Wausau Theatre

dallasmovietheaters on October 9, 2018 at 7:15 am

The Stuart Theatre launched January 1, 1920 with 1,197 seats and a Bartola pipe organ to entertain the crowds. Roy Cummings Entertainment Circuit’s French-themed theater was a crowd pleaser. But when the Saxe Circuit bought the venue in 1926, they hired architects Openhamer and Opal to do a major renovation of the theatre.

Relaunching as the Wausau Theatre, the movie “Sparrows” was the opening feature on September 4, 1926 and was the film’s first showing after its premiere at Grauman’s Egyptian theatre in Hollywood. Audiences were said to approve of the Golden Voiced Barton Theatre Organ.

Under Fox operation in 1929, the theatre switched to Western Electric sound technology to show talkies. After the second twenty year lease was up, Fox walked away from the location and it closing with “From the Terrace” on July 28, 1960. The theatre became the new home of the relocated F.W. Woolworth five and dime variety store.

Keith La Vake refurbished the former Hollywood Theatre location and reused the Wausau Theatre moniker in its new location beginning on August 31, 1960 in its grand opening with “Bambi.”

Joe Vogel on June 15, 2014 at 10:14 am

326-330 N. 3rd Street is now occupied by a postmodern building housing a residential condominium called The Palladian, built in 2007-2008. The first Wausau Theatre has been demolished.