Missouri Theatre
626 N. Grand Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63103
626 N. Grand Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63103
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 33 comments
1944 photo added courtesy of Donald Oswald‎.
The site prefers the terms vertical or upright in the description when you submit a new theater, but I doubt if there is a moderator who is going to go through all the comments on the site and give demerits to anyone who has used the term blade in them.
This is the first I’ve ever heard of “blade” as being frowned upon, in my 12 years on CT.
Do you have any examples of discussions where this is the case? Blade has pretty much been the standard design name for that type of sign both on & off CT for decades. If you Google “Blade Sign Cinema Treasures”, the term comes up in many comments within theatres listed on CT. Welcome to CT by the way. Since it appears you’ve just recently joined last September.
Usage of “blade” is frowned on here. The preferred word for such signs is “vertical,” though “upright” would also be acceptable.
Missouri Theatre blade in the background. 1954 photo added to the Photos Section courtesy of the Vintage St. Louis Facebook page.
The De Rosa in the firm of De Rosa & Pereira was Eugene De Rosa of New York City. It’s very likely that his partner was Percival Pereira. The October, 1919, issue of The Bridgemen’s Magazine had this item:
Percival Pereira’s middle name was Raymond. He had worked in Thomas Lamb’s office until 1915. At that time, according to this thumbnail biography from Historic Detroit, he became an associate of Detroit architect C. Howard Crane, who had opened a New York branch office. It’s not clear how long Pereira was associated with Crane, but Pereira did design projects in Detroit in the 1920s. De Rosa & Pereira were listed in the 1921 Year Book of the New York Society of Architects with offices at 110 W. 40th Street.The building which housed the Missouri Theatre is set to be redeveloped as a hotel and luxury apartment complex.
That is correct. The attraction was a Grand Ole Opry show with Roy Acoff, Kitty Wells, Johnnie and Jack, Pop and his Jug Band, Smoky Mountain Boys, Tennessee Mountain Boys, and “Extra Added: Sensational New Star” Elvis Presley. Two shows the nights of the 21st and 22nd, three on the 23rd. Admission: 75-cents in advance; $1.00 at the door. Kids 25-cents.
I recently read that Elvis Presley performed at the Missouri Theater Oct 21 – 23 1955. He was touring with the Roy Acuff jamboree. Anyone know anything about this?
The first console of the Missouri died in a fire due to a careless smoker. The 2nd console along with a new expanded unification relay took it’s place and made the organ noteworthy. In 1954 the console was purchased by Harvey Heck and made it part of the Graumann’s Egyptian Theatre Wurlitzer that he owned. In 1972 it became part of Bill Brown’s Wurlitzer in the first “Organ Stop Pizza”. In 1987 the restaraunt closed , organ removed and was sold to Jim and Sherrie Krughoff in Downers Grove, IL and Dave Junchen restored it and it is now part of the Krughoff Residence Wurlitzer since Aug. 5, 1989 when it was formally dedicated.
jgrebe
For future reference, please note that “The Front Row, Missouri’s Grand Theares” by Miss Bagley, has numorous errors and has interior photos of theatres that are incorrect!!!
I would appreciate anyone who could send me a photo of the now demolished Missouri Theatre that was located on Grand Ave., in St. Louis, MO. One of my Ancestors, Adeline Rotty was one of the original Missouri Rockets. After she graduated from Harris Teachers College she won a scholarship to study in New York City. She was most noted for training and bringing to New York six dancers from St. Louis, MO., known as the Missouri Rockets, who were the forerunners of the famous Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall. Her routine of the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” is still done today. She was also the choreographer for the Marx Brother’s show, “Animal Crackers”. She lived to be 100 and died on March 10, 1997, in Wilbraham, Mass. My e-mail address is
There is a pic in Mary Bagley’s ,‘The Front Row: Missouri’s Grand Theatres"
jJames Grebe,
I have been asked to get involved with a sign and marquee restoration at the Missouri Theater. The new sign must match the design and theme of the original sign and marquee.
Can someone help me find good photos of this?
There is onhe shot of the stage area with the piano in it in Mary Bagley’s book, “Missouri’s Grand Theatres
Interior shots are available on postcards which, on occasion, can be found on eBay.
Does anyone have interior shots of the Missouri Theatre, St. Louis?
In the midtown Grand Center area were the Fox, Princess, New Grand Central, Misourri, Empress, St. Louis and the Vicoria all with 6 blocks of each other. Some were and some did double duty,
James Grebe
How many movie palaces were there on Grand on St. Louis' “Great White Way” during its hayday and what were their names?
I recall as a kid that Loews Midtown joined the group when the American Theater traded places with the Loews (Orpheum?) in Downtown St. Louis, probably in the late Fifties. The American has now become the Roberts Orpheum but remains a house for stage productions and concerts not movies. Were all the Grand Avenue houses originally built for vaudeville and motion pictures??
Thanks!
ELK
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Old postcard:
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The Wurlitzer TO in the Missouri was installed in 3/27/21 and was a model 285 Wurlitzer (4m/32r). Due to its success, the organ was enlarged on 1/15/27. This was the biggest Wurli in town till the Fox. When the theatre closed not enough time and money left to pull everything out before demolition and instead the blower of the organ was left in the basement, covered with a tarp and the theatre was torn down over it. It must be still below the pavement in the parking lot. The Baldwin piano that was on the stage was a model H Baldwin (6') and was orginally white. When the theatre closed the piano was purchased by Merkel Piano Co. The white was stripped and underneatth was grey primer. It was covered with cigarette burn and mars. There is a pic in Mary Bagleys book of the piano on stage. The piano now sits in a condimineum in Chesterfield owner is a private party.
JamesGrebe
The 36 and 37-rank organs in the Paramount (the first of the instruments) and 4 later Fox theatres were designated by the factory only as “Specials”. They were not officially Fox Specials, although that name has passed into generic use, and the misnomer “Crawford Special” has always been totally without basis and incorrect. The professionals in the business know the only actual Crawford-specified organ to have been the Publix #1 of 20 ranks. Accurate history would thank us all to not use the designation “Crawford Special” incorrectly.
The organ model that is at the Fox has always been called the
“Crawford Special”, although Crawford himself may have had nothing to do with its design. If you had read the information you used from that web site, you would realize this. Also if you had ever read the book about the St. Louis Fox, it also calls the Fox’s Wurlitzer a “Crawford Special”. If you had done YOUR research you would have realized that this name comes from the fact that the first of the model was located at the Paramount Theater in New York where Crawford played, and the “Crawford Special” name was applied to the 4 other organs of that type.
If you are correct, then what are the sources of information can you quote? I think that I will stick to the information given in the sources I quoted.
Also, seeing the “correct” information you gave about the Saint Louis Fox Theater’s WurliTzer, saying it is a “Crawford Special,” is totally incorrect, cast a shadow of doubt on the reliability of information you give. Then there’s your description of Baltimore’s lamented Stanley Theater as another example. Please do some research first so that we can all learn from correcf information.