Jones County Cinema
109 E. Main Street,
Anamosa,
IA
52205
109 E. Main Street,
Anamosa,
IA
52205
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Construction started in 1889, and the Grand Opera House opened its doors on January 11, 1890 by Will McGuire. It was taken over by the father-son team of Clifford N. and Charles L. Niles in 1901. Throughout its history, the theater suffered destruction from four different fires, and two of which happened during its days as the Grand Opera House.
The first fire happened in 1925 and was rebuilt afterward, and the second fire happened in the basement of the theater on the morning of August 6, 1931 with an estimate $75,000 in damages. It was rebuilt and reopened as the Niles Theatre on December 25, 1931 with Wheeler & Woodley in “Caught Plastered” (unknown if extras added).
The Niles Theatre was then destroyed by a third fire and an explosion on the early afternoon of April 13, 1935. The third fire was the most destructive with an estimate $100,000 in damages. After a short two-month reconstruction, the Niles Theatre reopened on June 26, 1935 with Shirley Temple in “Our Little Girl” (unknown if extras added) with sound installations by Western Electric.
On April 30, 1953, the husband-and-wife team of Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Evans of Clinton (who owned the Lyons Theatre there since 1935), bought the Niles Theatre and was renamed the Evans Theatre. The Evans family also had a connection with RKO Radio Pictures for 18 years. The Evans Theatre was remodeled in April 1959 right after the Evans sold their Lyons Theatre in Clinton and officially became their primary movie house. The Evans then sold the theater to Roy Metcalfe in June 1972 (with John Weldon of Cedar Rapids as its manager).
The fourth fire happened in late-January 1984 from an electrical short. Despite suffering small damages, the theater was slowly renovated and was originally planned to reopen with two screens. The fourth fire left the city without a movie theater for the rest of the decade. In 1989, the theater announced that the Evans Theater will be renamed the Jones County Cinema and would officially reopen back as a movie theater. The theater reopened on October 27, 1989 with “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” and “Tummy Trouble”, bringing back movies in Jones County. It was owned by Mike Grassfield.
The Jones County Cinema closed in 2004.
Something must have happened to the Niles Theatre in 1936. The December 18, 1937, issue of The Film Daily ran this item:
Clifford Niles and his son Charles were operating three theaters in Anamosa in 1937, according to another issue of the same publication, though it didn’t give their names. One of them must have been the Circle, but I’ve been unable to find the name of the third.From the early 1940s a photo postcard image of the Niles Theater in Anamosa.
Here is a June 1993 article from the Anamosa Journal-Eureka:
The marquee on Jones County Cinema last week listed the coming attraction, “Indian Summerâ€, which seemed like a satirical comment about the recent streak of cold, rainy weather. Although it was not in jest, the cinema’s marquee is often the site of commentaries about local issues. Mike Grassfield says the accolades and critical comments are the work of his father, Dave Grassfield.
But Mike is owner-operator of the theatre. And he is one of those rare individuals who really enjoys what he is doing. He says operating a theater is a fun job because he enjoys talking to and joking with the crowd that drops in on weekends to relax and watch the movie while munching on freshly cooked popcorn and an assortment of other refreshments. Jones County Cinema is appropriately named because it is the only remaining theater in the county, other than the Starlighters Theatre, which is for live performances only.
Other theaters once in existence in the county are long gone because of the stiff competition from other areas, which makes Jones County Cinema even more remarkable. It shows current films, not the ones you saw ten years ago, and offers them at reasonable prices. It’s an inexpensive evening out for a family, and surprisingly enough, Jones County Cinema does not show movies that are billed as suitable for a restricted audience. According to Grassfield, they just don’t sell in Anamosa. But at other theaters, it is hard to find movies appropriate for families.
Jones County Cinema is a family theater in many respects with a community-minded spirit To those who are laid off, admission is half-price. “They will remember us when times are good again for them,” Grassfield said. Jones County Cinema offers two shows on Friday and Saturday evenings. At the earlier time, 7 p.m., children can come without adult supervision, but at the later show, 9 p.m., they must be accompanied by adults.
Grassfield plans to expand the theater and open up the balcony by fall. In this way, he will be able to show two different movies at the same tune. He is always working on ways to improve the theater even though it isn’t always apparent to the casual observer. Some of the latest improvements include a new air conditioner and energy-efficient furnace, a new roof and two new platters for the film reels.