The Colonial Theatre opened in 1900. It was refurbished slightly with another grand re-opening in 1909. As the Esquire Theatre, it closed September 25, 1960 with “Ocean’s 11”. A salvage sale was conducted two months later with the theatre razed in 1961.
The local paper reports that Elmer Keeler of Howard C. Crane drew the plans for the 1939-era Gladmer Theatre. The original Buck’s Opera House (May 1873) / Baird’s Opera House (1990) / Gladmer Theatre (1910) ended its run in March of 1939 with “St. Louis Blues.”
Following a salvage sale, the theatre was ripped out in May of 1939 – minus perhaps two walls – and replaced by the new Gladmer Theatre. That theatre opened October 12, 1939 with “Cafe Society” for the Butterfield Circuit. It ended after a 20-year lease lapsed on March 25, 1979 with “The Bermuda Triangle.” The theatre was offered for sale in 1979 remaining empty until finally sold in 1984 which led to its razing.
The theatre was torched on February 20, 1973 ending its theatrical run just as local special interest groups were calling for the adult theatre’s ouster from the city at any cost.
The theatre was largely an African American theatre though became segregated in 1959. Its continuous film run was interrupted in the early 1960s becoming the Lakeside Baptist Church in the 1963 before returning for an ill-fated cinematic run at decade’s end. It finished its run as the Ritz Cinema with Blaxploitation double features in the 1970s. Appears to have closed after the operator was murdered on November 1, 1974.
Saenger Bros. launched the Queen Theatre in the Simon Building on June 7, 1912. The silent-era theatre used promotions such as “$10 to anyone who can find a cooler auditorium” than the Queen’s. But it didn’t work and the Queen was abdicated in favor of a grocery store. The final showing was “The Woman with Four Faces” on October 31, 1923.
After Y&W dropped the theatre, Christina Burnett of the Fountain Theatre relaunched the Idaho converting to widesreen in 1955. The Idaho closed after a July 6, 1958 showing of “Witness of the Prosecution” and “The Dalton Gals.” The space was converted the next month to the long-running Club Idaho closing in 1978 and followed by the Recess Club and Jubilation in the 1980s.
The DeKalb County Historical Society fills in some blanks here. The Waldo Opera House was built in 1908. The Opera House / Waldo Theatre was on the upper floor with Beaty Grocery on the main floor. The address would be 101-5 South 4th Street at Cedar. High school graduations took place there from 1909-1930. Long after its usefulness, the building collapsed in the 1990s and its remnants removed.
The Cook Opera House opened on January 14, 1892 with “Pinafore” live. In addition to opera and live stage plays, circuses and mostly vaudeville entertained locals. By 1909, the building was already considered passé and the offerings were moved to the nearby Temple Theatre. But the Opera House’s days were far from over.
On October 12, 1912, the Cook Opera House landed the Keith Vaudeville Circuit and changed its name to the Family Theatre likely with a 25-year lease. Under the leadership of the Fenyvessy Bros., the Family Theatre attracted top live acts.
By the early 1920s, films were a part of the vaudeville presentation at the Family. By the end of 1924, the Family Theatre had converted to full time film presentation. The Family would convert to sound. But by that time, the theatre was badly dated and appears ceased operations in 1932 ending Fas a ten cent sub-run theatre. As the lease lapsed in 1937, the Fenyvessy Bros. moved on and E.M. Loew of Boston was the next operator.
Reinforcing the building with steel and refurbishing took place, the Embassy Theatre launched on January 9, 1937 as a second-run house with “Earthworm Tractors” and “Rose Marie.” The theatre founds its audience with burlesque which ran there until 1952. A farewell performance with Rose la Rose occurred in 1952 and the Embassy appears to have closed despite promises to reopen.
The theatre was slated for demolition in 1959 but that was halted due to issues regarding the neighboring business. A small fire led to exterior changes to the theatre in 1962. A project called Canaltown looked to refurbish the theatre in 1973. But in the money raising period, the theatre was decimated by a May 17, 1974 fire ending the building’s tenure downtown.
The Dixie Theatre launched in 1928. The theatre converted to sound in 1930 and was taken over by the Schine Circuit in 1932. Schine dropped the theatre in 1949 which reopened in 1950 under a subleasing agreement with independent operation. The Dixie completed its run in 1956 showing Spanish language films. It was auctioned off with eight other Schine Theatres in 1958. Its pipe organ and all other items were sold shortly thereafter when the theatre was converted to an apartment complex in 1959.
Opened as the Thurston Theatre on December 6. 1925 by Burpee & West Circuit. The theatre was a late adopter of sound converting to sound in 1931 relaunching Sept. 5, 1931 as the West End Theatre. On January 30, 1962, it became the Coronet Theatre.
In its latter years, the Coronet did well beginning in 1978 with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” But in the multiplex era, the Coronet struggled and a shift to art cinema stalled with competition from other art cinemas. The Coronet closed on April 11, 1984 after a screening of “Ernesto.”
The Temple Theatre launched on December 6, 1907. The final show at the RKO Temple Theatre was May 7, 1951 with “Bandit Queen.” Plans to reopen the Temple by the operators of the Capitol on a month to month basis fell apart in 1952. The theatre was demolished in November of 1952 for a parking lot. (The theatre’s closing date has been confused with Schine’s Temple Theatre in Fairport which barely outsurvived the RKO Temple.)
The Todd Mart Cinema I & II was closed by General Cinema as a sub-run discount house on March 31, 1988 after screenings of “Shoot to Kill” and “Switching Channels.” Though the shopping center housing the facility had changed names from the Todd Mart Plaza to the Winton Place a year earlier, the cinema never changed names. GCC also closed the Westmar Plaza Cinema that same night.
The Stoneridge closed in January of 1998 only to be reopened October 8, 1998 under independent operation as a sub-run discount house. Its final shows were December 8, 1999.
The dramatic ending of the Panorama Theatre took place in October of 1992. The property owner announced the end of the theatre while the manager disagreed with the fate of the theatre and questions about rent. The two-screen theatre completed showings of “3 Ninjas,” “Single White Female”, and “A Stranger Among U"s on one screen and "A League of Their Own,” “The Player,” and “Whispers in the Dark” on the other. From October 6, 1992 and weeks forward, the theatre operator barricaded himself in the building while the owner of the plaza cut off water and electricity ending the theater’s operation Although showtimes are listed through October 6, the likely final showings were October 4, 1992.
Appears to have closed after a May 27, 1982 double feature of XXX films. The city took over the theatre due to back taxes and had the theatre razed in favor of a new build drug store.
The Waring Theatre opened November 23, 1950 with “Rocky Mountain” and “Lost Volcano.” The theatre would be twinned but closed in 1994 as its operator tried to get funding to expand to five screens. When that stalled, a 25-year old independent relaunched the theatre as a twin in 1996 briefly.
The Webster Theatre opened with Tom Grierson at the Wurlitzer on October 15, 1927 and the feature, “Fast and Furious.”
At the end of the Webster’s 30-year lease, Schine dropped the theatre. It continued as an independent briefly into 1958 before closing. 1959, the theatre was auctioned off in a foreclosure sale. In 1962, arson struck the theatre.
The Liberty Theatre opened in 1927 and was closed by the Schine Circuit in 1957 at the end of a 30-year lease. An independent operator continued to the Liberty Theatrein October of 1958 but closed in October of 1959. The city granted a proposal to raze theatre for a new bank.
The Lake Theatre opened in 1927 on a 30-year lease. Schine Circuit closed after a double feature on November 25, 1956 of “Francis and the Haunted House” and “Hot Rod Girls” at the end of the lease. After a two-year run as a church, the theatre was converted into a long-running furniture store that existed into the 21st Century. In 2015, the Lake Theatre fell off the furniture store’s facade.
After converting to widescreen in the 1950s, the Hudson Theatre appears to have closed in 1954. The theatre’s seats were removed in 1958 and the space used for other purposes.
The Westmar Plaza Cinema was closed by General Cinema on March 31, 1988 after screenings of “Moving” and “Fatal Attraction.” GCC also closed the discount Todd Mart Cinema that same night.
The first ad for the Plaza Theatre is in January of 1917 which could be when it opened. It closed in 1929 without converting to sound. On November 28, 1939 as the improved Plaza Theatre relaunched with “Kentucky” and “Pride of the Navy.”
The Colonial Theatre opened in 1900. It was refurbished slightly with another grand re-opening in 1909. As the Esquire Theatre, it closed September 25, 1960 with “Ocean’s 11”. A salvage sale was conducted two months later with the theatre razed in 1961.
The local paper reports that Elmer Keeler of Howard C. Crane drew the plans for the 1939-era Gladmer Theatre. The original Buck’s Opera House (May 1873) / Baird’s Opera House (1990) / Gladmer Theatre (1910) ended its run in March of 1939 with “St. Louis Blues.”
Following a salvage sale, the theatre was ripped out in May of 1939 – minus perhaps two walls – and replaced by the new Gladmer Theatre. That theatre opened October 12, 1939 with “Cafe Society” for the Butterfield Circuit. It ended after a 20-year lease lapsed on March 25, 1979 with “The Bermuda Triangle.” The theatre was offered for sale in 1979 remaining empty until finally sold in 1984 which led to its razing.
The theatre was torched on February 20, 1973 ending its theatrical run just as local special interest groups were calling for the adult theatre’s ouster from the city at any cost.
The theatre was largely an African American theatre though became segregated in 1959. Its continuous film run was interrupted in the early 1960s becoming the Lakeside Baptist Church in the 1963 before returning for an ill-fated cinematic run at decade’s end. It finished its run as the Ritz Cinema with Blaxploitation double features in the 1970s. Appears to have closed after the operator was murdered on November 1, 1974.
Saenger Bros. launched the Queen Theatre in the Simon Building on June 7, 1912. The silent-era theatre used promotions such as “$10 to anyone who can find a cooler auditorium” than the Queen’s. But it didn’t work and the Queen was abdicated in favor of a grocery store. The final showing was “The Woman with Four Faces” on October 31, 1923.
After Y&W dropped the theatre, Christina Burnett of the Fountain Theatre relaunched the Idaho converting to widesreen in 1955. The Idaho closed after a July 6, 1958 showing of “Witness of the Prosecution” and “The Dalton Gals.” The space was converted the next month to the long-running Club Idaho closing in 1978 and followed by the Recess Club and Jubilation in the 1980s.
In May of 1981, the Jerry Lewis Cinema played “Hardly Working” directed by and starring the late Mr. Lewis.
Autocorrect correction – Stutson Theatre
The DeKalb County Historical Society fills in some blanks here. The Waldo Opera House was built in 1908. The Opera House / Waldo Theatre was on the upper floor with Beaty Grocery on the main floor. The address would be 101-5 South 4th Street at Cedar. High school graduations took place there from 1909-1930. Long after its usefulness, the building collapsed in the 1990s and its remnants removed.
The Cook Opera House opened on January 14, 1892 with “Pinafore” live. In addition to opera and live stage plays, circuses and mostly vaudeville entertained locals. By 1909, the building was already considered passé and the offerings were moved to the nearby Temple Theatre. But the Opera House’s days were far from over.
On October 12, 1912, the Cook Opera House landed the Keith Vaudeville Circuit and changed its name to the Family Theatre likely with a 25-year lease. Under the leadership of the Fenyvessy Bros., the Family Theatre attracted top live acts.
By the early 1920s, films were a part of the vaudeville presentation at the Family. By the end of 1924, the Family Theatre had converted to full time film presentation. The Family would convert to sound. But by that time, the theatre was badly dated and appears ceased operations in 1932 ending Fas a ten cent sub-run theatre. As the lease lapsed in 1937, the Fenyvessy Bros. moved on and E.M. Loew of Boston was the next operator.
Reinforcing the building with steel and refurbishing took place, the Embassy Theatre launched on January 9, 1937 as a second-run house with “Earthworm Tractors” and “Rose Marie.” The theatre founds its audience with burlesque which ran there until 1952. A farewell performance with Rose la Rose occurred in 1952 and the Embassy appears to have closed despite promises to reopen.
The theatre was slated for demolition in 1959 but that was halted due to issues regarding the neighboring business. A small fire led to exterior changes to the theatre in 1962. A project called Canaltown looked to refurbish the theatre in 1973. But in the money raising period, the theatre was decimated by a May 17, 1974 fire ending the building’s tenure downtown.
The Dixie Theatre launched in 1928. The theatre converted to sound in 1930 and was taken over by the Schine Circuit in 1932. Schine dropped the theatre in 1949 which reopened in 1950 under a subleasing agreement with independent operation. The Dixie completed its run in 1956 showing Spanish language films. It was auctioned off with eight other Schine Theatres in 1958. Its pipe organ and all other items were sold shortly thereafter when the theatre was converted to an apartment complex in 1959.
Opened as the Thurston Theatre on December 6. 1925 by Burpee & West Circuit. The theatre was a late adopter of sound converting to sound in 1931 relaunching Sept. 5, 1931 as the West End Theatre. On January 30, 1962, it became the Coronet Theatre.
In its latter years, the Coronet did well beginning in 1978 with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” But in the multiplex era, the Coronet struggled and a shift to art cinema stalled with competition from other art cinemas. The Coronet closed on April 11, 1984 after a screening of “Ernesto.”
The Temple Theatre launched on December 6, 1907. The final show at the RKO Temple Theatre was May 7, 1951 with “Bandit Queen.” Plans to reopen the Temple by the operators of the Capitol on a month to month basis fell apart in 1952. The theatre was demolished in November of 1952 for a parking lot. (The theatre’s closing date has been confused with Schine’s Temple Theatre in Fairport which barely outsurvived the RKO Temple.)
The Todd Mart Cinema I & II was closed by General Cinema as a sub-run discount house on March 31, 1988 after screenings of “Shoot to Kill” and “Switching Channels.” Though the shopping center housing the facility had changed names from the Todd Mart Plaza to the Winton Place a year earlier, the cinema never changed names. GCC also closed the Westmar Plaza Cinema that same night.
The Stoneridge closed in January of 1998 only to be reopened October 8, 1998 under independent operation as a sub-run discount house. Its final shows were December 8, 1999.
The dramatic ending of the Panorama Theatre took place in October of 1992. The property owner announced the end of the theatre while the manager disagreed with the fate of the theatre and questions about rent. The two-screen theatre completed showings of “3 Ninjas,” “Single White Female”, and “A Stranger Among U"s on one screen and "A League of Their Own,” “The Player,” and “Whispers in the Dark” on the other. From October 6, 1992 and weeks forward, the theatre operator barricaded himself in the building while the owner of the plaza cut off water and electricity ending the theater’s operation Although showtimes are listed through October 6, the likely final showings were October 4, 1992.
The Murray Theatre reopened briefly on February 27, 1954 with “Red Snow” and “Pathfinder” only to close again in 1954.
Appears to have closed after a May 27, 1982 double feature of XXX films. The city took over the theatre due to back taxes and had the theatre razed in favor of a new build drug store.
The Waring Theatre opened November 23, 1950 with “Rocky Mountain” and “Lost Volcano.” The theatre would be twinned but closed in 1994 as its operator tried to get funding to expand to five screens. When that stalled, a 25-year old independent relaunched the theatre as a twin in 1996 briefly.
The Webster Theatre opened with Tom Grierson at the Wurlitzer on October 15, 1927 and the feature, “Fast and Furious.”
At the end of the Webster’s 30-year lease, Schine dropped the theatre. It continued as an independent briefly into 1958 before closing. 1959, the theatre was auctioned off in a foreclosure sale. In 1962, arson struck the theatre.
The Liberty Theatre opened in 1927 and was closed by the Schine Circuit in 1957 at the end of a 30-year lease. An independent operator continued to the Liberty Theatrein October of 1958 but closed in October of 1959. The city granted a proposal to raze theatre for a new bank.
The Lake Theatre opened in 1927 on a 30-year lease. Schine Circuit closed after a double feature on November 25, 1956 of “Francis and the Haunted House” and “Hot Rod Girls” at the end of the lease. After a two-year run as a church, the theatre was converted into a long-running furniture store that existed into the 21st Century. In 2015, the Lake Theatre fell off the furniture store’s facade.
After converting to widescreen in the 1950s, the Hudson Theatre appears to have closed in 1954. The theatre’s seats were removed in 1958 and the space used for other purposes.
The Westmar Plaza Cinema was closed by General Cinema on March 31, 1988 after screenings of “Moving” and “Fatal Attraction.” GCC also closed the discount Todd Mart Cinema that same night.
The first ad for the Plaza Theatre is in January of 1917 which could be when it opened. It closed in 1929 without converting to sound. On November 28, 1939 as the improved Plaza Theatre relaunched with “Kentucky” and “Pride of the Navy.”