Scenic Theatre

This theatre was opened sometime between 1907 and 1913, by J. E. Benton. It was located in what was known as the Dougherty building, a two story brick commercial building originally constructed sometime before 1886 as part of a small three storefront commercial block. This section had been nearly doubled in depth by 1891, and Edward Dougherty ran his furniture store here until he was killed on the night of April 2, 1904 attempting to battle a large blaze on the south side of the square. The furniture store remained open until at least 1907.

This theatre was closed when Benton moved his operation to the Comet Theatre, just to the north. It’s unclear exactly when that took place, but this building had reverted to retail by 1922, with a small restaurant located at the rear. Some reference is made to Benton reopening this theatre after he was forced to vacate the Comet Theatre sometime around 1923. With two far superior larger theatres, including the King Theatre just a few doors down, this was probably short-lived if it happened at all.

The building today is fairly well preserved, although the ground floor has been butchered, and large modern windows installed. The main portion had been an optometrist’s, which has recently closed, but the rear is still occupied by a tattoo parlor and a bakery.

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