Voncastle Theatre
23 E. Washington Street,
Greencastle,
IN
46135
23 E. Washington Street,
Greencastle,
IN
46135
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Not sure why this is listed as art deco, unless the auditorium had been redone during the ‘30s. This beautiful stone-fronted set of stores was the Bayne Block, built sometime before 1887. There were originally 5 storefronts, and it looks like the theater took up two of these, the old 21, which was a wider space, and 23, keeping that address. Too bad some short-sighted fools thought a bare patch of asphalt was a better look for downtown.
This one operated from June 15, 1925 to May 20, 1973.
To answer Chuck1231’s question, I looked in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac under “Vonderschmitt Amusement Enterprises”, whose headquarters was in the Indiana Th. in Bloomington. It lists 2 theaters in Greencastle, the Strand and the Variety. But none named the “Voncastle”.
The Voncastle was a great theatre run by Mr and Mrs Dodds. She ran it for years after he died. I remember the matinees in the summer where they would have prize giveaways for the kids. I won a puppy there once from the local pet shop.
The las movie I saw at the Von Castle was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This theatre was great! I wish i could find a pic of at least the sign!!
aaron birt
Another art deco theatre “torn down in the early Seventies to make way for a bank parking lot”. Urban renewal or redevelopment? I have a friend who grew up in Greencastle so I wonder if she has memories of the Von Castle Theatre? My hometown art deco theatre was torn down in the early Nineties to make way for a park!