Some dates, etc. are wrong. This has been demolished, along with all the other buildings on this block. Now a really ugly bank building and a gas station with a huge parking lot.
The 1911 map shows this ‘From Plans’, meaning it likely was not quite finished yet, although there was at least one business there. The 1917 map shows it as the Kennedy Opera House, showing movies as well. 200 seats seems ridiculously low for such a large building. Address was 116 W 5th. I’ve added a Sanborn view to show the layout.
It’s hard to tell. It certainly didn’t burn to the ground. There could have been a fire, and it even could have been fairly serious, but left the facade.
A bit garbled on the syntax, lots of switching tenses, etc. This has been demolished. The former municipal building, which is about as attractive as the rest of downtown (so not at all), was built in 1961, meaning this theater was demolished. Address approximately 329 N Main. The Legion now has their own building, which is a blah little box which could be from around 1970, or 1960, or… The 1917 map shows that city hall was a dinky little one story brick shack with a ‘public hall’ in the rear. I assume that’s where the theater operated.
I’m not sure where this opera house would have been. 700 is enormous for a town that was just under 800 in 1920. The only auditorium anywhere near that large would have been in the high school. The museum is in a dumpy modern thing south of where the railroad used to be. If there was anything downtown, I would have a picture of it, but most of town is pretty nondescript, and almost everything is one story.
I’ve added the Sanborn view. Note that the historical address was 207 Kansas (Ave?). At this point, they seem to be treating 209 (which today is 811, and part of the same facade) as a separate building. It’s possible it was remodeled while Mr. Dunlap was still involved.
This site has a long history, involving at least one other theater. The building is in decent shape today, and 809 is a screen printing place. I didn’t get a picture, and I’ll likely never be out that way again. The 1926 Sanborn shows the building shaped differently, but given that the name on the front is Dunlap, the current facade must date to 1924. It seems the retail space at 811 was extended later.
I think this was only the third Grand. The 1913 Grand and the Grand shown on the 1920 map are in the same place, but the 1920 version has expanded to replace a building to the south. This makes sense if the first Grand (and possibly the neighboring store) had burned. I see no evidence of a third at that location. This looks much newer than 1950, but maybe it was remodeled?
I’m not sure we have an accurate count of these. The Grand on the 1913 map and the Grand on the 1920 map are definitely different buildings, but they are in the same location, as you’d expect from reconstruction after a fire. I suggest that there were only these two, then replaced by the ugly box east of town as the third. I have added Sanborn views of both versions of this Grand. Note that the address was 107 when the theater was open.
The lumber company does maybe throw a wrench into the theory, as the several lumber yards on the 1916 map are all there on the 1907 map as well. The 1916 map does have an A.M. Clauson’s Elevator and Coal Yard, but it is well west of town at the railroad tracks, and it wouldn’t have made any sense for a theater to have been there.
Based on the dates, this fell between the 1907 and Nov. 1913 maps. The only candidate I see is 133-141 N Clark, where three wooden storefronts were replaced by the brick storefronts that are still there. The central storefront, which is labeled ‘Shoes & Dry Goods’ on the 1907 map, was the largest and deepest of those, and could have held a small early theater.
Thanks. I know where that was. I’ll list the Sprague, and you can help with dates/history. I can see why it would have had superior sightlines to someplace with a row of columns down the middle.
The only candidate I see is 133-141 N Clark, where three wooden storefronts were replaced by the brick storefronts that are still there. The central storefront, which is labeled ‘Shoes & Dry Goods’ on the 1907 map, was the largest and deepest of those, and could have held a small early theater. If anyone can confirm, we can list it.
Wherever the Scenic/Gem was, it fell in the gap between the 1907 map and the 1913 map, which is from November. I might be able to locate it by seeing what’s missing between those two.
This can’t be the Gem, since it was still open in 1916, and hasn’t been torn down. The opera house was a wooden thing that was right about where the chiropractor is now. It was gone sometime after 1913, but before 1916.
We might have to remove/revise some of the info. I did use the NRHP listing as one source. The manager or owner (or both?) at the time of the fire was a Mr. Birum.
This theater seems to have been built before the Lyric burned. In the same issue of the Mitchell County Press that covered the fire, there is an article about the local power company having refused to connect a new theater and some other businesses, due to a rate dispute. It’s possible it was intended to replace the Lyric?
The photo can’t be the drive-in, it must be the other listing.
Some dates, etc. are wrong. This has been demolished, along with all the other buildings on this block. Now a really ugly bank building and a gas station with a huge parking lot.
The 1911 map shows this ‘From Plans’, meaning it likely was not quite finished yet, although there was at least one business there. The 1917 map shows it as the Kennedy Opera House, showing movies as well. 200 seats seems ridiculously low for such a large building. Address was 116 W 5th. I’ve added a Sanborn view to show the layout.
It’s hard to tell. It certainly didn’t burn to the ground. There could have been a fire, and it even could have been fairly serious, but left the facade.
A bit garbled on the syntax, lots of switching tenses, etc. This has been demolished. The former municipal building, which is about as attractive as the rest of downtown (so not at all), was built in 1961, meaning this theater was demolished. Address approximately 329 N Main. The Legion now has their own building, which is a blah little box which could be from around 1970, or 1960, or… The 1917 map shows that city hall was a dinky little one story brick shack with a ‘public hall’ in the rear. I assume that’s where the theater operated.
I’m not sure where this opera house would have been. 700 is enormous for a town that was just under 800 in 1920. The only auditorium anywhere near that large would have been in the high school. The museum is in a dumpy modern thing south of where the railroad used to be. If there was anything downtown, I would have a picture of it, but most of town is pretty nondescript, and almost everything is one story.
I’ve added the Sanborn view. Note that the historical address was 207 Kansas (Ave?). At this point, they seem to be treating 209 (which today is 811, and part of the same facade) as a separate building. It’s possible it was remodeled while Mr. Dunlap was still involved.
This site has a long history, involving at least one other theater. The building is in decent shape today, and 809 is a screen printing place. I didn’t get a picture, and I’ll likely never be out that way again. The 1926 Sanborn shows the building shaped differently, but given that the name on the front is Dunlap, the current facade must date to 1924. It seems the retail space at 811 was extended later.
Need to update this with address, status, etc.
Uselessly bad listing. Main St is all residential. I assume this was somewhere on Reed. Probably demolished.
Sounds likely.
Closed August of ‘22. Site is for sale under a deed restriction that prevents it reopening as a theater.
I think this was only the third Grand. The 1913 Grand and the Grand shown on the 1920 map are in the same place, but the 1920 version has expanded to replace a building to the south. This makes sense if the first Grand (and possibly the neighboring store) had burned. I see no evidence of a third at that location. This looks much newer than 1950, but maybe it was remodeled?
I’m not sure we have an accurate count of these. The Grand on the 1913 map and the Grand on the 1920 map are definitely different buildings, but they are in the same location, as you’d expect from reconstruction after a fire. I suggest that there were only these two, then replaced by the ugly box east of town as the third. I have added Sanborn views of both versions of this Grand. Note that the address was 107 when the theater was open.
The historical address was 129 5th St, at least until the 1940s
The lumber company does maybe throw a wrench into the theory, as the several lumber yards on the 1916 map are all there on the 1907 map as well. The 1916 map does have an A.M. Clauson’s Elevator and Coal Yard, but it is well west of town at the railroad tracks, and it wouldn’t have made any sense for a theater to have been there.
Based on the dates, this fell between the 1907 and Nov. 1913 maps. The only candidate I see is 133-141 N Clark, where three wooden storefronts were replaced by the brick storefronts that are still there. The central storefront, which is labeled ‘Shoes & Dry Goods’ on the 1907 map, was the largest and deepest of those, and could have held a small early theater.
Thanks to Joe Vogel for turning this one up.
In the photo above, the Star was located in the narrow lighter colored building in the background.
Thanks. I know where that was. I’ll list the Sprague, and you can help with dates/history. I can see why it would have had superior sightlines to someplace with a row of columns down the middle.
The only candidate I see is 133-141 N Clark, where three wooden storefronts were replaced by the brick storefronts that are still there. The central storefront, which is labeled ‘Shoes & Dry Goods’ on the 1907 map, was the largest and deepest of those, and could have held a small early theater. If anyone can confirm, we can list it.
Wherever the Scenic/Gem was, it fell in the gap between the 1907 map and the 1913 map, which is from November. I might be able to locate it by seeing what’s missing between those two.
This can’t be the Gem, since it was still open in 1916, and hasn’t been torn down. The opera house was a wooden thing that was right about where the chiropractor is now. It was gone sometime after 1913, but before 1916.
We might have to remove/revise some of the info. I did use the NRHP listing as one source. The manager or owner (or both?) at the time of the fire was a Mr. Birum.
Despite the sun shining right on the front, I was too dumb to get a picture of this during my 2009 visit.
This theater seems to have been built before the Lyric burned. In the same issue of the Mitchell County Press that covered the fire, there is an article about the local power company having refused to connect a new theater and some other businesses, due to a rate dispute. It’s possible it was intended to replace the Lyric?