TWO Empress Theatre
418 Frederica Street,
Owensboro,
KY
42301
418 Frederica Street,
Owensboro,
KY
42301
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75 years
Malco – Empress theatre 75th anniversary · Fri, Jul 31, 1987 – 23 · Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Kentucky) · Newspapers.com
and
This closed down as Center in 1967 and reopened as Malco again on January 25th, 1968. The grand opening ad below and in the photo section.
This reopened as the Malco theatre on December 24th, 1937. Grand opening ad in the photo section. It was renamed again to Center on September 30th, 1949. Another ad in the photo section.
This opened on October 29th, 1912. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
This theatre would have had to go a long way to top Branson.
This web page has an article about the Empress Theatre from the Owensboro Messenger Inquirer The article is not dated, but was posted on the web on October 18, 2012. There is a vintage photo of the theater and a modern photo of the marquee with the name TWO on it (the acronym for Theatre Workshop of Owensboro.) The “Venues” page of TWO’s official web site calls it the TWO Empress Theatre (TWO also mounts shows in Trinity Center, a former church.)
The Empress showed its last movie on January 19, 1989, and Goldie’s closed at the end of 2008 when its owner retired, so our current introduction is mostly obsolete.
The Empress Theatre was designed by architect W. R. Gatlin, who also designed the Princess Theatre in Hopkinsville.
Built in 1912, the Theater that stands at 418 Frederica Street is now being bought by Theatre Workshop of Owensboro. It opened on October 29th 1912 as The Empress owned by George A. Bleich. One of the first Movie houses built in America, it had a 750 seats. Now a 350 seat theatre it is home to stage plays and Concerts put on by TWO. Theatre workshop is currently trying to raise money to finish the purchase but also to renovate and bring the building back to it’s glory. for info please visit theatreworkshop.org.
My April 2010 photo:
http://www.agilitynut.com/10/4/goldies.jpg
Tryed to look at their Offical Website its not there any more.
Quite a mouthfull of a name for this theatre.
Currently listed for sale on E-Bay, opened as the Empress theatre with vaudeville, showed movies until around 1988
According to Bowers' “Encyclopedia” page 551, there was a “Bleach” [sic] theatre in Owensboro equipped with a Reproduco organ made by the Operators Piano Co. I could not find a page for the Bleach, so I am putting this here for the time being.
This is the Frederica Street Malco. The first one, on W. 3rd Street, was razed many years ago. This Malco was one of four movie theatres (others included the Strand and Bleich) in downtown Owensboro during the 40s, 50s & 60s. It retained its name on top of the marquee for many years after closing as a movie theatre, but now is known as “Goldie’s.” To add to the confusion, the towns last remaining operating movie theatre is called…the Malco. It’s a fairly new megaplex. If I can figure out how it’s done, I’ll post a photo at photobucket.
The Malco Theatre is listed in the 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook with a seating capacity of 500. In the 1943 edition of F.D.Y. is has a seating capacity given as 756 and is operated by Paramount Pictures Inc through their subsidiary M.A. Lightman.
The 1950 edition of Film Daily Yearbook has the Malco Theatre, 418 Frederica Street with a seating capacity of 720. Also listed in this edition of F.D.Y. is a New Malco Theatre, 118 W. 3rd Street that has a seating capacity of 552.
Fair enough. Hopefully we can keep to a minimum the number of new additions that are blatant advertisements.
Do you show films? Has this venue ever been a movie theater?