Star Theatre

Frank Lesley built the Stayton Electric Theatre opening it in downtown Stayton on May 1, 1912 with a film and vaudeville acts including the Schaller Brothers juggling act from Salem. The $600 retrofitted building could not hold the crowds and in 1916, the renamed Star Theatre moved into the Trotter Building which had a pronounced archway entrance.

The Star Theatre would gravitate to sound and would replace the archway entry with a modern box office. In 1937, new operator Lawrence Sparker, who published the local newspaper, installed air conditioning that same year. In 1946, Spraker and business partner, Marcel Van Driesche, decided to build a new Star Cinema next door to the existing building. However, the Civilian Production Administration turned down the request to build the theatre.

By the time the project was approved and built, Spraker had retired. Construction of the new Star Theatre began in 1948 and continued into early-1949. The original Star Theatre was closed April 2, 1949 with the new Star Theatre opening next door on April 5th. The old Star Theatre was torn down within a year and replaced by a bank. The bank moved with City Hall taken its spot and then the local Police Department which was still the Star Cinema’s neighbor into the 21st Century.

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