Liberty Theatre

3450 Guthrie Street,
East Chicago, IN 46312

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Denverpalace
Denverpalace on July 17, 2024 at 9:27 pm

Alex Manta opened the Liberty Theatre in 1910. One of the first movie houses in East Chicago, it was located in a building owned by Lazar W. Saric, prominent East Chicago real estate developer. After the Liberty Theatre closed, the space was occupied by a grocery store, then by the Indiana Harbor post office. On March 22, 1924, the Central Theatre debuted in the same spot. It was short-lived - by November 26, 1924, “For Rent” signs were displayed in the windows. In January 1925 the building was being remodeled to accommodate a department store.

Manta went on to manage other theaters in East Chicago and Whiting, IN. He opened the Indiana Theatre in Indiana Harbor, was district manager for Warner Brothers theaters, then helped run Indiana-Illinois Theaters, Inc., and the Manta & Rose theater circuit.