Lyda Theatre

The Lyda Theatre was a silent-era movie house in downtown Grand Island. It was launched by S.A. Hayman on October 7, 1910 with 300 seats. Harry E. Schiller took on the Lyda Theatre equipping it for sound under the name of the New Grand Theatre. The New Grand Theatre was expanded to 340 seats opening Christmas Day 1931 with Will Rogers as “Young As You Feel”.

The theatre was a success to the point that Schiller decided to put more than $50,000 into a renovation - more than some small town theatres cost to build from scratch for a New Grand Theatre. That included a new Carrier Air Conditioner, a streamlined front, and new projection.

As Schiller prepared the theatre for a Christmas 1936 relaunch as the New Grand Theatre, fire on December 8, 1936 destroyed the theatre. A new plan was drawn up with work starting almost immediately. On May 7, 1937, the new 1,000-seat New Grand Theatre launched with “A Star is Born.” That theatre has its own Cinema Treasures listing.

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