DeLuxe Theatre

The Mecca Theater which opened on June 20, 1914 with John Barrymore in “An American Citizen” was located in an 1891-built, converted retail building. The Majestic Billiards Hall and Saloon was one of the long-running tenants. But was converted by local operators Harry E. Oppenheimer, E.C. Forrest, and Charles Q. Carlisle to a theater. It had a radium gold fibre screen to present silent films.

The Mecca Theater Company then took on the Annex Theater in 1915, and the Dreamland Theatre for George H. Marr in February of 1916. Its big move was the following year when the Hippodrome project stalled becoming the 1,000 seat Palace Theatre vaudeville house. The Palace Theatre didn’t find its audience and Mecca Theater Co. took over the venue as the Mecca-Palace Theatre on July 19, 1917 with the original Mecca Theatre closing. Mecca would sell of its film interest about ten years later.

Unit of Theaters, Inc. utilized architectural plans of Clarence Leroy Cowles and George Mustcheller of Cowles and Mutscheller to create a streamlined talking picture house here in the 1930’s. After two preview days, the DeLuxe Theater launched on May 27, 1934 with Robert Armstrong in “Above the Clouds” supported by a newsreel and a comedy short. Children got free candy and women got free flowers. Albert E. Zuehike took over the theater.

The DeLuxe Theater was damaged by fired on February 19, 1937. It closed in 1940 sitting idle during the War. In 1946, the 50-year old building was converted for retail purposes.

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