Strand Theatre
236 Main Street,
Hobart,
IN
46342
236 Main Street,
Hobart,
IN
46342
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Colonial Theatre, Gem Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Colonial Theatre was opened prior to 1913. By 1915 it had been renamed Gem Theatre. Strand Theatre. By 1930 it was operating as the Strand Theatre. It seated 420 and closed in 1953. The site is now a restasurant.
Contributed by
Chris1982
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
This theater was around for quite a while before being renamed the Strand, and had operated as the Colonial Theatre and the Gem Theatre. This is from the entry (#57) for 236 Main Street on a 1979 list of historic buildings in downtown Hobart compiled by the Hobart Historical Society:
Ed Prusieckis built the Art Theatre in 1941. The 1979 list can be found here at Scribd. Here is a photo of the Gem Theatre taken in 1916.The vintage photo of the Gem looks like it was a one story building. But Cagney’s Saloon is at the 236 Main St. address and it is a two story building.
The photo just doesn’t extend high enough to show the second floor. The sliver of doorway seen at the left is the entrance to the upstairs.
The earliest mention of the Gem I’ve found so far is from the October 2, 1915, issue of The Moving Picture World:
The March 11, 1916, issue of the same publication has an article about the Gem and its operator, H. T. Coons. So far I haven’t found any items about the house when it was called the Colonial.Here’s another one: The Moving Picture World, June 2, 1917. In the classified ads: FOR SALE: Gem Theatre, Hobart, Indiana; modern; vaudeville, pictures, 382 seats; two motor Simplex machines, transverter, orchestrion; making money.