Town Theatre

310 First Avenue,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 26, 2016 at 2:09 am

A couple of early mentions in The Billboard in October, 1908, call this house Delphi’s Electric Theatre, and report that it was “…doing good business with moving pictures and illustrated songs.” The manager was named I. P. Williams.

Here is a photo of the house from somewhat later, when it was called the Crystal Theatre.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on March 25, 2016 at 4:14 pm

Launched as the Rialto Theatre on August 18, 1923 with “The Midnight Cabaret” and “The Man Next Door”

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 2, 2015 at 5:51 pm

The 1927 FDY lists the Rialto Theatre as one of four houses in Cedar Rapids that were operated by Paramount-Publix affiliate A. H. Blank. The others were the Isis, the Palace, and the Strand.

Jakorns
Jakorns on February 25, 2009 at 10:48 pm

The lobby for the US Cellular Center arena stands about where the theater stood. It was across the street from the Iowa theater and the Columbia theater and next door to the Grand (Lyric) theater located in the Grand hotel building. Both the Grand and Columbia were short lived converted store front theaters. Interestingly enough, larger entertainment venues replaced all three theaters.

The Town and Grand were replaced by the arena and the Columbia by the Iowa theater building.