Strand Theatre
140 Broad Street,
Kingsport,
TN
37660
140 Broad Street,
Kingsport,
TN
37660
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 22 comments
Destroyed by a fire on December 22, 1945.
Closed in 1982.
This opened on April 1st, 1925. Grand opening ad posted.
NOW THE LAMPLIGHT THEATRE
http://www.lamplighttheatre.com/
Chris 1982 when I was there a few years back the were renovating the theater for live use. The marquee was back. Are you sure this is a new picture? It looked like that picture 5 years ago.
Current Photo added to photo page
I moved the 1947/`48 photos to the Photos Section, from the below website. In case it goes down like the library site posted in 2010.
https://kingsportarchives.wordpress.com/page/28/
Ron, the first Strand is listed at Cinema Treasures under its later name, the Gem Theatre.
The Nu-Strand Theatre of 1925 was designed by New York architect C. K. Howell, according to the March 29 issue of The Kingsport Times.
it is official New Home for Lamplighttheatre, Billy Wayne minastries. God Bless our new home!
Praising God as this will be the new location for Lamplight theatre, Billy Wayne minastries.Gods work will continue at this location!
Jan 4 1968,“VALLEY OF THE DOLLS” is ending its run at the STRAND.
The theater first built on this site was opened on April 1, 1925, as the Nu-Strand, according to Margaret Ripley Wolfe’s book “Kingsport, Tennessee: a Planned American City” (Google Books preview.)
Following the disastrous fire in December, 1945, the Strand Theatre was rebuilt on the same site, and opened in July, 1947. The rebuilt house seated 1040, about a 20% greater capacity than the 1925 Strand.
The Kingsport Public Library has several photos of the 1947 Strand, and one of the original Strand (which became the Gem Theatre) on Main Street, but there are no photos of the theater building that stood on this site from 1925 to 1945.
The Strand was showing on Feb.6 1969 “JOHN AND MARY” Rated R
Dec,11,1969 sees the “GAY DECEIVERS” playing Rated R
Dec25 1969 has “KRAKATOA EAST OF JAVA” playing.
Jan 1 1970 the doors open at 1:15 News Years Day to see “THE REIVERS”.
Poor Bill antes up at the Strand in 1956:
http://tinyurl.com/3f92u4
What was the name of the theater that was across Broad Street from the State? The State was on the corner and across the street in the middle of the block was a theater. I thought it was the Strand. It was a part of the Martin Theater chain in the late 60’s
There apparently were two Strand Theatres in Kingsport; one on West Main Street and the other on Broad Street. The West Main Strand was later renamed the Nu-Strand then the Gem. According to the article above, the 800 seat Broad Street theatre was destroyed by fire in 1945 although the church which currently resides at this address looks very similar to a circa 1940s theatre.
Here is a December 1944 ad from the Kingsport Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2w25hs
The 12/23/45 Kingsport Times News reported that the Strand was destroyed in a spectacular fire:
Thousands of Christmas shoppers jammed Broad Street Saturday night to watch firefighters battle a spectacular blaze that destroyed the Strand Theater and threatened to engulf the J. Fred Johnson department store. Alert theater employees prevented panic and possible disaster when they marshalled nearly 800 patronsâ€"a full houseâ€"from the theater within minutes after fire was discovered in the floor of the Negro balcony, only 10 feet from the highly inflammable projection room. For three hours after the alarm was given shortly before 6 p.m., fire crews from the city department and Holston Ordnance Works, aided by a number of volunteers, battled one of the worst fires in the city’s history.
No damage estimates were available late Saturday from the theater management, the building owners, or the three business
establishments adjoining the theater. Officials of the NuStrand Corporation, owners of the building, indicated, however, that the property was valued at about $100,000. The 30-year-old building was believed a total loss, but was covered fully by insurance, the NuStrand official said. It had been in use as a theater since 1926.
I think this is the Strand in Kingsport:
http://tinyurl.com/2f5wc6
My link has died. Here is the text of the ad, which had an eclectic cast, including Ted Healy of Three Stooges fame, Betty Furness, best known for selling refrigerators in the fifties, and Una Merkel, who usually played the local busybody in the Frankenstein pictures of the thirties:
A PICTURE FOR YOU, NEIGHBOR, AND YOU’LL LOVE IT!
Wally’s back! With a grand new load of laughs and tears and thrills!
WALLACE BEERY
Just an “old soak”… but how he comes through when his kid’s in a jam! Riotous fun.. .when he rides up Park Avenue in a peddler’s wagon! Thrills and howls …when he traps a rascally banker and scares him out of ten grand!
“GOOD OLD SOAK” and what a cast!
Una Merkel, Eric Linden, Judith Barrett, Betty Furness, Ted Healy, Janet Beecher, George Sidney
ADDED – See the New March of Time
It’s Healthfully COOL At the STRAND
Here is a 1937 ad for the Strand:
http://tinyurl.com/y9sp3u