Joe Vogel, Thank You, I cleaned things up. There were almost 3000 photos from Martin Photography pre 1950. The Indiana Historical has many more, but there is a 50 year delay of publication attached to the photos.
In this MGM Kink Tarz promotion you can see the south wall of the auditorium and stage house at the top of the photo. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=287&CISOBOX=1&REC=2
and here we have a Christmas display from the war years. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2466&CISOBOX=1&REC=5
Here is a picture of the Liberty in 1935 on the left side of the picture. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2381&CISOBOX=1&REC=8
If you look a half block down on the right you can see the American Theater. It’s blade can be seen with the theater building being set back. Tony Hulman housed some of his collection of cars in the building after it closed and called it The Early Wheels Museum. Yes the building is gone. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1480&CISOBOX=1&REC=3
Here is a link to photo of the Liberty in the bottom right hand corner. There is also another theater building half a block east and the roof of the one that was across the street, a little to the west. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1480&CISOBOX=1&REC=3
In a list of theatre pipe organs, prepared by Carlton B. Smith for the CIC-ATOS, there is a Hilltop Theater listed at 1401 Blaine Avenue that had a Louisville pipe organ installed in it in 1927. The metal spinning building that I mentioned above was a “newer” building, due west, facing Howard.
This theater was open and showing movies into the mid 80’s as I took my oldest daughter there and she did not come into my life until 1984. It was a nice neighborhood theater when we first started going, but there was an owner/ manager change just before it was bought by the Mary Rigg Center, and it went down hill. There was another old theater building in the neighborhood over by Howard and Blaine Streets. It had been gutted and a metel spinning company was using it in the 80’s.
Thank you John for your update. I just found the Facebook page: Indianatheater. Finally a big historic positive for Terre Haute. Now I have an added reason to come back to visit the Wabash Valley.
According to information presented to CIC-ATOS, this summer, the building has been sold. I was in the theater a couple of years ago as CIC-ATOS was planning to re-instal a theater pipe organ in it. The entry and lobby were beautiful, and the theater was not in bad condition. Needed some TLC. Updated sound system sounded great. New owner is interested in having the organ installed and improving the venue.
The theater on Wabash Ave. was renamed the Grand after the Opera House was torn down. I was in the Wabash Ave. Grand in the 70’s when I was at ISU. The manager told me that there was a tunnel from the front basement across Wabash to the theater building on the north side of the street. He said that actors would appear on multiple stages using different names at the same time to increase income. According to him many of the theaters around 7th and Wabash were connected underground.
Patsy, Check out the Circle link.
No organ listed at theaterorgans.com for this theater. The other two had Moller organs.
I noticed that some photos of theaters in Terre Haute, Indiana have gone missing in the last month or so.
Joe Vogel, Thank You, I cleaned things up. There were almost 3000 photos from Martin Photography pre 1950. The Indiana Historical has many more, but there is a 50 year delay of publication attached to the photos.
In this MGM Kink Tarz promotion you can see the south wall of the auditorium and stage house at the top of the photo. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=287&CISOBOX=1&REC=2
and here we have a Christmas display from the war years. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2466&CISOBOX=1&REC=5
a 1930 interior shot for an Al Jolson film http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2298&CISOBOX=1&REC=6
a 1933 photo – movie was 20,000 Years in Sing Sing http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1951&CISOBOX=1&REC=3
Gone With the Wind @ the Grand on 7th street http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=107&CISOBOX=1&REC=15
Window display re: GWTW @ Grand http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=153&CISOBOX=1&REC=3
The stage in 1935 http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=174&CISOBOX=1&REC=8
a 1933 photo http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2338&CISOBOX=1&REC=11
1941 photo http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=229&CISOBOX=1&REC=2
Here is a picture of the Liberty in 1935 on the left side of the picture. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2381&CISOBOX=1&REC=8
If you look a half block down on the right you can see the American Theater. It’s blade can be seen with the theater building being set back. Tony Hulman housed some of his collection of cars in the building after it closed and called it The Early Wheels Museum. Yes the building is gone. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1480&CISOBOX=1&REC=3
Here is a link to photo of the Liberty in the bottom right hand corner. There is also another theater building half a block east and the roof of the one that was across the street, a little to the west. http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1480&CISOBOX=1&REC=3
In a list of theatre pipe organs, prepared by Carlton B. Smith for the CIC-ATOS, there is a Hilltop Theater listed at 1401 Blaine Avenue that had a Louisville pipe organ installed in it in 1927. The metal spinning building that I mentioned above was a “newer” building, due west, facing Howard.
This theater was open and showing movies into the mid 80’s as I took my oldest daughter there and she did not come into my life until 1984. It was a nice neighborhood theater when we first started going, but there was an owner/ manager change just before it was bought by the Mary Rigg Center, and it went down hill. There was another old theater building in the neighborhood over by Howard and Blaine Streets. It had been gutted and a metel spinning company was using it in the 80’s.
FB LINK: https://www.facebook.com/Indianatheatre?ref=profile See what it looks like today and what is happening.
Link to a photo and history site: http://terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/hippodrome.html
Here is a link to a photo collection about the theater with a lot of history: http://terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/newtrib.html
Thank you John for your update. I just found the Facebook page: Indianatheater. Finally a big historic positive for Terre Haute. Now I have an added reason to come back to visit the Wabash Valley.
According to information presented to CIC-ATOS, this summer, the building has been sold. I was in the theater a couple of years ago as CIC-ATOS was planning to re-instal a theater pipe organ in it. The entry and lobby were beautiful, and the theater was not in bad condition. Needed some TLC. Updated sound system sounded great. New owner is interested in having the organ installed and improving the venue.
If you look through the door the tile floor is visible with the Nickeldon on it.
The theater on Wabash Ave. was renamed the Grand after the Opera House was torn down. I was in the Wabash Ave. Grand in the 70’s when I was at ISU. The manager told me that there was a tunnel from the front basement across Wabash to the theater building on the north side of the street. He said that actors would appear on multiple stages using different names at the same time to increase income. According to him many of the theaters around 7th and Wabash were connected underground.
Historic Indianapolis article link http://historicindianapolis.com/indianapolis-then-and-now-zarings-egyptian-theatre-2741-central-avenue/