Fenway Theater
1096 Lincoln Avenue,
Fennimore,
WI
53809
1096 Lincoln Avenue,
Fennimore,
WI
53809
1 person
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Claude & Starck designed the Fenway Theatre which launched with Richard Dix in “Moran of the Marines” on November 22, 1928. The theatre showed off its Reproducto pipe organ, as well.
The Fenway Theatre was located in what is now know as the Fenway Hotel which was remodeled and a comfortable place to stay. The theatre closed in 1970 and became a disco named “Tino’s” The disco closed in the mid 80’s and the former theatre was vacant for awhile. The space then became a restaurant. This lasted a number of years and the space became vacant again. In 2018 the theatre space became a place of worship know as The Family in Faith Church. The full commercial kitchen from the restaurant and the bar from either the disco or restaurant remain. The floor was leveled probably during the disco era and the theater’s interior completely altered. The only clue that this was once a theatre is the sloping entrance to what was the theatre’s auditorium
As you can probably figure from the name of the library and the original owner of the building the Fenway was in, Dwight Parker was a prominent businessman in Fennimore. My grandfather worked for him for a time, driving him to appointments in Madison.
As for the Opera House that Joe Vogel mentions above, that was several blocks north and on the opposite side of the street. It was upstairs in a building that’s been a laundromat for many years, while the upstairs was remodeled into apartments.
Parts of the Eagle Creek Inn are scheduled to reopen shortly. However, the portion that was the Fenway Theater isn’t part of that reopening at this time.
When the Fenway was converted into Tino’s, a dance club, bar, etc., and beyond, it retained the steep aisle going down into the lower levels with the projection booth becoming the DJ booth. Very cool place to hang out back in the day. When The Slent Woman did a total renovation to the place, it still had the steep ramp and upper and lower dining areas and a very high ceiling. Unless you knew it had once been a movie theater, you probably wouldn’t figure it out.
Boxoffice of April 19, 1971, had an item datelined Fennimore saying: “The Fenway Theatre here, a landmark for more than 40 years, is being converted into a diversified teenage entertainment center.”
The finding aid for the Lewis W. Claude papers held by the University of Minnesota has a list of buildings designed by the firm of Claude & Starck, and one item is a store, hotel, and theater building at Fennimore for a Mr. Dwight Parker, dated 1928. The theater’s name is not given. (Claude & Starck designed Fennimore’s public library, now called the Dwight T. Parker Library, in 1924.)
The only other reference to a theater at Fennimore I can find in the trade papers is to an Opera House mentioned in The Reel Journal of November 28, 1925. It was operated by a B.H. Brechler, who in 1939 is mentioned in Boxoffice as operator of the Fenway Theatre. As far as I can find, the Opera House is never mentioned in the trades after 1925.
I believe this is the building the Fenway occupied. It looks to have been substantially altered. The Eagle Creek Inn’s most recent web site says that the establishment has been closed. It still displays a few small interior photos. The interior also looks to have been substantially altered.