Pearl Theatre
522 N. Main Street,
Newton,
KS
67114
522 N. Main Street,
Newton,
KS
67114
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This theater was operating by 1914-15, when it is listed in the AMPD. It was located in a deep but narrow two story brick building constructed sometime after 1909, replacing two tiny wooden offices. The city says the building was constructed in 1914, but the 1911 city directory apparently lists a power company at this address, so it’s possible it was not built as a theater.
This theater may later have been known as the Strand Theatre, which appears in the 1926 Yearbook with 250 seats. In any case, it closed many years ago, and after retail and office use, it is now part of a church.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
There is a mention of the Pearl Theatre in the October 6, 1917 Moving Picture World: “Newton, Kan.—The Pearl theater has been purchased by H. E. Herbert, former owner of the Royal theater at Newton. He is one of the pioneer moving picture men of the town.”
Mr. Herbert was also the subject of this item from the March 20, 1913 issue of MPW: “NEIGHBORLY PICTURE MAN
‘Mr. H. E. Herbert, Newton, Kan., has for several months been looking forward to opening his show in his new building about the first of March. But because Mr. Herbert has a great deal of 'the milk of human kindness,’ and other kinds of unselfishness and fellow-feeling in his nature, he will not get into it until April 1. The explanation is well known to his friends in Newton, Kan., and is the kind of story that is a pleasure to circulate. Mr. Herbert’s theater building was being erected by a contractor who was also working at the same time on a new store building for a hardware merchant. The hardware man’s store was burned and he was left without a suitable place in which to do business. Mr. Herbert immediately instructed the contractor to expend all his time and energies on the merchant’s store and let his go temporarily."
I haven’t been able to determine which theater Mr. Herbert had under construction in 1913. He owned the Royal for a time, but that wasn’t built until 1914 or 1915, so the 1913 project had to be some other house.