Strand Theater
112 E. Main Street,
Marshalltown,
IA
50158
112 E. Main Street,
Marshalltown,
IA
50158
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Mort H. Singer Theaters Corp., Paramount Pictures Inc., RKO
Previous Names: RKO Strand Theater
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The Strand Theater opened on January 24, 1916 by A.H. Blank Theatres who became a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures Inc. Seating was listed at 542. In June 1935 it was taken over by Mort Singer Theatre Corp. During 1945 the Grand Theatre and the Capitol Theatre fell under the RKO banner until 1950. The Strand Theater closed during the mid-1950’s.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
I’ve found a reference to a Strand Theatre in Marshalltown being outfitted in 1915. Owners of the theater ordered 714 opera chairs from the Progressive Seating Company of Chicago on November 3, 1915. No address was given for the theater, so I don’t know if it was this same Strand or not.
Here is a photo of Main Street in Marshalltown, probably from the late 1930s, with the Strand Theatre at left. The facade does look more like something from the 1910s than from the 1920s, so most likely this was the theater that was being outfitted in 1915. It probably opened late that year or in early 1916.
Grand opening ad January 24, 1916 is in photos.
“A. H. Bank” in the theater description should read “A. H. Blank.” Paramount affiliate Blank probably operated the Strand from the time of its opening, and then bought it outright in 1917 as noted in this item from the December 29 issue of Motography that year:
I found a reference to an O. L. Ingleduc who was mayor of Marshalltown in 1910. The vintage photo of Main Street shows that the Strand’s site is now under the footprint of the Great Western Bank building, so the theater has been demolished.Anyone know the film projectionist in 1984 at GCC General Cinema Valley View ? Or anyone that worked there ?
Opening date needs to be corrected, per DMTs information from long ago.
It seems that 112 was originally a the western half of a commercial building constructed between 1888 and 1894. The 1910 map shows a bakery and restaurant here. The 1921 map shows 112 used as the lobby for an auditorium located behind the storefronts. It seems from the main photo that 114 (the east half) was remodeled or replaced at some point before the 1940s.
Here’s an item from the July 13, 1935 Motion Picture Herald: “Mort Singer Theatres Corporation, operating 10 houses in the Middlewest and West, has taken over two houses in Marshalltown, Iowa, the Family and Strand.”