Cypress Village Theatre
11129 St. Charles Rock Road,
St. Ann,
MO
63074
11129 St. Charles Rock Road,
St. Ann,
MO
63074
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox Midwest Theatres, Wehrenberg Theatres
Firms: Martin Bloom & Associates
Previous Names: Cypress Village Twin
Nearby Theaters
The Cypress Village Theatre opened April 2, 1969 seating 1,102 as a single screen under the Fox Midwest Banner. The Cypress Village Theatre was the sister to the Mark Twain Theatre on South Lindbergh Boulevard. A red brick building with the entrance hidden by one of the retail building in the shopping plaza. The theatre was located directly across the Rock Road from the North West Plaza Mall.
The interior was not nearly as plush as its sister the Mark Twain but a beautiful house just the same. The lobby had a large starburst chandelier against the ceiling with large crystals running along the starburst. The walls were done in a patterned damask material with a burnt orange and brown tone. The carpeting was in the same colors but had the Fox emblem in it. The concession area was a large center in the middle of the lobby. The box office was set up so that it could be utilized as either an outside or inside facility with the manager’s office directly behind it.
The large auditorium was set up on a sloped floor so that there were no bad site lines from any seat. The wall draperies werer the same color as the walls in the lobby and the seats matched. The seats were thick and had the rocker back style.
The Cypress Theatre was twinned in 1978 and when Fox Midwest Theatres pulled out of the St. Louis market it was operated a short time by GSS and then Wehrenberg. The theatre closed in 1986 when the entire plaza was torn down for a new strip mall and super-market.
Contributed by
Charles Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
Cerjda, I think I know who you are (John?)? I was one of the projectionists at the Cypress in the late 70’s. One comment about the “twinning” of this theatre. It was not exactly a 50/50 twinning, more like a 67/33 split. Smart move actually. The larger theatre had the standard two projector setup and the small had a three tier platter. I remember that when attendance in the large theatre’s flick started to fall off, the film was transferred to the small side, which started to sell out then.
It was a very attractive theatre, clean, excellent projection and sound equipment, and good management. Overall one of the best houses I worked in St. Louis.
I took a job at Mann’s Cypress Village in May 1982, a week before Poltergeist and two weeks before E.T. opened. It was a crazy summer of constant sell-outs. E.T. played in the larger cinema which held 600+ while Poltergeist was playing in the smaller cinema (memory is that it held somewhere between 250 and 300).
I was there when the cinema transitioned from Mann to Wehrenberg (I’m pretty positive there was no GSS ownership in between). Once the massive success of the Spielberg movies died down there was a series of not-so-successful movies that I recall that screened at Cypress Village including Swamp Thing, Savannah Smiles, Murder by Phone, Diner, Zapped! and Blood-Sucking Freaks, before 48 Hours opened in the winter to good crowds (though nothing like the success of the previous summer).
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The strip mall that replaced the theatre includes a Wal-Mart, Aarons (a rent-to-own appliance store) and a bunch of other stores.
Hello to everyone that remembers this theatre. National General built some nice theatres, except they didn’t understand the market and they were obsolete upon opening. Ted Mann started building multiplexes as soon as he took over the company, but efforts to save theatres like this one were always doomed. This was a beautiful theatre with many fond memories, especially the people we were lucky enough to work with and get to know. I met my children’s mother working there.
Gelsomina – I worked there that same summer when we had ET & Poltergeist. Who are you, I’m Michael Z., remember Tim Pemberton, Sandy Turner, Angie Rolph, …
Jalex = You DO know me then…. Rather Curious Alan??? Need to figure out how to find or contact members….. Now I’m curious. LOL
Favorite movie memory here was seeing “Black Sunday” in 1977. Great film! One of St. Louis' most impressive 1970’s-era cinemas!
April 2nd, 1969 grand opening ad in photo section.
The Cypress Village Twin closed permanently on January 29, 1987 with “Lady and the Tramp”. and “The Color of Money.”