Unique Theatre
206 High Avenue W,
Oskaloosa,
IA
52577
206 High Avenue W,
Oskaloosa,
IA
52577
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One of a profusion of short-lived early theatres in Oskaloosa, this theatre had opened by January 1910. It was located in a narrow two story brick storefront which may have dated to before 1885, but was likely replaced or extensively remodeled sometime between 1896 and 1902, when the map shows a grocery here.
The building was extended to the rear for conversion to a theatre. This was not a success, and the 1917 map shows a barber here.
The building survived into the early-1980’s as a photo shop. It (along with the Rivola Theatre right next door) was one of dozens of structures on 10-12 blocks of downtown replaced by an awful little mall surrounded by a wasteland of surface parking.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
Nothing about the Unique, but an item in the April 6, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World pertains to the profusion of theaters in Oskaloosa. It says that there were then five movie theaters operating in the city of 10,000. Managers of four houses had formed a combine with the purpose of buying the lease on the fifth house and closing it permanently, but the County Attorney had implied that if they attempted to carry out this plan he could prosecute them under Iowa’s rather strict laws forbidding combines to restrain trade in any way. Hefty fines of $500 to $5,000 and/or up to a year in prison were the prescribed punishments. I’ve found no follow-up articles about the plan, so I suspect the managers had wise second thoughts and gave it up.
Fascinating stuff!