Crest Theatre
547 W. Broadway,
Council Bluffs,
IA
51503
547 W. Broadway,
Council Bluffs,
IA
51503
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previous Names: Nicholas Theatre, Liberty Theatre, Iowa Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Built by Nickolas Amos on the site of the Revere Hotel in 1911. The Nicholas Theatre was opened on November 30, 1911 with 5-acts of vaudeville and motion pictures. It was taken over by new operators and renamed Liberty Theatre on April 27, 1918, screening Florence La Badie in “The Man Without a Country”. In 1922 it was equipped with a Kimball 3 manual 18 ranks theatre organ which had previously been installed in the Doric Theatre, Kansa City, MO which had suffered damage in a gas explosion. The Liberty Theatre was closed in 1967 and became a nightclub named ‘The Psychedelic Wheel’ which closed within a year.
It was reopened as the Iowa Theatre on November 27, 1969 with Clark Gable in “Gone With the Wind”. It was not a great success. On December 5, 1972 it was renamed Crest Theatre screening “Finders, Keepers, Lovers Weepers” & “Good Morning… and Goodby!”, operating as an adult art movie theatre. It was closed on November 23, 1985. On February 4, 1986 the vacant theatre was involved in an arson attack and the remains were demolished in summer of 1986.
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Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Darn those kids:
Young Vandals Wreck Theater
Damage 95 Seats At Liberty Sunday
10/5/54 – Young vandals damaged 95 seats in the Liberty Theater during the last show Sunday night. Owner Abe Smead Monday said his theater would be closed for the Monday matinee showings while workmen make repairs. Some of the seats had coverings slashed with a knife and stuffing torn out. Others had been loosened from the floor and others had seat cushions removed from the chairs. Detectives Bernard Lund and Edward Rath are investigating.
The doorman Sunday night was apparently unaware of the damage being done during the final show, Smead said. The damage was discovered by an employee, Fred West, of 3109 W. Broadway, Monday morning. Smead said he is offering a $50 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals. He estimated costs of the damage at over $100.
In April, 1971, I ran away from Boy’s Town, Nebraska, as was my habit, and went to the Crest to see the re-release of Disney’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”…I sat through the picture 1-¾ times, as I just had to see the giant squid again.
Here is a September 1948 ad from the Council Bluffs Nonpareil:
http://tinyurl.com/ku3e87
I was in error; I saw this film at the Strand.
A substantial Kimball pipe organ, a III/18 was installed in the Liberty Theatre (later known as the Crest) ca. 1922. It was a used organ bought from the Doric Theatre in Kansas City Missouri (q.v.) which had closed after a gas explosion.
June 5, 1920 photo as Liberty Theatre added credit Motion Picture News. As part of the promotion of the film, the theater had a horseman ride around the city. Courtesy Ralph Goins.
Nicholas Amos and the estate of N.P. Dodge razed the Revere Hotel for a new build theater, his third in Council Bluffs but first new-build in 1911. The architect was F.E. Cox. Amos opened November 30, 1911 - Thanksgiving - with an address by Mayor Thomas Maloney, five acts of vaudeville from the Sullivan and Considine Vaudeville Circuit, and the latest in motion pictures. Anton Gundrum operated the adjoining confectionery which served as the theater’s de facto concession stand. Frank Blank operated the humidor called The Puff.
The Nicholas Theatre was taken on by new operators. They rented it the more patriots Liberty Theatre beginning April 27, 1918 with “The Man Without a Country.” The Liberty closed in 1967. It was taken on for a nightclub called The Psychedelic Wheel on December 6, 1967. They lasted less than a year. Kenneth Claypool took on the venue on November 27, 1968 under the nameplate of the Iowa Theatre with “Gone with the Wind."On November 20, 1969, the Iowa found out that families weren’t supporting the old venue.
On December 5, 1972, the venue went for promo chic programming as the Crest Theatre beginning with “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers” and “Good Morning and Goodbye!” Just months later, the City attempted to say the films were obscene to no avail. County Attorney David Richter went after the Crest in 1984 again seizing a film but unable to make a charge stick.
In 1985, the Crest was slated for redevelopment. And money talked with the operators, Joella Cohen and Jordin Ginsberg, selling outright for $110,000 in 1985. The theater close just after its 64th Anniversary on November 23, 1985. The next day a fixture / salvage sale was held with everything from the seats to the projectors sold “cheap!” The theater was torched on February 4, 1986 prior to demolition. The remains were taken away that summer.