Benton Theater
310 W. Kennewick Avenue,
Kennewick,
WA
99336
310 W. Kennewick Avenue,
Kennewick,
WA
99336
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The Benton Theater was opened on February 9, 1945 with Alan Carney in “Girl Rush”. It was operated by Midstate Amusement Corp. It was closed on January 31, 1971 with Fred MacMurray in “Son of Flubber” & Dan Blocker in “The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County”.
By July 2017 the building at this address was in use as a church.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
HOW DO YOU DO THAT????????It’s spooky.
The Benton is listed as being run by Mercy & Sons in the 1967 FDY.
Here is an updated link for the July 2007 photo. Click on Kennewick historic buildings and then scroll down towards the bottom to see the Benton:
http://ebchs.org/
I couldn’t see the name of the business in the 1999 photo, it was too small. That would also assume that business is still there ten years later.
Crime at the Benton in February 1964, as reported by the Tri-City Herald:
A reversible jacket valued at $20 was reported stolen from the office of the Benton Theater. It was owned by Larry Nelson, 524 N. Fisher Place.
Well, it was a reversible jacket. Comes in handy sometimes.
The Benton was part of the Alliance Theaters chain in 1947, headquartered in Chicago.
From the early 1940s a photo of the Benton Theater in Kennewick.
It was running movies in the late 60’s for sure,but closed by the early 70’s.
Two more photos I found while doing a search, both looking down Kennewick Avenue: http://i50.tinypic.com/2rft3dj.jpg (on the left) http://i48.tinypic.com/fkntiq.jpg (on the right)
The Benton Theatre opened its doors on February 9, 1945 with Alan Carney in “Girl Rush” along with several short subjects. It was first operated by Midstate Amusement, who operated most theaters in the area at the time, and the theater building was constructed by Salem, Oregon’s Halvorsen Construction Company. It was first managed by C.C. Miller.
The Benton Theater closed for the final time on January 31, 1971 with Walt Disney’s “Son Of Flubber” and “The Cockeyed Cowboys Of Calico County”.