Webster Theatre
Hadley Street and Clinton Street,
St. Louis,
MO
63106
Hadley Street and Clinton Street,
St. Louis,
MO
63106
1 person
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Webster Theatre & Airdome
Nearby Theaters
The Webster Theatre opened on December 16, 1909 as a small neighborhood house seating 696. It was an independent theatre. Located on the corner of Hadley Street and Clinton Street across from the park and right next door to the Webster Elementary School. The theatre was loacted in a near north side neighborhood of Italian and Irish families. From 1918 to 1948 it had an Airdome which operated during summer months.
Just a short distance from downtown St. Louis made it easy for the neighborhood to walk to the big palaces downtown or the attend their neighborhood Webster Theatre. The Webster Theatre was a mainstay of the neighborhood until the early-1950’s when television came along, it started weekend only operations and later closed for good on June 8, 1952 with Clark Gable in “Lone Star” & Penny Singleton in “Blondie has Servant Trouble”.
The theatre became a church, and then stood empty with the doors torn away and holes in the side walls. It was demolished in the mid-1960’s.
Contributed by
Charles Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The Webster was not demolished in 1959. The building was still there in 1964 the year I moved from St. Louis. After it closed it was used as a church and the concession stand became a local teen hangout known as Sheets. The Webster also had an airdome and the screen was blown down by high winds around 1960.
To offer verifiable information:
Theatre opened in December 1915; theatre closed in June 1952.
Capacity listed as 935 seats.
The correct address: 1227 Hadley Street.
Opening date has been further narrowed down to Christmas week, 1915.
Needs to be listed as demolished.
The Webster Theater opened on December 16, 1909 with motion pictures. The Webster has the City of St. Louis record for second longest operation with both hardtop and outdoor airdome theater trailing only the Powhatan / Powhattan Theatre and Airdome. The ventilation challenged Webster Theatre used its Airdome in the summer months. It is documented from 1918 to 1948. The Webster closes for the summer on June 8, 1952 with “Lone Star” and “Blondie Has Servant Trouble.” It did not operate its Airdome or reopen.