Unique Theatre
512 Chestnut Street,
Atlantic,
IA
50022
512 Chestnut Street,
Atlantic,
IA
50022
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F.B. Mytinger Amusement Company opened the Unique Theatre with movies and vaudeville on May 17, 1909 with The Great Kinsers as the live act from the Sullivan Considene Vaudeville Circuit. A great value at 10 cents (5 cents for kids). The Unique lost its distinction closing first in 1916.
It reopened on January 5, 1917 under new operator Frank Thurman with Universal Studios films beginning with “A Gentleman of Nerve.” It closed on May 13, 1917 with a four-wall presentation of “The Inside of the White Slave Traffic” with Social Purity evangelist, the Reverend R.W. Jamison, lecturing. Within weeks, the seats and other elements shopped to the theatre in Menlo, Iowa.
Here is an item from the May 6, 1916 issue ofMoving Picture World: “Atlantic, Ia.— Will Frost, proprietor of the Unique theater, has taken over the Garden theater from Chris Geannacopoulos and will operate both houses, at least for a while. The only change is that the programs have been switched.”
Shown on the Dec. 1913 map, while the Nov. 1908 map has a dry goods store here. This was closed by April 1923, as the map shows a store here. The building was constructed between 1883 and 1888. For some reason, I did not take a picture of this one.