DeKalb Theatre

Joe Vogel on June 30, 2016 at 9:19 pm

The July 13, 1935, issue of Motion Picture Herald had this item:

“Colonel Thomas E. Orr, operator of several houses in northern Alabama, opened a new one at Fort Payne, Ala., known as the DeKalb.”

Joe Vogel on September 19, 2009 at 11:06 pm

The increased seating capacity in 1950 over 1941 was probably the result of a rebuilding that took place in 1950. The January 7 issue of Boxoffice said that the DeKalb was being “torn down” to make way for a new theater that was expected to open within four months. The project apparently took longer than expected, as Harry Hart’s column in the August 26 issue of Boxoffice reported that the DeKalb was expected to open about August 31.

From the various photos linked above I suspect that the building was not torn down, and that the new theater was probably built within the existing walls. That classic facade looks like it would date from the 1920s or earlier, though in parts of the south old styles lingered long after they were discarded in most other places, so maybe it really was rebuilt to look like that in 1950. Harry Hart’s column said the rebuilt DeKalb would have a porcelain front, but that must refer to the panels on the ground floor. The upper part of the building appears to be faced in terracotta.

WHITEFIELD on July 10, 2007 at 10:47 pm

Here is a photo.
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