Empire Theatre
Dove Creek,
CO
81324
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The Empire Theatre was opened July 1940 with 156-seats. It was destroyed in a fire on August 5, 1944. It was rebuilt by January 1947. Listed in the Film Daily Yearbook of 1950 as seating 200. It was closed around December 1976.
Contributed by
Anthony L. Vazquez-Hernandez
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The San Juan Record (Monticello UT), Dec. 16, 1954: “Mr. and Mrs. Bill Walton, owners of the Empire Theatre, announced this week, the sale of the business to Neil Bolt of Dove Creek. The change will be effective Jan. 1. The Walton(s) of Monticello purchased the theatre three years ago from Noel Sitton. They have made a lot of friends in Dove Creek and wish to express their thanks for the fine patronage. Bolt’s sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. O. S. Roush of Albuquerque, N. M., will be in charge of the theatre.”
Now that you got me started, here’s a history of the Empire, as seen by the San Juan Record.
Noel Sitton, who ran a service station in Monticello UT, opened the Empire in July 1940. It seated 156.
On Aug. 5, 1944, a fire that started in the film room destroyed the Empire a and its “fine building erected nearly two years ago by Noel W. Sitton.” Not sure whether he built in 1942-43, or the newspaper got the dates wrong. Thanks to Sitton’s calm instructions for patrons to leave, no one was injured. The Empire reopened in temporary quarters on Sept. 16.
By January 1947, there were references to the Empire Theatre building, so Sitton must have rebuilt.
Another fire caused by “the careless use of a cigarette in the film room” broke out on June 9, 1945. Sitton and two others were injured while subduing the flames.
The Dec. 16, 1954 note posted above showed that Sitton sold the Empire to the Waltons in 1951, and they sold it to Neil Bolt.
The Empire advertised in the Record from 1964 to April 1967. In the Feb. 13, 1969 issue of the San Juan Record, Neil and Nettie Bolt advertised that they were reopening. “The Empire Theatre in Dove Creek will again offer you the best in entertainment starting February 20” It continued advertising sporadically for years; the last I could find was Dec. 23, 1976.