Lucille Theatre
E. Vermont Street,
King City,
MO
64463
E. Vermont Street,
King City,
MO
64463
No one has favorited this theater yet
Showing 3 comments
The projection booth was once devastated by a fire for only a few seconds on December 14, 1944, caused by the projector where a brittle piece of film which was caught in one of the 2 machines and ignited from the heat of the lense. This happened during an intermission, but it didn’t close at all due to the fire being easily extinguished very quickly by Thomas P. Abbott, the projectionist for the Lucille Theatre. The fire destroyed a film, and damaged the 2 projectors, but seemed to work afterward.
I’ve uploaded a picture of the building at 108 E Vermont. I’m pretty confident that it was the Lucille. The lot is empty on the 1911 map, which matches a 1912 construction.
The September 1911 Sanborn, which is unfortunately the latest available, does not show a theater. The NRHP listing for the opera house says the Lucille was built in 1912. Two suggestions for possible locations: 121 (corner), which is listed as dry goods on the map. It is much deeper than it appears on the map, suggesting a conversion. It also appears to have poster cases on the front, although they may be covered windows. The building is now apartments. Another possibility is the yellow brick building in the middle of the block on the other side of the street. It is likewise quite deep, and has an odd recessed entry on one side. That building is a business.