Manchester Theatre
4247 Manchester Avenue,
St. Louis,
MO
63110
4247 Manchester Avenue,
St. Louis,
MO
63110
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Arthur Enterprises Inc., St. Louis Amusement Co.
Architects: E. Price Porter
Nearby Theaters
The Manchester Theatre opened on January 2, 1922 as part of the St. Louis Amusement chain. It seated 792. Built in a small shopping area on Manchester Avenue just west of Vandeventer, this one of the better neighborhood houses. The entrance was on Manchester Avenue but the theatre itself was on the street just north. The two streets came to a point at Vandeventer.
When you entered the theatre you were in a lobby that had the concession stand and the walls were lined with poster cases of coming attractions both at the Manchester Theatre and what was showing and coming to the Maplewood Theatre. From there you went into another lobby behind the auditorium itself. There were thress aisles that led into the auditorium. The auditorium walls were covered with a damask material with scone lights about every ten feet. The Manchester Theatre had a small stage with curtains that were on a traverse that were opened at the beginning of each show.
When the area around the theatre started to decline, the theatre went to weekend only operations and continued with this program until April 1964 when it closed. It was demolished in 1969.
Contributed by
Chuck Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Manchester opened January 2, 1922 as part of the St. Louis Amusement Company chain.
Architect was E. P. Porter.
We will open our Outdoor Community Market at that location this Saturday June 5th 2004. www.forestparksoutheast.org/market
I have a orginal seat my neighbor reconized as being from the theater. She said it was her favorite place to go, and she remembers smooching in chair like the one I found. I am having it redone for display, maybe in the Mangrove which was just featured on Show Me St Louis.
I am looking for any information, history, pictures etc about the old theater.
We are planning to show a movie outside on the lot where the theater once stood durning national Night Out.
Manchester Theatre closed in April 1964.
1937 photo added credit Missouri Historical Society. The Route 66 Association of Missouri believed it was in Maplewood, but can find no record of that. So it must be the correct one.
David, you are correct. This was not the Maplewood, which was located just outside the city limits in Maplewood, Mo. This theater was in the city close to the area that is now considered “The Grove”.