Lyric Theatre
217 W. Water Street,
Decorah,
IA
52101
217 W. Water Street,
Decorah,
IA
52101
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The Lyric Theatre was opened on September 7, 1914. Playing in CinemaScope on January 6 1955 was the action packed "River Of No Return". The Lyric Theatre had a Guest book for patrons to sign;something I had never heard about before. Once they signed the guest register, the next week, folks would see their names listed below the movie advertisements for that coming week. The Lyric Theatre was closed on December 11, 1971 with Alan Alda in “Paper Lion”.
Contributed by
MikeRogers
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
Thanks Chuck1231.
Decorah is the home of Luther College, I bet lots of college students used to go to the Lyric.
Sure could use an address, more info and photos.
Ellen Larsen opened the Lyric Theatre on September 7, 1914 in the Mrs. Iver Larsen building in downtown Decorah. Bathed in ivory and olive, the venue sold out its first motion picture show. The theatre added sound to remain viable. In the 1960s, it rotated bookings seasonally with the local drive-in. The Lyric closed permanently following the December 11, 1971 showing of Alan Alda in “Paper Lion.” The new Viking Theatre opened the next day with “West Side Story.”
Building is not demolished, but it has been disfigured with a nasty ‘modern’ slipcover, which seems to have been added before the theater closed. It’s now the location of a boutique. The building was constructed in 1898 as a dry goods store, but was vacant by early 1914. The original facade featured gorgeous multicolored brickwork with bold patterns, and a central oriel. Architects were Orff and Guillbert of Minneapolis.