Fowler was a very popular name. Prior to its extensive remodel, the Masonic Temple at 219 E 5th was home to a Fowler theater, previously the Mathews, which seems to have been an opera house.
The only other possibility for this is that either the Dixie or Palace have the wrong address. At any rate, nothing on any corner of Main and Jefferson has been demolished. The closest empty lot to that corner on Main is approximately 126 S Main, which is separated from the corner by a very large building.
Since all the others have an address, this must have been the derelict shell of a building at 303 S Main. It’s got some sort of sad little park in it, with wooden bleachers where the seats would have been.
Currently a pizza place. The address is 209 N Main. The building dates to sometime before 1895, likely well before. It was a hardware store at least up to 1910, and the Knights of Pythias met on the third floor.
The theater appears on the 1913 map. The space was a saloon in 1907, and the building predates 1887. It must have been a cramped theater, the building is deep but very narrow.
This theater was at 221 E Main. It appears on the 1907 map as a ‘5 cent theatre’. It did not remain operating long. By 1913, the space is a drugstore. The original structure was a two story brick commercial building, built before 1887. The theater occupied the eastern half. This building has been demolished and replaced by a cheap modern bank.
Since this listing has no information at all, I’ll add what I can. The building predates 1887. It was not yet a theater in 1913, when it housed a novelty store, and offices upstairs. Unfortunately, the 1925 map is not available. It must have closed some time before 1983, when it was deeded to the theater group.
View of the auditorium here: http://www.trestlewood.com/photo/6498/
The 1914-15 Gus Hill guide gives a capacity of 900. From other photos, the building seems to have survived until at least the mid-‘70s. The opera house was apparently opened August 14, 1886.
I added the Grand. It was not labeled as showing movies. I usually skip opera houses, because I’m never sure on older maps what their activity included.
Proper address for the Lido is 124 S Lebanon. This theater was located in the Tyre Building, which was an extensive 1915 remodel of a pre-1887 building. Originally, it was a shallow (about half the depth of the lot) two-story building with a wide central retail space flanked by two narrower ones. On the 1909 map, the southern storefront is a ‘5 cent theatre’. Sometime after or concurrent with the remodel, the theater took over the central space, and a large auditorium was added. This is slightly lower than the original structure, and slopes down to be one story tall at the rear. The original name was the Olympic, and it became the Lido in the ‘30s.
The Colonial appears on the 1919 Sanborn. At this point, the front of the theater is a 2-story brick building, with the auditorium behind being slightly lower. The entrance address is 218, while 216 is a music store that takes up the southern half of the front. On the 1909 map, this lot is home to a boarding house.
I’m not sure where the Rural Loan Assoc. building was. There were several banks in the area around the square. Searching for it did turn up this great full-page ad for a 1917 show at the Colonial: https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=LDR19171020.1.5 It’s clear that at least up to 1917, the theater was also presenting vaudeville.
Appears on the 1902 map as Pittinger Grand Opera House. That name seems to be a misspelling. Address was 128. Originally, there were three storefronts (sharing the address of 124) with the entrance on the north end. A wooden awning extends the length of the building.
The original structure may have been a conversion of a large brick building that occupied nearly an identical footprint. It appears on the 1886 map as a skating rink, and was then a fruit drying warehouse and a box factory. It was only one story.
On the 1924 map, it is still shown as a opera house, with stage and scenery. A dressing room section has been added on the rear of the south side, and the awning has disappeared (sometime after 1916). The stage was very deep, and the balcony was a large horseshoe. The address for the entrance is now 132.
If it did indeed adjoin the Globe, then the address was either 213-215 (which would have been new construction replacing a house), or 207, which would have been a conversion of a furniture store. 215 has been again replaced by an ugly little office building, while 207 still exists under a hideous slipcover.
As you can see from the postcard, the theater was a huge auditorium at the rear of the Colonial Block, which contained the Colonial Inn and various other businesses. The stage was on the south wall, and there was a very large horseshoe balcony.
The correct address would have been 702-708 S Pittsburgh. The entrance itself does not have an address on the 1914 map. This large complex was rather oddly placed well south of downtown. It seems to have been demolished by the ‘60s, and is mostly a parking lot for a small grocery, which occupies about ¼ of the original footprint.
The Arcade’s original address was 160 W Main St, later changed to 156. At some point after 1914, the street name was changed. The theater first appears on the 1908 map, but the building was constructed sometime before 1886. It was originally a three story brick house and store, not very deep, with a small 2-story extension to the rear. By 1908, it had been much modified, and most of the front section had become the entrance, with a small confectionery in the eastern third. The extension to the rear had been merged into these two spaces.
The original auditorium was a long and narrow wooden single story structure with tin cladding. The stage was at the rear. ‘Continuous Performance’ is noted on the 1908 map, but it is not clear whether this is vaudeville or movies. By 1914, the auditorium is shown as partially brick construction, and the stage is now more substantially built. The structure is now extended all the way to the alley in the rear, removing several small wooden sheds. The entrance has been narrowed slightly to allow a tiny shoeshine stand to occupy the western edge.
Judging by the modern eyesore that occupies the lot, the structures were likely demolished in the late ‘60s to early '70s.
I don’t think the statement about it opening smaller is correct. It’s huge on the 1908 map. The auditorium was well back of the street, connected to the front (which also had a bank and a store) by a short corridor. It’s shown as three stories tall. Perhaps the remodel removed one story from the front section? I doubt they completely rebuilt the auditorium.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Apr 17, 2020 at 9:58 pm
It absolutely was a movie theater. I have no idea what the prior occupancy has to do with whether it could have been or not.
It appears that odds and evens switched sides at some point. The 1910 map has the old numbers in parentheses. Even so, in 1910 the current 62 was a grocery store just the other side of the alley in the middle of the block. The old 62 was a bank way down by the railroad tracks. Of course, with the 1921 map being useless, I can’t see what 62 was then, but it’s a store in 1949, and I suspect that never changed.
On the 1921 map, the theater is shown having a capacity of 350.
No problem. The building that was at 330 is demolished as well, so it all would have looked right. I’ll move the picture to the proper listing.
Fowler was a very popular name. Prior to its extensive remodel, the Masonic Temple at 219 E 5th was home to a Fowler theater, previously the Mathews, which seems to have been an opera house.
The only other possibility for this is that either the Dixie or Palace have the wrong address. At any rate, nothing on any corner of Main and Jefferson has been demolished. The closest empty lot to that corner on Main is approximately 126 S Main, which is separated from the corner by a very large building.
Since all the others have an address, this must have been the derelict shell of a building at 303 S Main. It’s got some sort of sad little park in it, with wooden bleachers where the seats would have been.
Currently a pizza place. The address is 209 N Main. The building dates to sometime before 1895, likely well before. It was a hardware store at least up to 1910, and the Knights of Pythias met on the third floor.
The theater appears on the 1913 map. The space was a saloon in 1907, and the building predates 1887. It must have been a cramped theater, the building is deep but very narrow.
This theater was at 221 E Main. It appears on the 1907 map as a ‘5 cent theatre’. It did not remain operating long. By 1913, the space is a drugstore. The original structure was a two story brick commercial building, built before 1887. The theater occupied the eastern half. This building has been demolished and replaced by a cheap modern bank.
Since this listing has no information at all, I’ll add what I can. The building predates 1887. It was not yet a theater in 1913, when it housed a novelty store, and offices upstairs. Unfortunately, the 1925 map is not available. It must have closed some time before 1983, when it was deeded to the theater group.
View of the auditorium here: http://www.trestlewood.com/photo/6498/
The 1914-15 Gus Hill guide gives a capacity of 900. From other photos, the building seems to have survived until at least the mid-‘70s. The opera house was apparently opened August 14, 1886.
I added the Grand. It was not labeled as showing movies. I usually skip opera houses, because I’m never sure on older maps what their activity included.
Proper address for the Lido is 124 S Lebanon. This theater was located in the Tyre Building, which was an extensive 1915 remodel of a pre-1887 building. Originally, it was a shallow (about half the depth of the lot) two-story building with a wide central retail space flanked by two narrower ones. On the 1909 map, the southern storefront is a ‘5 cent theatre’. Sometime after or concurrent with the remodel, the theater took over the central space, and a large auditorium was added. This is slightly lower than the original structure, and slopes down to be one story tall at the rear. The original name was the Olympic, and it became the Lido in the ‘30s.
The Colonial appears on the 1919 Sanborn. At this point, the front of the theater is a 2-story brick building, with the auditorium behind being slightly lower. The entrance address is 218, while 216 is a music store that takes up the southern half of the front. On the 1909 map, this lot is home to a boarding house.
I’m not sure where the Rural Loan Assoc. building was. There were several banks in the area around the square. Searching for it did turn up this great full-page ad for a 1917 show at the Colonial: https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=LDR19171020.1.5 It’s clear that at least up to 1917, the theater was also presenting vaudeville.
According to the history, this theater opened in 1948. It was built by Albert Smith and Alpha Hisey.
Appears on the 1902 map as Pittinger Grand Opera House. That name seems to be a misspelling. Address was 128. Originally, there were three storefronts (sharing the address of 124) with the entrance on the north end. A wooden awning extends the length of the building.
The original structure may have been a conversion of a large brick building that occupied nearly an identical footprint. It appears on the 1886 map as a skating rink, and was then a fruit drying warehouse and a box factory. It was only one story.
On the 1924 map, it is still shown as a opera house, with stage and scenery. A dressing room section has been added on the rear of the south side, and the awning has disappeared (sometime after 1916). The stage was very deep, and the balcony was a large horseshoe. The address for the entrance is now 132.
I’m sure, given the damages, and the size and age of the buildings concerned, that they were completely destroyed.
Seating capacity would really only have worked for a new building.
If it did indeed adjoin the Globe, then the address was either 213-215 (which would have been new construction replacing a house), or 207, which would have been a conversion of a furniture store. 215 has been again replaced by an ugly little office building, while 207 still exists under a hideous slipcover.
630 is well out of downtown. There are three blocks of houses before you get to the 600 block. I wonder if the address is correct.
As you can see from the postcard, the theater was a huge auditorium at the rear of the Colonial Block, which contained the Colonial Inn and various other businesses. The stage was on the south wall, and there was a very large horseshoe balcony.
The correct address would have been 702-708 S Pittsburgh. The entrance itself does not have an address on the 1914 map. This large complex was rather oddly placed well south of downtown. It seems to have been demolished by the ‘60s, and is mostly a parking lot for a small grocery, which occupies about ¼ of the original footprint.
The Arcade’s original address was 160 W Main St, later changed to 156. At some point after 1914, the street name was changed. The theater first appears on the 1908 map, but the building was constructed sometime before 1886. It was originally a three story brick house and store, not very deep, with a small 2-story extension to the rear. By 1908, it had been much modified, and most of the front section had become the entrance, with a small confectionery in the eastern third. The extension to the rear had been merged into these two spaces.
The original auditorium was a long and narrow wooden single story structure with tin cladding. The stage was at the rear. ‘Continuous Performance’ is noted on the 1908 map, but it is not clear whether this is vaudeville or movies. By 1914, the auditorium is shown as partially brick construction, and the stage is now more substantially built. The structure is now extended all the way to the alley in the rear, removing several small wooden sheds. The entrance has been narrowed slightly to allow a tiny shoeshine stand to occupy the western edge.
Judging by the modern eyesore that occupies the lot, the structures were likely demolished in the late ‘60s to early '70s.
I don’t think the statement about it opening smaller is correct. It’s huge on the 1908 map. The auditorium was well back of the street, connected to the front (which also had a bank and a store) by a short corridor. It’s shown as three stories tall. Perhaps the remodel removed one story from the front section? I doubt they completely rebuilt the auditorium.
It absolutely was a movie theater. I have no idea what the prior occupancy has to do with whether it could have been or not.
I seriously doubt there was ever a theater on Adams St. It’s well out of downtown, and residential.
It appears that odds and evens switched sides at some point. The 1910 map has the old numbers in parentheses. Even so, in 1910 the current 62 was a grocery store just the other side of the alley in the middle of the block. The old 62 was a bank way down by the railroad tracks. Of course, with the 1921 map being useless, I can’t see what 62 was then, but it’s a store in 1949, and I suspect that never changed.