200 Main Street was the address of this Chester Theatre. The new theatre was built and launched in January of 1949. The Chester had a long run. Under new owners in 1981, it became the Chester Theatre and Video Store. It only showed films on weekends during much of its run as a video operation. It was renamed Chester Video in 1986 and appears to have dropped the showing of films. The auditorium was used as a church from that point forward. The Chester Video operation appears to have gone out of business in 2000 continuing as Chester Christian Fellowship Church until 2013.
The building got a major renovation to return to cinematic glory and return as a church, as well. The theatre re-opened as the Mt. Lassen Theatre (and Church) in 2018. Its website is:
https://mtlassentheatre.org/showtimes/
The first Chester Theatre was destroyed by fire on December 20, 1947. The Chester the second of three major theater fires in the ares in just a year along with the Greenville and Quincy theatres. That theatre, also on Main Street, dated back to the silent era in the 1920s.
The Plumas Theatre opened August 12, 1949 with the film, “We Were Strangers.” The theatre continues in operation until June 15, 1985 after a showing of “Witness.” A classified appears shortly thereafter seeking new owners to buy the Plumas for $69,000. In 1993, the theatre partially collapses and is torn down in 1996.
The Plumas Theatre replaced the town’s Greenville Theatre which burned down on March 6, 1949. That theatre was celebrating its eighth anniversary having launched March 6, 1941. Harry West had built that theatre in all cedar wood. The Greenville Theatre was the third major theater fire in just a year for the county along with the Chester and Quincy theatres.
The Greenville Theatre had replaced a the town’s previous Greenville Theatre that had operated under that name since at least 1926 in the town’s American Legion Hall. The original Greenville Theatre had converted to sound in September of 1930 after running as a silent film venue prior.
This second Portola Theatre launched with the film, “Holiday” on July 15, 1938. The venue replaced the original Portola Theatre which was created in November of 1919 by John Schill and Walter Cox likely on a 20-year lease. The theatre gets a refresh in 1958 likely starting a new 20-year lease. In July of 1978, new operators start a new lease under the new name of Portola Opera House. The Portola Opera House – still showing movies – burned down on September 27, 1980 ending its run.
The Town Hall Theatre opened on August 7, 1936 with the film, “Ah Wilderness.” The local paper credits S. Charles Lee with the architectural plans. The site was home to the city’s Town Hall and the original Quincy Theatre which were decimated by a fire August 28, 1934 starting at the Grand Central Hotel.
Quincy Theatre operator Paul R. Sprague rebuilt this second Quincy Theatre opening at 213 Main Street with rustic architecture on January 25, 1935 with Jimmy Stewart in “Here Comes the Navy.” It would be converted to the Log Cabin Theatre in 1947.
The original Quincy Theatre was located at 469 Main Street and appears to have opened in 1916. On April 8, 1931, it was equipped for sound showing the comedy, “Top Speed.” Its final film was “Friends of Mr. Sweeney” burning down while in operation on August 28, 1934 in a fire started at the nearby Grand Central Hotel. A new theatre would be constructed at the same spot with the Town Hall Theatre.
Sprague sold the Quincy Theatre in 1947 which closed for a refresh under new operators Vernon and Edwary Claeys. On June 8, 1947, the Quincy reopened with new sound and projetion; though retrofitted, the theatre retained its rustic look. The Claeys would change the name of the venue to the Log Cabin Theatre.
On November 16, 1947, the theatre suffered extensive damage after a fire. It was rebuilt to the plans of Cantin & Cantin. It relaunched on August 22, 1948. The Log Cabin Theatre closed in 1956 and reopened briefly one last time under new operators on March 30, 1958. After closing for good later in 1958, the Log Cabin was purchased by Safeway for a grocery store in 1962 and was demolished in April of 1963. The grocery building had survived in the the 21st Century with Safeway leaving that property in 1976.
Ed Barth had operated the Amuse-U and Yale Theatres in Carbondale before opening the much larger Barth Theatre on March 1, 1920 launching with “Soldiers of Fortune.” Gill & Faith Architects of Murphysboro drew the architectural plans. The theatre was updated becoming the Gem Theatre on September 6, 1934. On September 3, 1938, after yet another renovation, the theatre reopened as the Rodgers Theatre.
The theatre converted to widescreen to accommodate CinemaScope screenings in the 1950s. But business trailed off in the television era and business siphoned after the building of the Varsity Theatre which launched in 1956. The Rodgers turned to an art cinema in 1957 running until a fire on February 23, 1959 closed the theatre. The last film was “The Red and the Black.”
William Blair launched the Blair Theatre in March of 1950. It was built to replace the aging Del Rio Theatre which closed years later. In January of 1969, the theater became the Clover Theatre. On February 4, 2000, the theatre relaunched as a four-screen operation called the Clover Cinemas. The project was accomplished by building an addition adjoining the original structure.
Just a few more specifics on the timeline: The Mandan Theatre was launched by Frank Wetzstein in November 1936 as the Mandan Theatre with “Poor Little Rich Girl.”
Wetzstein sold the theatre in 1974 to Jerry Brekke. He converted it to the Showboat Cinema relaunching November 8, 1974 with “That’s Entertainment.” The color scheme was bathed in red. In December of 1976, it became the Showboat Twin Cinema I & II. The second cinema color scheme was blue and purple with blue shag carpeting on the wall. The venue closed on Christmas of 1986.
The Midcontinent Theatre Co. Circuit (aka MidCo) took on the Showboat and converted it into a discount sub-run operation called Academy Theatre beginning on June 12, 1987. That came to an end on September 12, 1993 with “Cliffhanger” and “Aladdin.”
It relaunched as the Mysteria Theatre in November of 2008 until 2011. It then rebranded as a live venue called Organized Noise Entertainment or O.N.E. in 2012 before reverting back to the Mysteria briefly in 2013 and 2014. It was converted as a restaurant and sports bar thereafter.
This location appears to have many names. Among them is the Scout Theatre which launched in 1918 likely as its second name. It then became the Idlehour Theatre on July 15, 1932 with “Fireman, Save My Child.” On December 10, 1932 it became the Allen Theatre launching with “That’s My Boy.” In April, “Gone With The Wind” played at the theatre. When the Delta Theatre opened on June 23, 1948, the Allen’s days were numbeed.Though the Allen’s last film appears to be a 1954 screening, regular theatrical operations appear to have ended in 1949. The building was sold in 1955 for other retail purposes.
Walter Christianson contracted with Pat McCarthy in 1949 for McCarthy’s 31st drive-in, the St. Mary Drive-In. It launched in January of 1950. Though church services continued on the site until the 1970s, movie bookings appear to stop in 1963.
Saenger Affiliated Theatre Circuit’s Elks Theatre partially burned on October 24, 1933. Saenger Affiliated then launched the Palace Theatre, likely in the same spot, on December 9, 1933.
Opened August 15, 1947 with “Miracle on 34th Street.” Its last films appear to be shown in 1972. Its seating, Super Simplex Projectors and all other contents were auctioned off March 13, 1981.
I’ve got this one. I left out on this key part of the Gem entry:
In 1936, the New Orleans Circuit that was headed by Joy Houck took on the former Evangeline calling it the Joy Theatre. On January 1, 1937, Houck bought out the Opera House and moved the Joy Theatre to the Opera House location. That became the “A” house and was called the Joy Theatre. In 1941, the local manager of the Joy bought the former Evangline/Joy renaming it the Gem Theatre running as a discount house.
Bruce Theatre will get an entirely new entry which I had already researched. It had a opened in the Valverde Hotel building which had been gutted by a fire decades earlier. It was bought out by the Joy Circuit and retired.
I also have the Opera House entry ready as well. It’s a bit confusing but well documented by the local paper.
Charles Schnell opened Harrisonville’s second silent theatre in June of 1916 in the former Sherpy Hardware store which had moved to the East Side of the town’s square. The theatre appears to have had an 60-plus year run with some sporadic closures along the way.
After Harrisonville’s first silent theatre had gone out of business in 1914, local merchants – liking the uptick in business caused by the theater – equipped the Wirt Opera House housing the Briles Theatre in 1914 for free films. The matinee show was designed to attract “country people” from rural neighboring areas who would shop in the town square. The evening show was for the town’s people. Word of 700 patrons attending some shows probably spurred Schnell to lease the former Sherpy Hardware Store in 1915 likely on a twenty-year lease establishing Harrisonville’s Schnell Theatre.
The building’s brick exterior was reinforced with steel and fire-proof booth with 628 seats. The gutting of the original structure allowed large double doors on the front and back to create cross ventilation with ten 60" ceiling fans. In 1922, Arthur T. Perkins took over the Schnell Theatre and the following year installed a $4,000 electronic orchestral organ. In 1928, Perkins installed Synchrophone technology moving the Schnell into the sound era.
In 1935, as the lease was likely coming to termination, Perkins updated the theatre with new signage, a new name and reduces count to 500 new seats in his Perkins Theatre likely on a new 20-year lease. The theatre became part of the Commonwealth Theatres Inc. circuit. A year later he sold the theatre taking an industry job. Lee T. Chamberlin was the manager of the Perkins.
Early in 1949, Commonwealth Circuit closed the theatre for remodeling. The refurbished venue reopened the theatre as the Lee Theatre in May of 1949 one would hope in memory of Commonwealth’s popular Harrisonville showman, Lee Chamberlin though more than likely not. The next year, the circuit added the Cass County Drive-In as another film option for the townspeople. Commonwealth closed the Lee but was reopened in 1956 undoubtedly on a new lease and under new ownership. The local theatre lasted into the video age but appears to have closed in 1988 for upgrades that backfired. The building was demolished.
The Acadia Theatre’s first film was “My Pal Trigger” when it opened on November 16, 1946. The architects were Diboll, Kessels & Associates in New Orleans. In October of 1953 it was converted to widescreen for CinemaScope feature presentations.
Regular films were discontinued in 1974. In 1975, it was used for weekly jamborees which proved unsuccessful. In 1976, the marquee popped and then it was converted for other purposes.
The Village Mall opened at 300 Main Street with 31 stores in May of 1974 as the key retail concept in East Rochester’s urban renewal. The Jerry Lewis Village Cinema opened in the Village Mall on May 22, 1974 with “Newman’s Law.” But the mall was a disaster quickly running into financial difficulties. In 1975, the mall owners declared bankruptcy which likely gave lease holders an opportunity to bail.
The Jerry Lewis Cinema left at the end of August of 1975 followed by the A&P Grocery Store in 1976 and Neisner’s in 1977 leaving the mall without traditional anchor stores. New mall owners came in during 1977 and gave the mall hope. The cinema opened as the rebranded Box 5 Cinema specializing in repertory and foreign film. It launched September 16, 1978 and had Gloria Swanson and Esther Ralston at the opening. It also tried a subscription concept to get regular patrons. But the Box 5 ended just months later on December 31, 1978 when the Box 5 – noting the half-empty mall – closed.
On February 9, 1979, the Waring Theater chain relaunched the venue as the Village Cinema as a sub-run dollar house. The opening of the Henrietta Mall in 1982 negatively impacted the Village Mall. The shopping center changed names to the Techniplex in December of 1982 to attract technology and service related lessees. The Techniplex retained the cinema which kept its original name and signage. The theatre closed on February 28, 1984 with “The Man Who Love Women” as the lease was terminated.
This location opened as B.F. Keith’s Theatre playing vaudeville on September 25, 1911. The venue mixed film content for periods of its operation but was primarily known for the Keith vaudeville shows. Shea Theatres Circuit took on the theatre. becoming the newest location for sound films in downtown Toledo, the Cameo Theatre on November 16, 1929.
The Cameo Theatre failed and closed in 1932. Under new operators, the theatre was rebranded on September 22, 1932 as the Granada Theatre with “Blessed Event.” The venue closed as the Granada and was later razed.
Based on little information, the Overland Theatre appears to have opened in 1913 at 840 West Central Avenue in Toledo by August Nex. It was named for the Overland car which was being manufactured less than a mile away at the Willys-Overland Motor Company factory. (John Willys had changed the name of the company from Willys to Willys-Overland in 1912 four years after purchasing the Overland Motor Company.)
The theater changed hands several times likely fulfilling a 20-year lease cycle closing in the early 1930s under its final operator listed as H. Marsh. The location became home to a long running radio and hi-fi store named Jamieson’s Hi-Fidelity. The building was demolished and its diminutive space became a used car lot. That parcel of land was sold for just $500 in 2008 according to Toledo property records.
Martin Smith and J. A. Beidler, the operators of East Side Amusements chain of neighborhood houses in Toledo, did what they claimed was a major renovation of the Hart theatre in 1927 reopening it as the rebranded Summit Theatre that year. It appears to not have made the conversion to sound and Smith and listings conclude during 1930.
The Loop Theatre was a new-build theatre replacing a previous retail structure which was razed. Jack O'Connell launched the Loop on October 21, 1938 according to trade publications. Virginia O'Connell took over the theatre upon Mr. O'Connell’s death in 1955 and ran it until its closure at the end of 1960. In an article, Mrs. O'Connell said that hoodlums had negatively impacted the theatre’s business in its latter years.
The Carmel Drive-In Theatre launched on June 23, 1950 with “Sitting Pretty.” The $75,000 facility had a 38' by 50' screen image on its 60' high tower. The Carmel had a playground and a miniature golf course to keep patrons entertained. It also hosted a weekend flea market during the daylight hours. The Carmel Drive-In closed on Halloween Night of 1982 in style with a triple feature of “Son of the Blob,” “Banana Monster” and “The Werewolf v. Vampire Woman.” The Carmel Church of Christ purchased the drive-in property for other purposes.
he Uptown Theatre launched on May 31, 1937 at 332-4 North Market Street in downtown Mount Carmel with “I Met Him in Paris.” It replaced Rogers' Cafe and Roberts' Barber Shop. In 1960, the Frisina Amusement Circuit bought the theatre. The Uptown was refurbished in 1976 in time for its 30th anniversary. It closed just after its fiftieth anniversary in August of 1987 as a dollar house but was reopened in 1988 and closed permanently in January of 1989. The theatre was demolished in January of 2000.
200 Main Street was the address of this Chester Theatre. The new theatre was built and launched in January of 1949. The Chester had a long run. Under new owners in 1981, it became the Chester Theatre and Video Store. It only showed films on weekends during much of its run as a video operation. It was renamed Chester Video in 1986 and appears to have dropped the showing of films. The auditorium was used as a church from that point forward. The Chester Video operation appears to have gone out of business in 2000 continuing as Chester Christian Fellowship Church until 2013.
The building got a major renovation to return to cinematic glory and return as a church, as well. The theatre re-opened as the Mt. Lassen Theatre (and Church) in 2018. Its website is:
https://mtlassentheatre.org/showtimes/
The first Chester Theatre was destroyed by fire on December 20, 1947. The Chester the second of three major theater fires in the ares in just a year along with the Greenville and Quincy theatres. That theatre, also on Main Street, dated back to the silent era in the 1920s.
The Plumas Theatre opened August 12, 1949 with the film, “We Were Strangers.” The theatre continues in operation until June 15, 1985 after a showing of “Witness.” A classified appears shortly thereafter seeking new owners to buy the Plumas for $69,000. In 1993, the theatre partially collapses and is torn down in 1996.
The Plumas Theatre replaced the town’s Greenville Theatre which burned down on March 6, 1949. That theatre was celebrating its eighth anniversary having launched March 6, 1941. Harry West had built that theatre in all cedar wood. The Greenville Theatre was the third major theater fire in just a year for the county along with the Chester and Quincy theatres.
The Greenville Theatre had replaced a the town’s previous Greenville Theatre that had operated under that name since at least 1926 in the town’s American Legion Hall. The original Greenville Theatre had converted to sound in September of 1930 after running as a silent film venue prior.
This second Portola Theatre launched with the film, “Holiday” on July 15, 1938. The venue replaced the original Portola Theatre which was created in November of 1919 by John Schill and Walter Cox likely on a 20-year lease. The theatre gets a refresh in 1958 likely starting a new 20-year lease. In July of 1978, new operators start a new lease under the new name of Portola Opera House. The Portola Opera House – still showing movies – burned down on September 27, 1980 ending its run.
The Town Hall Theatre opened on August 7, 1936 with the film, “Ah Wilderness.” The local paper credits S. Charles Lee with the architectural plans. The site was home to the city’s Town Hall and the original Quincy Theatre which were decimated by a fire August 28, 1934 starting at the Grand Central Hotel.
Quincy Theatre operator Paul R. Sprague rebuilt this second Quincy Theatre opening at 213 Main Street with rustic architecture on January 25, 1935 with Jimmy Stewart in “Here Comes the Navy.” It would be converted to the Log Cabin Theatre in 1947.
The original Quincy Theatre was located at 469 Main Street and appears to have opened in 1916. On April 8, 1931, it was equipped for sound showing the comedy, “Top Speed.” Its final film was “Friends of Mr. Sweeney” burning down while in operation on August 28, 1934 in a fire started at the nearby Grand Central Hotel. A new theatre would be constructed at the same spot with the Town Hall Theatre.
Sprague sold the Quincy Theatre in 1947 which closed for a refresh under new operators Vernon and Edwary Claeys. On June 8, 1947, the Quincy reopened with new sound and projetion; though retrofitted, the theatre retained its rustic look. The Claeys would change the name of the venue to the Log Cabin Theatre.
On November 16, 1947, the theatre suffered extensive damage after a fire. It was rebuilt to the plans of Cantin & Cantin. It relaunched on August 22, 1948. The Log Cabin Theatre closed in 1956 and reopened briefly one last time under new operators on March 30, 1958. After closing for good later in 1958, the Log Cabin was purchased by Safeway for a grocery store in 1962 and was demolished in April of 1963. The grocery building had survived in the the 21st Century with Safeway leaving that property in 1976.
Ed Barth had operated the Amuse-U and Yale Theatres in Carbondale before opening the much larger Barth Theatre on March 1, 1920 launching with “Soldiers of Fortune.” Gill & Faith Architects of Murphysboro drew the architectural plans. The theatre was updated becoming the Gem Theatre on September 6, 1934. On September 3, 1938, after yet another renovation, the theatre reopened as the Rodgers Theatre.
The theatre converted to widescreen to accommodate CinemaScope screenings in the 1950s. But business trailed off in the television era and business siphoned after the building of the Varsity Theatre which launched in 1956. The Rodgers turned to an art cinema in 1957 running until a fire on February 23, 1959 closed the theatre. The last film was “The Red and the Black.”
William Blair launched the Blair Theatre in March of 1950. It was built to replace the aging Del Rio Theatre which closed years later. In January of 1969, the theater became the Clover Theatre. On February 4, 2000, the theatre relaunched as a four-screen operation called the Clover Cinemas. The project was accomplished by building an addition adjoining the original structure.
Just a few more specifics on the timeline: The Mandan Theatre was launched by Frank Wetzstein in November 1936 as the Mandan Theatre with “Poor Little Rich Girl.”
Wetzstein sold the theatre in 1974 to Jerry Brekke. He converted it to the Showboat Cinema relaunching November 8, 1974 with “That’s Entertainment.” The color scheme was bathed in red. In December of 1976, it became the Showboat Twin Cinema I & II. The second cinema color scheme was blue and purple with blue shag carpeting on the wall. The venue closed on Christmas of 1986.
The Midcontinent Theatre Co. Circuit (aka MidCo) took on the Showboat and converted it into a discount sub-run operation called Academy Theatre beginning on June 12, 1987. That came to an end on September 12, 1993 with “Cliffhanger” and “Aladdin.”
It relaunched as the Mysteria Theatre in November of 2008 until 2011. It then rebranded as a live venue called Organized Noise Entertainment or O.N.E. in 2012 before reverting back to the Mysteria briefly in 2013 and 2014. It was converted as a restaurant and sports bar thereafter.
Grand opening was November 17, 1916. It operated with the neighboring confectionery, the Palace of Sweets. It was demolished in March of 1978.
This location appears to have many names. Among them is the Scout Theatre which launched in 1918 likely as its second name. It then became the Idlehour Theatre on July 15, 1932 with “Fireman, Save My Child.” On December 10, 1932 it became the Allen Theatre launching with “That’s My Boy.” In April, “Gone With The Wind” played at the theatre. When the Delta Theatre opened on June 23, 1948, the Allen’s days were numbeed.Though the Allen’s last film appears to be a 1954 screening, regular theatrical operations appear to have ended in 1949. The building was sold in 1955 for other retail purposes.
Walter Christianson contracted with Pat McCarthy in 1949 for McCarthy’s 31st drive-in, the St. Mary Drive-In. It launched in January of 1950. Though church services continued on the site until the 1970s, movie bookings appear to stop in 1963.
Saenger Affiliated Theatre Circuit’s Elks Theatre partially burned on October 24, 1933. Saenger Affiliated then launched the Palace Theatre, likely in the same spot, on December 9, 1933.
Opened August 15, 1947 with “Miracle on 34th Street.” Its last films appear to be shown in 1972. Its seating, Super Simplex Projectors and all other contents were auctioned off March 13, 1981.
I’ve got this one. I left out on this key part of the Gem entry:
In 1936, the New Orleans Circuit that was headed by Joy Houck took on the former Evangeline calling it the Joy Theatre. On January 1, 1937, Houck bought out the Opera House and moved the Joy Theatre to the Opera House location. That became the “A” house and was called the Joy Theatre. In 1941, the local manager of the Joy bought the former Evangline/Joy renaming it the Gem Theatre running as a discount house.
Bruce Theatre will get an entirely new entry which I had already researched. It had a opened in the Valverde Hotel building which had been gutted by a fire decades earlier. It was bought out by the Joy Circuit and retired.
I also have the Opera House entry ready as well. It’s a bit confusing but well documented by the local paper.
Frank’s Theatre was in Abbeville.
Charles Schnell opened Harrisonville’s second silent theatre in June of 1916 in the former Sherpy Hardware store which had moved to the East Side of the town’s square. The theatre appears to have had an 60-plus year run with some sporadic closures along the way.
After Harrisonville’s first silent theatre had gone out of business in 1914, local merchants – liking the uptick in business caused by the theater – equipped the Wirt Opera House housing the Briles Theatre in 1914 for free films. The matinee show was designed to attract “country people” from rural neighboring areas who would shop in the town square. The evening show was for the town’s people. Word of 700 patrons attending some shows probably spurred Schnell to lease the former Sherpy Hardware Store in 1915 likely on a twenty-year lease establishing Harrisonville’s Schnell Theatre.
The building’s brick exterior was reinforced with steel and fire-proof booth with 628 seats. The gutting of the original structure allowed large double doors on the front and back to create cross ventilation with ten 60" ceiling fans. In 1922, Arthur T. Perkins took over the Schnell Theatre and the following year installed a $4,000 electronic orchestral organ. In 1928, Perkins installed Synchrophone technology moving the Schnell into the sound era.
In 1935, as the lease was likely coming to termination, Perkins updated the theatre with new signage, a new name and reduces count to 500 new seats in his Perkins Theatre likely on a new 20-year lease. The theatre became part of the Commonwealth Theatres Inc. circuit. A year later he sold the theatre taking an industry job. Lee T. Chamberlin was the manager of the Perkins.
Early in 1949, Commonwealth Circuit closed the theatre for remodeling. The refurbished venue reopened the theatre as the Lee Theatre in May of 1949 one would hope in memory of Commonwealth’s popular Harrisonville showman, Lee Chamberlin though more than likely not. The next year, the circuit added the Cass County Drive-In as another film option for the townspeople. Commonwealth closed the Lee but was reopened in 1956 undoubtedly on a new lease and under new ownership. The local theatre lasted into the video age but appears to have closed in 1988 for upgrades that backfired. The building was demolished.
The Acadia Theatre’s first film was “My Pal Trigger” when it opened on November 16, 1946. The architects were Diboll, Kessels & Associates in New Orleans. In October of 1953 it was converted to widescreen for CinemaScope feature presentations.
Regular films were discontinued in 1974. In 1975, it was used for weekly jamborees which proved unsuccessful. In 1976, the marquee popped and then it was converted for other purposes.
Renamed due to the mall name change: Cinemark 15 Music City Mall
The Village Mall opened at 300 Main Street with 31 stores in May of 1974 as the key retail concept in East Rochester’s urban renewal. The Jerry Lewis Village Cinema opened in the Village Mall on May 22, 1974 with “Newman’s Law.” But the mall was a disaster quickly running into financial difficulties. In 1975, the mall owners declared bankruptcy which likely gave lease holders an opportunity to bail.
The Jerry Lewis Cinema left at the end of August of 1975 followed by the A&P Grocery Store in 1976 and Neisner’s in 1977 leaving the mall without traditional anchor stores. New mall owners came in during 1977 and gave the mall hope. The cinema opened as the rebranded Box 5 Cinema specializing in repertory and foreign film. It launched September 16, 1978 and had Gloria Swanson and Esther Ralston at the opening. It also tried a subscription concept to get regular patrons. But the Box 5 ended just months later on December 31, 1978 when the Box 5 – noting the half-empty mall – closed.
On February 9, 1979, the Waring Theater chain relaunched the venue as the Village Cinema as a sub-run dollar house. The opening of the Henrietta Mall in 1982 negatively impacted the Village Mall. The shopping center changed names to the Techniplex in December of 1982 to attract technology and service related lessees. The Techniplex retained the cinema which kept its original name and signage. The theatre closed on February 28, 1984 with “The Man Who Love Women” as the lease was terminated.
This location opened as B.F. Keith’s Theatre playing vaudeville on September 25, 1911. The venue mixed film content for periods of its operation but was primarily known for the Keith vaudeville shows. Shea Theatres Circuit took on the theatre. becoming the newest location for sound films in downtown Toledo, the Cameo Theatre on November 16, 1929.
The Cameo Theatre failed and closed in 1932. Under new operators, the theatre was rebranded on September 22, 1932 as the Granada Theatre with “Blessed Event.” The venue closed as the Granada and was later razed.
Grand opening ad for B.F Keith’s Theatre on September 25, 1911 in downtown Toledo
Based on little information, the Overland Theatre appears to have opened in 1913 at 840 West Central Avenue in Toledo by August Nex. It was named for the Overland car which was being manufactured less than a mile away at the Willys-Overland Motor Company factory. (John Willys had changed the name of the company from Willys to Willys-Overland in 1912 four years after purchasing the Overland Motor Company.)
The theater changed hands several times likely fulfilling a 20-year lease cycle closing in the early 1930s under its final operator listed as H. Marsh. The location became home to a long running radio and hi-fi store named Jamieson’s Hi-Fidelity. The building was demolished and its diminutive space became a used car lot. That parcel of land was sold for just $500 in 2008 according to Toledo property records.
Martin Smith and J. A. Beidler, the operators of East Side Amusements chain of neighborhood houses in Toledo, did what they claimed was a major renovation of the Hart theatre in 1927 reopening it as the rebranded Summit Theatre that year. It appears to not have made the conversion to sound and Smith and listings conclude during 1930.
The Loop Theatre was a new-build theatre replacing a previous retail structure which was razed. Jack O'Connell launched the Loop on October 21, 1938 according to trade publications. Virginia O'Connell took over the theatre upon Mr. O'Connell’s death in 1955 and ran it until its closure at the end of 1960. In an article, Mrs. O'Connell said that hoodlums had negatively impacted the theatre’s business in its latter years.
The Carmel Drive-In Theatre launched on June 23, 1950 with “Sitting Pretty.” The $75,000 facility had a 38' by 50' screen image on its 60' high tower. The Carmel had a playground and a miniature golf course to keep patrons entertained. It also hosted a weekend flea market during the daylight hours. The Carmel Drive-In closed on Halloween Night of 1982 in style with a triple feature of “Son of the Blob,” “Banana Monster” and “The Werewolf v. Vampire Woman.” The Carmel Church of Christ purchased the drive-in property for other purposes.
he Uptown Theatre launched on May 31, 1937 at 332-4 North Market Street in downtown Mount Carmel with “I Met Him in Paris.” It replaced Rogers' Cafe and Roberts' Barber Shop. In 1960, the Frisina Amusement Circuit bought the theatre. The Uptown was refurbished in 1976 in time for its 30th anniversary. It closed just after its fiftieth anniversary in August of 1987 as a dollar house but was reopened in 1988 and closed permanently in January of 1989. The theatre was demolished in January of 2000.