Grand Theatre

dallasmovietheaters on November 25, 2024 at 2:12 pm

The Park Theatre was the place to see live events in late 19th Century Henderson. Elliot D. Robbins architecture was opulent and would be welcomed in a town likely ten times larger in size. The Park was opened within the new-build Pythian Building on November 16, 1894 and was spectacular. Eighteen months later, it was all over as the Pythian Building housing the Park burned down on July 20, 1896. Also destroyed was the Barrett House hotel though with all 40 guests escaping uninjured.

The City and local folks rebuilt the venue but it took a while. The J.E. English Theatre was built in its place (1-5 North Main Street) opening in August of 1904. In 1905, it was renamed as the Park Theatre. It became the prominent live venue space.

Meanwhile, the unrelated Grand Crystal Theatre opened in the Stanley Building at 222 North Main on September 5, 1908 operating to 1909 as a movie house. On March 21, 1910, the unrelated Grand Theatre launched with “The Ranchman’s Wife,” “The Generous Way,” and “Santa Claus and the Miner’s Son” supported by two songs. They are included here because the “Grand” name would be invoked at the 1-5 Main Street location.

Meanwhile, back at the Park Theatre, things had worked relatively well until the end of the venue’s ten-year lease. Park Manager H.L. Hunt changed the name of the venue from the Park to the Grand Opera House on October 22, 1914 to differentiate it from the growing number of movie houses in Henderson. That name lasted until June of 1916. By 1916, movies were becoming far more profitable and efficient especially in smaller towns like Henderson. At that time, the theatre received a new interior transitioning it from a live house to a more versatile movie house playing films from Triangle, Paramount, Fox and others while retaining a stage for vaudeville and plays as needed. The mix became much more film-centric as the years passed and the venue was renamed as the Grand Theatre.

The Henderson Theatre Company took on the venue and first played talkies there on March 8, 1929 using Vitaphone showing “Alias, Jimmy Valentine.” On November 1, 1929, the local circuit switched to Western Electric, sound on film technology. It is assumed that the Vitaphone system was passed down to the Kentucky which inaugurated its sound service just ten days later with Vitaphone.

On April 12, 1931, Warner Brothers took over both the Kentucky and the Grand theaters locally. They closed the Grand permanently with “Broadway Bad” on March 8, 1933 and then a fire completely destroyed the building along with the Ford Auto Dealer across the street in the morning hours.