - in the lobby, the foyer, the cry room (the latter is located on an upper level, alongside the projection room) and in the lounges.
Air conditioning provides a complete change of auditorium air every three minutes. Projectors are Brenkert, sound equipment RCA. The screen is 15 feet wide, illuminated by Strong one-Kilowatt high intensity lamps drawing 40 amperes from Strong Utility rectifiers.
Peacock and Belongia, members of STIR’s Architects Advisory Council, designed the Bruce. Robert Zielke manages it on behalf of his father and himself.