Grandview Theatre

The Grand / Grandview Theatre was a short-lived attempt to have a modern movie theatre. But two fires in a three year period tarnished the venue. It was also housed in a poorly designed, retrofitted retail building which made it less desirable once the second fire struck. However, it was an important venue in that it was the first which treated sound and acoustics as an important part of film exhibition.

The town’s first full-time theatre was housed in the venue originally called Bullock’s Opera House at its launch in May of 1898. After being known as Opera House and the Milan Opera House, Hugh M. Harmon took over the venue in 1913 renaming it was Harmon Theatre. It was a success running from 1913 to 1930.

But the Harmon’s conversion to sound on November 24, 1929 was not a success as the venue was not a good match for the sound equipment. It soldiered on as the Harmon Theatre until closing on April 10, 1930 with Mae Clark in “Nix on Dames. (it has its own page on Cinema Treasures)”

This new venue was identified and built with sound in mind to improve on the acoustic reproduction of the films. The Grand Theatre launched on May 25, 1930 just after the closing of the Harmon Theatre with Will Rogers in the sound film, “They Had to See Paris.” In October of its first year of operation, it was damaged by fire though it did reopen. While it was being repaired, the Miller Theatre had opened in the former Opera House/Harmon Theatre.

The Grand Theatre changed names to the Grandview Theatre on January 22, 1931. The Miller Theatre, meanwhile, burned down on April 24, 1931 ending its run. The Grandview Theatre was damaged by another fire and closed for repairs in 1933. But this time, it didn’t reopen. The theatre was ostensibly replaced by the Karyl Theatre on the East side of the Square on May 2, 1933. This was also the end of two-theatre operation in Milan. The building was later razed.

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