State Theatre
108 N. Grand Street,
Chariton,
IA
50049
108 N. Grand Street,
Chariton,
IA
50049
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I’ve gone ahead and added a picture of what was likely the Strand/State.
I am almost positive this was originally the Strand, and is located at 108 N Grand St. There is a theater under construction there on the 1913 Sanborn. The NRHP listing calls it the Grand, but I don’t see that name anywhere. The Strand is still listed in 1928, but seems to have closed in 1929.
The reason I believe it must have reopened is that there was a terrazzo entry, with a scar for an outdoor ticket booth. The style did not appear to match such an old building. The State is still listed as closed in 1947. I don’t think it lasted very long. It has been turned into office space.
When I was there in 2010, 108 was a State Farm office, which seems to be gone now. The agent saw me trying to get a shot of the terrazzo, which is partly covered by a cheap little plywood addition, and let me come upstairs, where the projection booth still existed. There were some Columbia Pictures mailing labels stuck to the wall. Sadly, my pictures did not come out. At that point, the front was under a hideous tacky shingle awning that disfigured that entire side of the square. It has now been removed, but it appears that the terrazzo was sadly destroyed by a sidewalk replacement project.