Theatre

Joe Vogel on October 23, 2024 at 3:20 am

I’ve re-read the NRHP registration form for the IOOF Opera House/Onawa Theater, and it mentions a connection with the Majestic in October, 1912. The two houses were coordinating their schedules so people could attend both of them. The form’s first mention of the Royal is in the period from 1907-1909. It notes that Onawa’s first regular movie house, the Scenic, opened on Iowa Avenue in late 1907, and the Royal opened later.

The Royal is mentioned again in 1917, when by August, it was under the same management as the Opera house. As there is no evidence that the Royal and Majestic operated at the same time, it’s possible that they were the same theater under different names, though so far there’s no evidence of that either. But if there is only one movie theater on the 1913 Sanborn, that could be a hint that the Royal and Majestic were the same house.

Joe Vogel on October 22, 2024 at 7:37 am

The Majestic, on Iowa Avenue, was the only theater listed at Onawa in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.