Walnut Theatre
303 Antique City Drive,
Walnut,
IA
51577
303 Antique City Drive,
Walnut,
IA
51577
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Additional Info
Functions: Fraternal Hall
Previous Names: Happy Hour Theatre, New Dreamland Theatre, Pep Theatre, Strand Theatre
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This small theatre appears on the 1914 Sanborn, in a small one story brick building that replaced a small wooden pool room from the 1909 map. It had opened in 1913 as the 300-seat Happy Hour Theatre.
This was one of two theatres, but likely closed after a short time, as only one theatre is listed in the 1914-15 American Motion Picture Directory, and none are listed in the 1926 Yearbook of Motion Pictures. By 1932 it had been renamed Walnut Theatre, by 1935 the New Dreamland Theatre, in 1936 the Pep Theatre and in 1937 the Strand Theatre. It suffered a major fire on July 22, 1940.
It was rebuilt with 250-seats and reopened on January 10, 1941 as the Walnut Theatre once again. It was closed on May 1, 1954.
The building has been given an ugly plywood front, and serves as the Amvets post.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The historical address would have been on Central.
A history of this house and the rival theater in the old Opera house building is told on this Rootsweb page, though I think it might have at least one inaccuracy (see my longer comment on the page for the other theater, which was longest known as the Lyric.) The house at 303 Central was opened in 1913 as the Happy Hour Theatre, and continued operating off and on under that name until 1929 or 1930. By 1932 it was known as the Walnut Theatre, then became the New Dreamland Theatre in 1935. In 1936 it became the Pep Theatre, and in 1937 The Strand Theatre. During this long period it was listed in the FDY with 300 seats.
The Strand suffered a major fire on July 22, 1940 and was rebuilt, but with only 250 seats, and reopened on January 10, 1941 as the Walnut Theatre, its final name. After struggling a bit in the late 1940s and early 1950s, it closed permanently on May 1, 1954. The building was soon purchased and remodeled by Amvets, who have occupied it since.
Thanks for the history! It’s so odd that this dinky thing survived longer than the much larger opera house.
The Happy Hour’s first ad was September 19, 1913 with “Two Souls with but a Single Thought,” “Buck Richard’s Bride,” and “John Manley’s Awakening.” J.W. Andersen purchased the venue effective May 1, 1925 changing its name to the Lyric Theatre on May 8, 1925 with “The Cyclone Rider” supported by “Scenario School.”
At the end of the silent period, Royal Duke and Roy Pruitt took on the venue installing sound, a new front, a newly decorated interior. They reopened it as the Ritz Theatre on March 1, 1930 with “Peacock Alley.” It appears to have closed on April 4, 1931.
It reopened November 13, 1931 as the Walnut Theatre with"Freighters of Destiny. “ Under new operator Ray Gould, it reopened as the New Dreamland Theatre on July 7, 1935 with "Going to Town” and “Main Street Follies” supported by a Paramount Newsreel. On July 5, 1938, Gould fatally shot himself and the theater looked for new operator.
Henry Thiessen took it on as the Dreamland in late August of 1936. He held a naming contest calling the venue the ????? Theatre from September 20 to October 21, 1936. Entries had to be five letters or fewer. Mayor Fred Fell announced that L.D. Wayne won the prize with “Pep” which it assumed November 1, 1936 with “Walking on Air.”
The Pep was sold to E.E. Griffin on June 2, 1927. He reopened it on June 6, 1937 as the Pep but changing a week later back to the Walnut Theatre. There are too many operators going forward with lots of opening and closings including G.V. Fleming - the second operator in 1953 to open and close - closing with “The Jazz Singer” on July 22, 1953. That appears to be it. however, Fleming tried to reopen it in 1954 with the local retailers in a new operation that didn’t get off the ground.