Paris Theatre
Afton,
IA
50830
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Map
Additional Info
Previous Names: Aftonia Theatre, Community Theatre
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
The 300-seat Aftonia Theatre was opened prior to 1933. Closed in 1934, by 1935 it had reopened as the Community Theatre, but had closed again by 1936 and was still listed as (Closed) in 1937. It had reopened by 1941 as the Paris Theatre and was closed on December 18, 1961.
Contributed by
Anthony L. Vazquez-Hernandez
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
This is pretty vague, and there’s no certainty that these were all the same place. There was a theater on the 1913 map, which is still there on the 1932 version. I’ve made a separate listing for it. The Community name appears in the 1928 listings with 200 seats.
I don’t know if the theater in this item from Motion Picture Herald of October 3, 1931 was an entirely new house or simply new to Mr. Wellemeyer. “B. A. WELLEMEYER has named his new theatre in Afton, Iowa, the Aftonia.”
Much later news from Afton is found in this item from Boxoffice January 22, 1962: “Closes Afton, Iowa, Paris
“AFTON, IOWA — After operating the Paris Theatre for nearly 17 years, L. J. Kessler has closed the theatre and sold the building to an oil company. The final screen program at the Paris was shown December 18, the equipment then being dismantled and removed from the building.”
I think this may have been the just recently demolished building on N Webster St. Still on streetview in 2021. It had some character, but I did not bother with it. Does have a lot of windows on the side for a theater, but those could have been added.