Aqua Theatre
205 Front Street,
Minocqua,
WI
54548
205 Front Street,
Minocqua,
WI
54548
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Delft Theaters Inc.
Functions: Restaurant
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Isle Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Isle Theatre was opened on June 7, 1927 with Wallace Beery in “Casey at the Bat”. It was rebuily in August 1937 as the Streamline Moderne style Aqua Theatre. It was still operating in 1943. Later in the 1940’s it was damaged in a fire.
Repairs were carried out and it was still open showing films in 1970, but had closed by 1971 or 1972. It was vacant for a while, and by 1973 it was converted into a pizza restaurant.
Contributed by
David Zornig
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Per Fred Fritz Hennig regarding the fire: “I was there in the audience when it started. The Movie featured 19-year-old Jane Russell in a loose peasant dress. The Movie, Howard Hughes' ‘The Outlaw,’ was made in the early ‘40s but not released until years later – a long story. It was said that Jane was so hot that when she bent over Jesse, giving the audience an ample down blouse look, it set the movie on fire. Actually, the movie was printed on old film stock which was highly flammable. The projectionist was in a hurry to change reels, dropped a hot carbon arc rod on a roll of the old film, and up it went! Lots of fire and nasty smelling smoke. There were weird flame patterns in the auditorium until the projection room window shields automatically dropped down. No one was hurt and the audience didn’t panic, the men perhaps savoring the last pleasurable scene on the screen.”
Address is 205 Front Street.
Building currently houses Alexander’s Pizza, and the marquee overhang is still in use but covered with signage.
Was possibly called Isle Theatre in 1928, owned by Raymond Quady in 1930. Ticket image added.
Still In Operation Since 1970.
Has been a pizza restaurant since 1973. Vacant prior to then.
So the Aqua was closed sometime in either 1971 or 1972. This was first known as the Isle Theatre sometime as early as 1927.
Merrill Amusement opened the Isle Theatre on June 7, 1927 with “Casey at the Bat” starring Wallace Beery. Raymond E. Quandy took on the venue installing sound on May 16, 1930 staring with “Oh, Yeah” to remain viable. The new Aqua Theatre was a new-build, streamline moderne structure that took three months to build by operator Quandy. Nu-wood paneling and coats of plaster gave the venue its look in August of 1937.
The theatre closed at the end of its 20-year lease. But it reopened on April 16, 1960 under new operator Lucille Fowler and her small circuit of theaters for Fowler Enterprises Inc. She died on December 2, 1971 and the Aqua was soon closed.