State Theatre

812 Avenue G,
Fort Madison, IA 52627

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DavidZornig
DavidZornig on November 28, 2022 at 6:02 pm

1983 photo added credit North Lee County Historical Society.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 1, 2018 at 7:13 pm

The July 7, 1923, issue of The Moving Picture World had this news from Fort Madison:

“The seating capacity of the Orpheum Theatre at Ft. Madison. Iowa, has been increased to 900 and other improvements are being made.”
In 1923 the Orpheum found itself competing with the new Columbia Theatre, opened in December, 1922, built in the shell of the burned-out Grand Theatre.

JudithK
JudithK on July 17, 2011 at 12:18 pm

My Mom lived in Fort Madison, Iowa during the 1940’s-early 1950’s. An avid moviegoer, she mentioned the Orpheum frequently. Thanks for the information about it.

cwf1154
cwf1154 on July 18, 2009 at 12:15 pm

The Orpheum Theatre in Fort Madison, Iowa was built in 1913 as a part of the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit. By 1930 it had been modified into a dual-purpose facility, showing both motion pictures and live acts. It operated continuously under the Orpheum name until 1946. It was renamed the Crown Theatre briefly, and then in 1949 it was remodeled and re-opened as the State Theater. In 1983, the State Theater closed its doors forever. Over the next few years, the structure deteriorated rapidly due to lack of maintenance, and in 1998-9, a wrecking ball put an end to it. The site of the Orpheum is now an empty lot.