Lake Theatre

If the link holds, this page of Boxoffice, June 21, 1941, shows two photos of the Lake Theatre. The facade was plain brick above the marquee. The streamlined ground floor front looks like it was done in Vitrolite or one of the other glass tiles popular around that time. The building was much narrower than the theater in the photo we’re currently seeing at the top of our page, as can also be seen by the Boxoffice photo of the Lake’s auditorium. I don’t know the location of the Lake Theatre in the photo robboehm uploaded, but it wasn’t the Lake in Canandaigua.

The bank annex Estey_Struble_Theatrical mentioned as being on the site of the Lake Theatre has the address 60-70 above its door, so the theater’s address was probably about 64. The bank’s main office next door to the south is at 72 S. Main and the Renaissance Goodie II Shoppe next door to the north is at 56 S. Main. The theater should be listed as demolished, of course.

I visited this town a few summers ago and was disappointed to learn that the Lake is no longer in this quaint lake village.

I have the plans for the remodeling of the Lake Theatre for the Schine Corp. Dated 8/7/1939. With Revisions shown dated 12/7/1939. Michael J. DeAngelis, Architect, 1600 Broadway, NYC, local office Temple Building, Rochester NY. The Lake Theatre building was owned by Mr. & Mrs. J.J. Soppe and Schine was the lessee according to the plans. The building was converted to a men’s clothing store after the theatre closed. The clothing store was Montesano’s and then became Dick Anthony Limited. Canandaigua National Bank was looking to expand the bank in the 1980’s and already owned the Lake building. They helped the clothing store to move to another location on lower Main Street and then demolished the Lake building and built a 3 story building matching the original 3 story building on the site in 1880. The buildings remain the main office for the bank. As a youngster in the 1960’s I remember my mother taking me there to shop and I remember all the art deco details in the store, the floor was leveled but all the interior of the theatre that was above the raised floor was visible. The entry was remodeled to add store windows. We acquired the plans when we cleaned out the Schine (then Country-Wide) Playhouse Theatre and found them in an office just before demolition by the same bank in the 1970’s.

If anyone knows…post what is at the former theatre main street location now. Thanks.

Thanks again for this Boxoffice article with photos! Another theatre that should be with us!

The Lake had a fairly brief life as a theater. A 1949 anti-trust decree required the Schine circuit to divest a number of its theaters, and the Lake went to an independent operator in February, 1952. Schine retained control of its “A” house in Canandaigua, the Playhouse. The independent operator did not make a success of the Lake. The July 24, 1954, issue of Boxoffice reported that the theater was being converted for business use.

I know a Schine theatre expert who should be able to give us more information on this theatre. She is also a CT member.