Strand Theatre

153 E. Main Street,
Lexington, KY 40508

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Schine Circuit Inc.

Architects: Alfred Joseph, Oscar Joseph

Firms: Joseph & Joseph

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News About This Theater

Strand Theatre

The Strand Theatre opened on October 12, 1915 with Edith Storey in “Island of Regeneration”. It was operated by the Phoenix Amusement Company. It was designed by the firm of Joseph & Joseph. By 1941, it was operated by the Schine Circuit Inc.

The 1,356-seat Strand Theatre was heavily remodeled on June 28, 1956 when it was equipped with Todd A-O projection. The Strand Theatre closed in 1974 and has been demolished to build an office building.

Contributed by Bryan

Recent comments (view all 7 comments)

Coate
Coate on March 22, 2010 at 9:45 pm

<<< The 1600-seat Strand was heavily remodeled in 1956 when it was equipped with Todd A-O projection. >>>

The remodel and installation of Todd-AO was in 1958.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on October 22, 2010 at 5:46 am

The Strand Theatre is at center about half a block away in this 1939 photograph.

The Strand can also be seen in this earlier photo from about 1920, a composite panorama showing a long stretch of the block it was on. The Strand Theatre was located at 153 Main Street.

speechcoach
speechcoach on May 30, 2011 at 9:38 am

The photo has the location of the Strand Theatre in the wrong location. I spent many Saturdays going to movies at the Kentucky Theatre, The Ben Ali Theatre and The Strand Theatre. The Ben Ali and The Strand were in the same block. Both theatres were on East Main Street, not West Main Street. The only theatre on West Main was The Ada Meade, which was torn down in the 1940’s.

speechcoach
speechcoach on May 30, 2011 at 9:46 am

When the theatre was being demolished, beautiful murals were discovered and photographed. They were from the time the theatre first opened. Two of the stone lions that adorned the facade of the theatre are now in the lobby of the building built on the site as is a history of the theatre. The new building is called the Lion Building and is located at 153 East Main Street. Photographs of the exterior can be found at the University of Kentucky Special Collections.

MSC77
MSC77 on September 28, 2023 at 4:41 pm

This venue’s 70mm presentations history is included in the recently-published article “70mm Presentations in Lexington: A Chronology of 70mm Large Format Exhibition, 1959-Present”.

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