Grand Theatres 3

The Grand Opera House opened its doors on January 1, 1904 with an unknown matinee, which happened two days right after the devastating Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago that killed 600 people and injuring 250 others. The original building featured a large entrance that was also used in case of an emergency. There is also two other front exits, two double doors on the ground floor at the south side, and a double exit door from the balcony. The theater would then officially became known as the Grand Theatre during World War I.

After major remodeling, the theater was renamed the Perry Theatre on May 7, 1936 with a one-day showing of Jack Oakie in “Florida Special” along with a special performance by Carlos Molina and his 22-piece broadcasting orchestra and three acts of vaudeville. It was unclear if any short subjects were added on opening.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, both the Perry Theatre and the Corral Drive-In were operated by Jack Mertz, who was associated with Pioneer Theatres Corporation in Webster City, Iowa. Mertz moved to Perry in May 1959 where he took over as manager of the Corral Drive-In from George O'Brien who was transferred by the organization to Atlantic. Mertz purchased the Perry Theatre on March 1, 1964 from the Fields Brothers of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Field Brothers were also the ones who built the nearby Corral Drive-In in 1949.

In 1977, the Perry Theatre was renamed Perry Cinema, and along comes Fridley Theatres who took over the Perry Cinema the following year in 1978. Fridley briefly closed the Perry Cinema in 1979 due to poor turnouts.

The Perry Cinema was twinned on August 13, 1982, reopening that day with “Annie” at Screen 1 and the original “Star Wars” at Screen 2 after extensive remodeling. The remodeling also caused the theater’s capacity of seats to downgrade. As a single-screener it had 700 seats, but after it was twinned it was downgraded to 400 seats (with 200 seats in each auditorium). Dolby sound was also installed during twinning. Nevadan George Snakenberg was one of those who helped remodel the theater, as he was the one who painted the seats in both auditoriums.

The Perry Cinema closed in May 1989 following major renovation, leaving the Corral Drive-In the only movie house in Perry for a time, but unfortunately the Corral Drive-In was on its last legs of operation. After the Corral Drive-In closed for the final time after the 1989 season, Perry was left without a movie house throughout the remainder of 1989 and the first quarter of 1990.

After a 10-month renovation job with a third screen being added, the theater reopened back as a triplex with its original Grand Theatre name on March 2, 1990. The Grand officially became the only movie house in Perry after the closure of the Corral.

Now known as the “Grand Theatres 3”, Fridley operated the Grand until July 31, 2008 when the theater was sold to the BigTime Cinemas.

An NRHP document about Iowa theaters says that the Grand Opera House at Perry was built in 1903, and was designed by a Chicago architect listed only as Col. E. Young. I’ve been unable to find anything else about him on the Internet.

The finding aid for the Liebenberg & Kaplan papers at the University of Minnesota has several references to theater projects the firm undertook in Perry, Iowa, including an entry specifically naming the Perry Theatre, dated 1935-36. That was probably when the ground floor facade was modernized.

As some of the entries have no theater name attached, Liebenberg & Kaplan might have worked on the other indoor theater in Perry as well. As it turns out the other theater was indeed called the Foxy, at least for a while, the former Rex Theatre having been renamed about 1927.

There is also one entry for a Perry Outdoor Theatre in Perry, dated 1947, so the firm must also have drawn the plans for the drive-in that once operated there. Drive-ins.com says it was called the Corral Drive-In.