he Century opened a little late on October 10, 1901 with the play, “The Little Minister.” The theatre was a multi-purpose building that replaced the Robinson Opera House on Pearl Street while providing needed office space above. The double balcony venue provided a first balcony for smokers and a second for African American patrons.
Its first traveling movie show appears to have taken place in 1904 and would be a harbinger of things to come. In 1915, the venue switched to full time films under the New Century nameplate before reverting to Century.
Saenger Amusement took on the programming with elevated vaudeville. But Kensington-Saenger went bold a a major refresh shown at its reopening on November 12 and 14, 1927. Films would return to the venue under the New Century Theatre name. Its new Robert Morton pipe organ was played by Tom Bautovich on November 14, 1927 with John Barrymore and Dolores Costello in “When a Man Loves.” The organ replaced the upper balcony. The one thing they didn’t consider in the refresh was sound films.
That was rectified when the first talkie was played on February 18, 1929 with “The Shopworn Angel.” It again was called the New Century Theatre. It closed but the opening of a competing theatre, the Capitol Theatre prompted a competitive move. A major refresh led to another grand opening on August 14, 1933 and again as the New Century Theatre.
The Century ended a bit over halfway through on July 1, 1950 with “Renegade of the Sage,” “Killer Shark!” and an episode of the serial, “Wild Bill Hickock.” A. Lloyd Royal of Royal Theatres and Productions took on the house. The venue was given a major makeover becoming the confusingly-named Royal Music Hall relaunching December 23, 1950 with “I’ll Get By.” New Century would have been more acceptable to all - even though it had been played a few times already.
The venue’s final refresh was in January 1954 with an upgrade to widescreen projection to present CinemaScope films. Toward the end of its run, you could see an exploitation film, a live burlesque show, a Halloween spook show, or even an art film as it scuffled to closure. It outlasted other 1950s casualties, the New Joy, State, Royal, Pix, and Majestic. Its closure on June 23, 1959 with Brigitte Bardot in “The Light Across the Street” was played with no announcement of its departure.
Its final ad was just ahead offering all fixtures for sale in a demolition of the Century Theatre (take that Royal Music Hall fans). The building was gone by 1961.
R.W. Tyson’s Capitol Theatre opened here (215 West Capitol not Capital) as a deep discount house on October 16, 1933 in an existing retail building. The first film was “The Big Brain” with a capacity crowd. The moribund Century was relit to make life difficult for Tyson but it encouraged Tyson to open the State Theatre in a neighboring spot. In 1936, the Capitol was taken over by Verne Buck’s Hattiesburg Amusement for another location of its regional chain of Buck Theaters. In February of 1939, it was taken over by Paramount Circuit which ran it for most of its WW2 years.
Discount operator Joy Houck’s Joy Theatres took on the Buck Theatre as the Gay Theatre on April 2, 1945 with “Dr. Gilllespie’s Criminal Case" with ultra low pricing. It was given a face lift with better air conditioning and larger screen at its relaunch later that year as the New Joy on November 24th, 1945.
The New Joy went to no joy after the June 6, 1954 triple feature of “Monkey Business,” “Montana Territory,” and Boris Karloff’s “The Mummy.” The building was converted for other retail uses and the building was still standing in the 21st Century.
Just to fill in some of the comments above, this entry should be the UA Ellis Isle Cinema 4. It was part of the Ellis Isle Shopping Center, a discount strip plaza for southwestsiders in Jackson. The center was announced in 1972 anchored by a Woolco and a Warehouse Grocery Center, purportedly the second largest grocery store in the U.S.A. with the Ogden-Perry twin cinema an original feature. It would get a less than ideal position behind the Center and almost unseeable from the highway that it was parallel to. But that wouldn’t matter as the theatre would ride “Jaws” in 1975 to become the highest attended film in Jackson history (to that point). The architect was Harold Brumfield, Sr. of Brumfield & Associates.
Ground was broken for the plaza in October 11, 1972. The theatre was an original tenant and built during the luxury suburban era of cinema exhibition as the Ellis Isle Twin Cinema. It had twin, 500-seat auditoriums at launch March 29, 1974. The $300,000 venue was under pressure by multiple chains with more screens in the early multiplex era so Ogden-Perry split the twins and had four, 225-seat auditoriums for a total count at 900 seats. That was celebrated on March 14, 1980 as the Ellis Isle Cinema Four. Woolco left the center in bankruptcy in January of 1983. Ogden-Perry would follow suit leaving the theatre following the September 5, 1985 showtimes and their own filing for bankruptcy four days later. The venue reopened at month’s end by an independent, local operator that lasted just three weeks until closure on October 17, 1985.
Gulf States relit the theatre as a first-run house on June 6, 1986 as the Ellis Isle Cinema 4. Gulf was a quick study and just three months later demoted the venue to a $1 sub-run discount house on September 19, 1986. That returned patrons to the theatre. Three months later, UA bought out Gulf States. The venue became the UA Ellis Isle 4 on June 26, 1987 repositioned with first-run titles. On September 11, 1987, it reverted to a sub-run dollar house. In the 1990s, the megaplex era had arrived and UA now had two 10-screen houses in the Parkway Place 10 and the Northpark 10… and the Ellis Isle 4 which it was trying to milk to the end of its lease. That date came on a Sunday night, June 27, 1993, with the UA Ellis Isle Cinema 4 closing permanently with “Sidekicks,” “CB4,” “Cop and a Half,” “Excessive Force” and “Boiling Point.”
The Ellis Isle Shopping Center and its immediate surroundings fell into a deep greyfield status with high vacancy rates and crime rates to match - including cocaine sales in the parking lot. Not good optics as the surrounding businesses also left the area. The Center made it to its 30th birthday but there was little to celebrate. In 2005, New Horizon Church took on the shopping plaza for $2 million taking the former Warehouse turned Sack and Save grocery location for its house of worship. The facility was renamed as The Renaissance (Center) - but the weather gods clearly disagreed and blew that overlay sign away in 2014 revealing the legacy Ellis Isle name. And because conditions didn’t improve, the gods spoke once more and the Ellis Isle signage atop the 70' sign then blew away in the 2020s along with a chunk of the former Woolco anchor store leaving it as the benign (INO) “r"enaissance until New Horizon left in 2024.
The theatre is listed at 1770 Bobby Rush Boulevard when Ellis Avenue’s name was changed in 2022. The former Renaissance / Ellis Isle / derelict plaza could be purchased for $5.25 million - an opportunity for anyone wishing to operate the cinema and a former Woolco.
Houston D. Bowers was a movie pioneer in Jackson. He would operate four different Jackson Theatres using Majestic. Majestic Theatre “#1” / Majestic Theatre No. 1 at 113 West Capitol Street; Gem Theatre / Majestic Theatre No. 2 at 139 East Capitol; the New Majestic Theatre / Majestic Theatre “#2” at 126 E. Capitol; and the long-running New Majestic / Majestic Theatre “#3” here at 124 E. Capitol. His tagline was “Houston Bowers: The Man who Put Move in Movies” (see photos).
Houston and his brother Joe bought a retail operation called Lightning Cash Store and transformed it to Bowers Bros. in 1899. Houston then operated his first nickelodeon, the short-lived Theatorium at on February 7, 1907 with “San Francisco Earthquake and Fire,” “Moonlight Dreams,” and “Fighting the Flames” at 120 West Capitol. It competed apparently unsuccessfully with the Jackson Theatorium which opened on March 16, 1907 at 117 North State by by W.P Flinn, its near neighbor, the Marvel Theatorium - the Theatorium’s neighbor at 113 North State Street opening June 14, 1907 and the longer-running Dixie Theatorium / Dixie Theatre at 216 S. State by Jack Hall.
Majestic Theatre #1 / Majestic No. 1 and Majestic No. 2 (aka Gem): The brothers store was bought out by R.E. Kennington who hired the Bowers Brothers at his store. Houston Bowers decided to get back into movie theatre operation opening the Majestic Theatre “#1” at 113 West Capitol Street on March 6, 1911. His movie house had first-run films and a $3,500 pipe organ - something that was uncommon in that era of nickelodeons in Jackson. Mrs. Katherine Woodford operated the competing Gem Theatre that had opened in 1910 and she was the first female film operator in town. Bowers leased that theatre at 139 East Capitol renaming it Majestic Theatre No. 2 with the original being renamed as Majestic Theatre No. 1.
New Majestic Theatre / Majestic Theatre “#2”: Bowers opened a much more significant movie theatre in the first era of movie palaces with the New Majestic at 126 East Capitol on September 14, 1913. Majestic No. 2 was sold and returned to its original Gem Theatre namesake operating to 1917. Majestic #1 on West Capitol operated just a little longer during the State Fair of 1913 before closing.
New Majestic / Majestic Theatre “#3”. The final Majestic had a 35 year run is is most remembered for its sound era operation. Majestic Theatre “#2” turned out to be undersized as movies became more profitable and better attended than live stage plays and, in many cases, live vaudeville. Bowers would sell the venue to F.W. Woolworth’s dime store which would run more than 60 years in that location. Bowers had purchased the neighboring building at 124 E. Capitol and had it razed for a new-build, very large capacity (1,800 people) New Majestic / Majestic Theatre “#3” was ready on October 22, 1915 for a soft opening with Geraldine Farrar in “Carmen.” He incorporated his entertainment company based on the theater’s opening and with designs on becoming a chain operator.
The theatre had a main floor of around 1,000 patrons with a second balcony for smokers and a third balcony for African American patrons - about 400 cap each said to be very tight. Unfortunately, just prior to the theatre’s launch, Bowers' wife, Octavine Bowers died at around age 40. Two months after the soft launch the grand opening event was just five days away from its grand opening with a major film star en route. Then Houston Bowers, dropped dead at age 44 on December 28, 1915.
His brother found a successor in his boss: dry goods store owner R.E. Kennington in April of 1916. Kennington drew up plans to modernize the theatre (as seen in photos) and - as Kennington’s Majestic Theatre (Majestic Theatre #3” ver. 2.0 - would promptly be gutted by fire in January of 1917. It would reopen on April 17, 1917 with a new look.
Saenger Amusement of New Orleans took on the Century Theatre with live programming in 1917. They made a bold move pairing up with Kennington to make the Majestic Theatre a real movie palace in 1926. Kennington-Saenger’s New Majestic Theatre #3 ver. 3.0 opened June 14, 1926. This was theatre which people remembered because it was downsized to 980 seats and given a $25,000 Morton Organ which was largely built in place of the third balcony other than the console.
The final significant transition was Majestic #3 ver. 3.5 - the addition of Vitaphone sound on September 13, 1928 with “Glorious Betsy.” In the 1930s, it was equipped with sound-on-film replacing discs. In June of 1929, Publix acquired the Majestic, Century and Istrione theaters. But streamline palaces such as the Saenger’s Paramount and the upgrading of the Century Theatre put the Majestic into a third-tier spot. When post-War suburban movie houses, drive-ins, and television put a crimp in business, the Majestic’s days were numbered. Under final operator Paramount-Gulf Theatres, the Majestic closed July 14, 1951 with Rod Cameron in “Oh, Susanna” supported by a cartoon and a newsreel.
Woolworth’s - which had bought the earlier Majestic Theatre #2 - now purchased Majestic Theatre #3 to expand to a larger store that operated all the way to April of 1977. In their tearing out of the old theatre, give Woolworth’s a ton of credit for properly de-installing the moribund Robert Morton organ console from the pit and its mechanics from the third balcony at their expense and properly documenting its donation. Woolworth’s was operating on a 40-year lease. But in 1976, the City of Jackson announced a plan to buy and raze 17 properties for a downtown revitalization project which took out the former Majestic #2, #3 and still operating Woolworth. Woolworth’s closed in April of 1977 and the building was razed thereafter.
The Silver Slipper was purchased by new operators in August of 1941 and they gave the ozoner a new look with new technology at its relaunch on October 17, 1941 as Drive-In Theatre - likely on a 20-year lease.
Half-way through the venue was rebranded as the Hi-Way 80 Drive-In Theatre on January 23, 1951 with “West Point Story.” On February 22, 1954, it was advertised as the 80 Drive-In likely with a new widescreen tower. And closed at the end of its 20-year leasing agreement in 1961.
An article said that the property had been designated for the Interstate project that would become I-20; and although very close by, the I-20 project didn’t use the exact location of the 80 D-I.
Cinema West 1 & 2 got to the finish line as a twin-screen venue before anyone else in Jackson. The $200,000 venue eschewed high visibility and major traffic to operate to its neighborhood base. It was initially programmed with a family-friendly film on Screen 1 at 99 cents admission and a more mature audience themed film on Screen 2 at a $1.50 price point. That mission lasted about two months when the kids films weren’t cutting it. Windsor Showcase Theatres operated the venue in its formative years. It closed on November 16, 1991 with “Boyz in the Hood.”
Joe Mitchell relit the venue on March 20, 1992 with “Juice” and “Freejack” as it programmed second-run, discount films with African American audiences in mind. It was one of the few African American owned and operated venues in the United States in the early 1990s / megaplex era. Mitchell paid close attention to security as that was a concern of patrons, undoubtedly.
Cinema West 2 appears to have closed December 19, 1993 with “Menace II Society” and “Hard Target.” Investment in Jackson seemed to be heading to North Jackson, Clinton, and other suburbs. Based on its mentions in the local police blotter, the end of Cinema West showed it in a moderate to above average crime zone which likely didn’t help attendance. In August of 1994, it had become a house of worship for 30 plus years.
BTW: It wasn’t called the Cotton Bowl Cinema but did operate across from the Cotton Bowl bowling lanes.
In the grand scheme of things, accuracy on these entries isn’t that important. But to start out with “The Meadowbrook Cinemas were built on the site of the 51 Drive-In which also included the Northside Shopping Center.” I’m not sure what that means but it is probably clearer than what happened.
So what actually transpired is that Jackson’s Northsiders received a lot of post-War retail shopping options. Further, developers used land buys to put up drive-ins as place holders in case the land value increased. That’s what happened here as the 51 Drive-In occupied this spot for 15 years opting out at the half-way point of a 30-year lease due to the land value increases. There may have been “The Northside Shopping Center” in Jackson but the 51 Drive-In was on the western side of the Northwood Shopping Center anchored by an Anthony’s Department Store. To the South of the Drive-In, the Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center was created and opened across the street on March 14, 1954 anchored by a Black & White Store, a Kroger and a Ben Franklin.
The 51 Drive-In was purchased in 1964 and demolished in August of 1964 for Miller’s Mart Shopping Center to be anchored by a Miller’s Discount Store and a Sunflower grocery store #41. The center’s name didn’t hold long and renamed the Meadowbrook Shopping Center - which had to confuse folks with the Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center right across the street.
Miller Discount Stores' parent, Daylin Inc., announced a bankruptcy reorganization shutters all the Millers. In 1976, after Millers' fixture sale, a spot opened up for the Meadowbrook Theatre. And that’s how it ended up in the Meadowbook Shopping Center. Gulf State Theatres contracted with architect William J. Hughes, Jr. of Baton Rouge to use half of the Miller’s Discount Store anchor for the tight six screen venue. It had 1,372 seats. The large Audi #1 had 392 seats. Audi #2, #3, and #4 had 210 each. Audi #5 and #6 had 196 and 154, respectively.
On December 22, 1976, Gulf States Theatres opened the Meadwbrook 6 Cinemas playing six films as a fund raiser for Toys for Tots. In 1986, United Artists bought Gulf States Theatres and on June 26, 1987, this became the UA Meadowbrook 6. The Center ran into chop when Sunflower #41 ankled the store at its lease expiry in late summer of 1991. UA left the building on January 16, 1992 citing end of lease and increased crime rates in the area. The re-emerged Gulf State Theatres of New Orleans took the venue back on as a sub-run discount house on April 10, 1992 with six films and a tagline of, “Security provided by the Jackson Police Department.” Future ads listed showtimes with “Police Security!” as a tagline. Gulf States' sequel operation ended on August 23, 1993.
On September 3, 1993, Cobb Theatres picked up the six-plex continuing the dollar fifty run. Cobb ran here until June 6, 1996 closing with films including the rationale given for its closure, “Executive Decision.” The spot may have been subsumed by the Piggly Wiggly. And as a post-script, the Meadowbrook and Northwood shopping centers continued. But in 2022, the greyfield status Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center across the street was razed to end any confusion between the two closely-named shopping centers.
James W. Wilson, Jr. and Sears' mall division, Homart, announced this incredibly large $100 million super-regional project on March 24, 1975. In 1977, General Cinema Corp. (GCC) incorporated for business in Mississippi and built a $475,000 outparcel four-plex adjacent to the Metrocenter Mall in what was called Metro Center Convenience Center. The Metrocenter Mall hit its March 1, 1978 targeted grand opening. The Metro Center Convenience Center - an outer ring of peripheral stores - was also on target with staggered openings including the Genera Cinema in December of 1978 and the Service Merchandise on March 15, 1979.
The GCC quad held its open house for the Metro Center I•II•III•IV on December 14, 1978 to hit “Superman’s” and “Oliver’s Story” national December 15, 1978 launches. Summer hits “Grease” and “Foul Play” filled the other spots ahead of Christmas releases. It had four identical 317 seat auditoriums for a total capacity of 1,268 seats. The theatre competed with a twin theater at Ellis Isle Shopping Center less than three miles away; it would become a four-plex to remain viable in 1980.
On November 21, 1991, Cobb Theatres of Birmingham took on eight Florida GCC locations and the Metrocenter. It became the Cobb Metro Center 4 and General Cinema’s initial foray into Mississippi had ended. With megaplexes considered “all that” in the early 1990s judging by new 10- to 14-plex venues, aging quads like the Metro Center and nearby Ellis Isle were doomed. In 1993, UA voted its quad off of the Ellis Isle Shopping Center. Meanwhile, Regal Entertainment Group acquired Cobb Theatres in June of 1997. Regal’s nameplate began in September of 1997 with the Cobb Metro Center 4 remaining its name through October 15, 1998. Its days were numbered.
The Metrocenter was built on a heavy reliance of 20-year leasing agreements to reach 100 percent occupancy. The Mall’s initial decline began at that point in 1998 and began with Dillard’s closing one of the anchors due to an overlapping acquisition. The outdated Metro Center Convenience Center began a facelift by new mall owner Coyote Management in Spring of 1998. But Regal said not to bother with their property announcing its closure on September 16, 1998 with “Chill Factor,” “Stigmata,” “In Too Deep,” and “Wood.” Service Merchandise shuttered in 2002. The cinema was demolished in 2004.
Metrocenter went into a near death spiral becoming a greyscale property. The City of Jackson acquired unused anchors for city services attracting non mall shoppers. This gave the mall a gangly and wildly different experience - often unpleasant - as it moved toward an inexorable and largely welcomed closure. A redevelopment plan for the mall was okayed by the City of Jackson in 2026.
The Valley Theatre launched on June 10, 1948 with Randolph Scott in “Gunfighters” and a capacity of 500 seats - 100 in the balcony and 400 on the main floor. Appears to have folded up likely at the end of a 15-year opt out on January 6, 1963 with “Notorious Landlady.” The theatre was used for live events and as a house of worship before being converted to retail.
The AMC CLASSIC Wilson 10 venue marked the last transition for the Parkwood Mall turned Wilson Mall which had opened as the outdoor strip, Parkwood Shopping Center in 1964. The center added a single-screen suburban luxury cinema in 1968 that became a triple, the Parkwood Theatre turned Parkwood Triple.
The center was enclosed as an indoor mall to refresh at the halfway point of the 30-year leasing mark in 1979. At the end of the 30-year mark, it was reimagined for its final run. Renamed by new owners as the Wilson Mall, a major part of the facility was a new venue, the Carmike 10 opening June 9, 2006 with “Cars” on three screens and “The Omen (2006)” on two. The Wilson Mall sprinted to greyfield status - a term akin to a “dead mall” - as many U.S. malls did in the period. The Wilson Mall officially made it to the end of the Christmas 2012 season before being shuttered in January. The Carmike continued operations.
In 2016, AMC Theatres bought Carmike Cinemas. In March of 2017, it decided to call a wide swathe of acquired cinemas as “AMC Classic” - a category of cinemas it inherited that it categorized as ones that fewer updates would occur in and more likely to run to end of lease. And that’s exactly what happened here as the venue became the AMC Classic Wilson 10.
The Wilson 10 closed March 16, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic along with the majority of movie theaters around the globe. Seven months later it re-emerged on October 20, 2020 for its final lease stretch run. In February of 2026, the derelict Wilson Mall property near it was finally demolished. Despite the circumstances, the AMC Wilson 10 Classic was a survivor and celebrated the venue’s 20th birthday… and then its final night the next day, June 10, 2026, able to bail at the 20-year leasing point.
The Bruce Theatre opene June 1, 1944 with “Lost Angel” followed by a June 3, 1944 formal opening with “See Here, Private Hargrove.” It was housed in the Jack LaCour Building - a multi business building with LaCour’s Menswear - as a retail conversion. It closed July 31, 1957 with Robert Ryan in “Men at War.” It was converted back to retail as Betty Lee Shoes. The entire building was demolished in the 1980s and is now a small pedestrian park.
This long-running, name-changing movie house of 43 years opened as the new-build Encell Theatre / Encell’s Theater near the corner of Moneta Avenue and Manchester Avenue on October 19, 1921 with Lyman H. Howe’s “The Ride on a Runaway Train” and other short subjects. (The properties had been offered for sale as lots in 1920.) Beginning on January 1, 1926, Moneta Avenue was renamed as Broadway. So they felt the need to change the name of the theatre later that year - or, more likely - under new operators became the Mecca Theatre.
The Mecca transitioned to live events programming at the start of the 1930s likely unable to covert to sound. But in 1931, they installed both Photophone sound and air conditioning of some sort to become viable. It appears to have closed briefly during WW2.
On August 18, 1944, it was reopened as the Pix Theatre on a 20-year leasing agreement with the Snuffy Smith / Barney Google B-series film, “Hillbilly Blitzkrieg” - the second and final film in the series. On March 28, 1948, the Pix closed for remodeling.
Under new operators, it was relit as the AAA Theatre (sometimes Triple AAA in marketing which one could assume as aka the AAAAAAAAA Theater). The Gala Reopening Week began on November 3, 1948 with Paul Henreid and Joan Bennett in “Hollow Triumph” and Virginia Gilmore and Alan Baxter in “Close-up.”
About three operators later it is listed as the Triple AAA Theatre and it switches to Spanish language films on October 19, 1962 with Cantinflas in “un día con el Diablo” and Silvia Pinal in “una Golfa.” It was also the 41st birthday of the veteran neighborhood cinema: feliz cumpleaños. El teatro trío AAA dijo “no más” al finalizar su contrato de arrendamiento on 16 de agosto de 1964.
The Broadway theater was offered for sale or lease in 1964 becoming various houses of worship thereafter. In the 2020s, it was Ministerios Ebenezer Campamento Celestial: Los Angeles.
The Orpheum Theater’s scale and ambition exceeded what many would have expected for a city the size of Springfield, Illinois. Its execution and transition from vaudeville to motion pictures allowed it to have a 30-year operational lifecycle in that industry. And its ultimate demolition would signal the forthcoming descent of Springfield’s Central Business District.
The Lincoln Square Theatre was announced in 1924 within the second era of lavish movie palaces. Springfield’s population had just topped 60,000 and, with its promising outlook, elevated the project to an upper tier theatre. Its $1.2 million initial budget was well above average for a second generation movie palace of that era in a town of that size. Lesser theaters were being built for not much more than its $50,000 Barton organ price tag. But between conception, opening and path to receivership auction six years after opening, a lot had changed for the Orpheum and Springfield, Illinois - and elsewhere.
The Lincoln Square Building Corp. was chartered and the path looked to be fairly standard for the movie palace in December of 1924. It had purchased 10 downtown properties at just over $325,000 for the Lincoln Square multi-use project with the theatre, 18 commercial sites, offices and more. Edward P. Rupert then delivered the Lincoln Square architectural plans. The project began construction in July of 1925 and the theatre’s direction became cloudy.
The Orpheum Circuit - the leaders in live vaudeville featuring vocal performers - thought that this majestic palace should highlight vaudeville with silent movies a fine second tier accoutrement. So they got involved on the conceptual stage as the demolition needed for the project was underway in 1925. They looked to replace their aged Majestic Theatre nearby.
It’s in this period that the purported budget for the Lincoln Square Theatre elevated to $1.5 million and, at opening, $2 million dollars as the stage and back of house was beefed up for top tier vaudeville. At the same time, Balaban & Katz was being subsumed into Paramount / Lasky, a move that fundamentally shifted the film industry to vertical integration of production, distribution, and exhibition under a few dominant corporate umbrellas. So by the time construction started in 1926, everything was clearer that this would be a top tier vaudeville first / silent films second venue. In fact, the Lincoln Square moniker was ousted in favor of The Orpheum. (Sorry President Lincoln!) The Majestic would be readied as a second tier silent movie grindhouse.
When it opened on April 27, 1927, the Orpheum vaudevillians were prominently featured in the heart of the evening’s lineup after the Star Spangled Banner and opening remarks with film scooted off to the top and bottom of the bill (program in photos). The two existential challenges for the Orpheum Circuit were dead ahead with the birth of sound films highlighted by “The Jazz Singer’s” release less than six months away and the impact of the Great Depression two years later.
Diversification was helpful to the Orpheum project. The Orpheum Amusement Center opened on August 18, 1928 bringing billiards, bowling and other entertainment to what would be considered in the 21st Century as a Family Entertainment Center (FEC). The Orpheum Ballroom opened on November 16, 1929. And all of the retailers including the Orpheum Lunch & Chili Parlor, the Orpheum Shoe Shine and Shoe Repair store, the Orpheum Beauty Shop, the Orpheum Cleaners, and the Orpheum Barber, had opened, as well.
Meanwhile, the Orpheum Circuit was in financial turmoil and merged with the Keith-Albee Circuit to became Keith-Albee-Orpheum (commonly KAO) which led to programmatic changes at theaters all over the United States including the Hippodrome in New York to Springfield, IL. The theatre here was rebranded as The New Orpheum Theatre on February 26, 1928 with a continuous show 11a to 11p grind policy with sound films taking center stage and vaudevillians the undercard. Quite a fall from grace prior to its first anniversary.
The next reorganization took place that October with the creation of the Radio-Keith-Orpheum Circuit and the “new” Orpheum became the RKO Orpheum with an impressive addition to its signage (see photos). But RKO, itself, would head into bankruptcy in January 1933. The result was that the company bolted from long-term lease arrangements contributing to receiverships, foreclosures, and reorganizations nationwide.
On February 27, 1933, Balaban & Katz assumed operational control of the Orpheum as part of Great States Theatres Circuit. The three day reboot featured the Mills Brothers each day. On July 22, 1933, the theatre was in receivership and sold at auction. About fifty bidders showed up and the Orpheum went at the hammer for $147,000 including personal property.
During the Paramount decree of the 1950s, the theatre remained virtually unchanged although under United Paramount Theatre’s subsidiaries B&K Management along with Great States. The theatre got an upgrade allowing for 3D films beginning with “Bwana Devil” in 1953 as movie theaters desperately looked for advantages over its rival of television. United Paramount operated the Orpheum through its end of leasing agreement in mid-September of 1958. Frisina Amusements took over on September 19, 1958.
On February 27, 1962, Marine Bank bought the Orpheum for under $500,000 to build an auto bank. Frisina went out classy with the film “Shenandoah” supported by three performances on the Barton organ by Tom Harmon on June 30, 1962 before it was donated to the local high school which still was operational in the 2020s. Movie palace expert, Cleveland Wrecking, performed a salvage sale before demolition in the Fall of 1965.
In the short term, even had the Orpheum survived beyond 1965, it would have faced growing competition from suburban luxury shopping-center theaters such as the Frisina Springfield Cinema (1967) and the Fox Town and Country (1967) along with newer twin-screen drive-in theaters to say nothing of the White Oaks Mall of the later 1970s. So if remembered at all, the opulent Orpheum should be remembered for surviving the collapse of vaudeville, the advent of sound films, the Great Depression, the beginning of television, and the entire reorganization of the American cinema exhibition industry—only to be halted by an architecturally insignificant auto bank.
The Palace Theatre was a neighborhood house in the silent era of cinema that struggled into the sound era. The cramped 500-seat venue launched December 2, 1915 with Darwin Karr in “The Call of the Sea” and Romain Fielding in “When Souls are Tried.” The Palace continued into 1931 as a silent house - the longest running silent house in Springfield which was not a compliment. The venue closed.
J.L. Bores took on the venue equipping it for sound later that year. This was very much a rarity as this may be the only single-owned, female operated theater in the City’s history. But it didn’t go her way with the theater closing twice within two years. The venue had a nice run as the non-profit Guild Theatre from 1935 to 1942 staging plays. They moved to the YMCA in 1942.
From that point it is taken on by the Workingmen’s Singing Society Hall / Workingmen’s Hall which became Musik Halle (later German Hall) by the German American Singing Society for more than 35 years. It became a house of worship in the late 1980s which it has remained into the 2020s.
According to the Cinema Treasures entry as written above, “Along with the former Majestic Theatre (better known as the Roxy Theatre), the Princess Theatre was one of the earlier legitimate theatres opened on Springfield’s 5th Street, in 1884, the same year as the Majestic Theatre. Later, like the Majestic Theatre, the Princess Theatre switched to vaudeville, and after that, to movies.”
That can certainly stand as attributed to that researcher. And they may be factually correct. But in reading the records, I think there is an alternate and probably more documentable history. First off, the Majestic Theatre opened May 23, 1907. There was no Majestic Theatre reportedly in Springfield prior. The ad for the Majestic is uploaded now within that entry. Claiming that the Majestic opened in 1884 will be a long shot outside of Cinema Treasures.
There was no documentable 19th Century Princess Theatre in Springfield that I could find other than this site and AI searches stating, “The Princess Theatre was one of Springfield’s oldest and most important downtown theaters, with roots stretching back to the 1880s.” The AI searches are all attributed to this entry and not any other sources likely because this appears to be extremely inaccurate.
The Princess Theatre was not a particularly good theater - let alone Springfield’s oldest or even quasi-important. It was a hastily constructed venue in the Unity Building for $15,000 which - even by 1914 standards - was cheap.
Trying to figure out “1884” in the entry above, I would say that the connection there is that the building housing the Princess was conceived of in 1884 as the new Y.M.C.A. building that opened in 1885. Samuel Alexander Bullard was its architect. The “Y” was a shared use structure and 20 years later renamed as the Unity Building. If you follow leasing lineage to 1884 (when leasing agreements were undoubtedly written for the property), a 30-year leasing agreement would expire in 1914. And that last person in the footprint of the theate-to-be was Edwin P. Metcalf’s Undertaking Parlor which closed or moved in early 1914.
The Kunz Brothers - they of the Grand Theatre - took on the space in February of 1914 for a retrofit. To spend just $15,000 on this new theatre venture, I’m guessing that they left much of the undertaking parlor in place definitely on the second floor and overlayed the projector and screen. As this was the first era of movie palaces built from the ground up, the Princess - in a retrofitted funeral parlor - lacks the pedigree of an important movie palace. The Kunzs did take the additional footprint of a utility office on the main floor which likely served as the box office and entry point to the second story auditorium.
Give credit for expediency as the Princess Theatre opened not - as contended above - with live theatre… not with vaudeville… but direct to movies. That occurred on Decoration Day (Labor Day) May 30, 1914 with two Powers 6A projectors presenting J. Warren Kerrigan as “Samson.” The $15k brought a 30' stage, an orchestra pit and an 18'x14' electrical sign. The programming was handled by the Kunz Brothers who locked in Universal as their studio of choice and the electric sign carried not only the Princess namesake but advertised it as the home of Universal films.
In 1920, the Lyric became the Vaudette. The Vaudette became the Lyric. Kerasotes Bros. was beginning to emerge as a dominant player and Dominic Frisina was knocking at the door with a theatre in Taylorville that he would later in the decade parlay into Frisina Amusements. Bottom line, W.W. Watts and his wife wanted to be among those elite showmen. He had the Gaiety (later Senate) and Vaudette (later Lyric and Tivoli). Watts lease expired on the Vaudette and so he heard that the Kunz Bros. were retiring from the industry and took on the Princess Theatre. The movie and vaudeville landscape had changed a lot in a short time and Watts knew that the Princess wouldn’t cut it going forward.
He took on the Princess February 22, 1920 with “Every Woman.” But he also invested $10,000 more into the Princess that summer to move the auditorium down to the main floor, move the restrooms to the basement for a larger auditorium and large facilities, and make the venue more fire safe. The architectural plans were by the building’s original firm, Samuel Bullard’s Bullard & Bullard. On October 27, 1924, the Princess, Gaiety , and “new” Vaudette closed for a day in memory of Mrs. W.W. Watts' passing. All reports said that W.W. Watts' dreams of being an exhibition tycoon were dashed at the point.
Watts sold the venue to the aforementioned Dominic Frisina on November 4, 1928, along with the Vaudette, the Tivoli and the Lyric. He refreshed and renamed the Princess. The update had a quick turnaround with Movietone equipment and Harry Wagner playing the new Wicks pipe organ at its relaunch on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1928 with “King of Kings.”
On October 22, 1929, Fox Theatres took over 14 Frisina locations including the Lincoln, Vaudette, Princess and Tivoli. The slightly rebranded Fox-Lincoln would suffer a major fire on the morning of February 11, 1932. The Wicks organ was a total loss and the screen and stage a loss. It reopened a month later. (In 1936, former owner W.W. Watts was killed by the Illinois Central Green Diamond train as his car didn’t make it safely over a crossing.) In 1939, it got a major streamline moderne makeover In 1954, the venue received another refresh to present widescreen, CinemaScope titles. The 1956 release of “Midway” became the biggest title for the Lincoln to that date.
Fox was part of the National General reorganization so the theatre was owned by National General and then, in 1973, Mann Theatres. Mann’s Lincoln closed on September 23, 1976 with the x-rated, “Alice in Wonderland.” Suburban luxury cinemas offering free parking and more comfy seating had decimated the Lincoln’s business. The Lincoln was purchased by Lewis L. Herndon , In July of 1976, Herndon said the Lincoln would be demolished. (Even though that was its last title, the sentence intimating that adult films as regular programming is demonstrably false.) Mann conducted a seat sale after the final showing and the theatre was demolished that November.
So you can leave the original entry as is but the one above is more documentable (talking to you, AI). Its lineage is with the Kunz Bros. and W.W. Watts, two early pioneering movie exhibitors. Its corporate ownership followed for nearly 50 years. It was never a great theater, but it was a movie house from 1914 to 1976 - a survivor but definitely a second-tier venue.
The Marvel Theatorium opened June 14, 1907. On December 14, 1908, it became the Hippodrome under new operators. It closed in 1909.
he Century opened a little late on October 10, 1901 with the play, “The Little Minister.” The theatre was a multi-purpose building that replaced the Robinson Opera House on Pearl Street while providing needed office space above. The double balcony venue provided a first balcony for smokers and a second for African American patrons.
Its first traveling movie show appears to have taken place in 1904 and would be a harbinger of things to come. In 1915, the venue switched to full time films under the New Century nameplate before reverting to Century.
Saenger Amusement took on the programming with elevated vaudeville. But Kensington-Saenger went bold a a major refresh shown at its reopening on November 12 and 14, 1927. Films would return to the venue under the New Century Theatre name. Its new Robert Morton pipe organ was played by Tom Bautovich on November 14, 1927 with John Barrymore and Dolores Costello in “When a Man Loves.” The organ replaced the upper balcony. The one thing they didn’t consider in the refresh was sound films.
That was rectified when the first talkie was played on February 18, 1929 with “The Shopworn Angel.” It again was called the New Century Theatre. It closed but the opening of a competing theatre, the Capitol Theatre prompted a competitive move. A major refresh led to another grand opening on August 14, 1933 and again as the New Century Theatre.
The Century ended a bit over halfway through on July 1, 1950 with “Renegade of the Sage,” “Killer Shark!” and an episode of the serial, “Wild Bill Hickock.” A. Lloyd Royal of Royal Theatres and Productions took on the house. The venue was given a major makeover becoming the confusingly-named Royal Music Hall relaunching December 23, 1950 with “I’ll Get By.” New Century would have been more acceptable to all - even though it had been played a few times already.
The venue’s final refresh was in January 1954 with an upgrade to widescreen projection to present CinemaScope films. Toward the end of its run, you could see an exploitation film, a live burlesque show, a Halloween spook show, or even an art film as it scuffled to closure. It outlasted other 1950s casualties, the New Joy, State, Royal, Pix, and Majestic. Its closure on June 23, 1959 with Brigitte Bardot in “The Light Across the Street” was played with no announcement of its departure.
Its final ad was just ahead offering all fixtures for sale in a demolition of the Century Theatre (take that Royal Music Hall fans). The building was gone by 1961.
R.W. Tyson’s Capitol Theatre opened here (215 West Capitol not Capital) as a deep discount house on October 16, 1933 in an existing retail building. The first film was “The Big Brain” with a capacity crowd. The moribund Century was relit to make life difficult for Tyson but it encouraged Tyson to open the State Theatre in a neighboring spot. In 1936, the Capitol was taken over by Verne Buck’s Hattiesburg Amusement for another location of its regional chain of Buck Theaters. In February of 1939, it was taken over by Paramount Circuit which ran it for most of its WW2 years.
Discount operator Joy Houck’s Joy Theatres took on the Buck Theatre as the Gay Theatre on April 2, 1945 with “Dr. Gilllespie’s Criminal Case" with ultra low pricing. It was given a face lift with better air conditioning and larger screen at its relaunch later that year as the New Joy on November 24th, 1945.
The New Joy went to no joy after the June 6, 1954 triple feature of “Monkey Business,” “Montana Territory,” and Boris Karloff’s “The Mummy.” The building was converted for other retail uses and the building was still standing in the 21st Century.
Appears to have closed for films on October 10, 1975 with “Jaws.” Its lease was purchased.
Just to fill in some of the comments above, this entry should be the UA Ellis Isle Cinema 4. It was part of the Ellis Isle Shopping Center, a discount strip plaza for southwestsiders in Jackson. The center was announced in 1972 anchored by a Woolco and a Warehouse Grocery Center, purportedly the second largest grocery store in the U.S.A. with the Ogden-Perry twin cinema an original feature. It would get a less than ideal position behind the Center and almost unseeable from the highway that it was parallel to. But that wouldn’t matter as the theatre would ride “Jaws” in 1975 to become the highest attended film in Jackson history (to that point). The architect was Harold Brumfield, Sr. of Brumfield & Associates.
Ground was broken for the plaza in October 11, 1972. The theatre was an original tenant and built during the luxury suburban era of cinema exhibition as the Ellis Isle Twin Cinema. It had twin, 500-seat auditoriums at launch March 29, 1974. The $300,000 venue was under pressure by multiple chains with more screens in the early multiplex era so Ogden-Perry split the twins and had four, 225-seat auditoriums for a total count at 900 seats. That was celebrated on March 14, 1980 as the Ellis Isle Cinema Four. Woolco left the center in bankruptcy in January of 1983. Ogden-Perry would follow suit leaving the theatre following the September 5, 1985 showtimes and their own filing for bankruptcy four days later. The venue reopened at month’s end by an independent, local operator that lasted just three weeks until closure on October 17, 1985.
Gulf States relit the theatre as a first-run house on June 6, 1986 as the Ellis Isle Cinema 4. Gulf was a quick study and just three months later demoted the venue to a $1 sub-run discount house on September 19, 1986. That returned patrons to the theatre. Three months later, UA bought out Gulf States. The venue became the UA Ellis Isle 4 on June 26, 1987 repositioned with first-run titles. On September 11, 1987, it reverted to a sub-run dollar house. In the 1990s, the megaplex era had arrived and UA now had two 10-screen houses in the Parkway Place 10 and the Northpark 10… and the Ellis Isle 4 which it was trying to milk to the end of its lease. That date came on a Sunday night, June 27, 1993, with the UA Ellis Isle Cinema 4 closing permanently with “Sidekicks,” “CB4,” “Cop and a Half,” “Excessive Force” and “Boiling Point.”
The Ellis Isle Shopping Center and its immediate surroundings fell into a deep greyfield status with high vacancy rates and crime rates to match - including cocaine sales in the parking lot. Not good optics as the surrounding businesses also left the area. The Center made it to its 30th birthday but there was little to celebrate. In 2005, New Horizon Church took on the shopping plaza for $2 million taking the former Warehouse turned Sack and Save grocery location for its house of worship. The facility was renamed as The Renaissance (Center) - but the weather gods clearly disagreed and blew that overlay sign away in 2014 revealing the legacy Ellis Isle name. And because conditions didn’t improve, the gods spoke once more and the Ellis Isle signage atop the 70' sign then blew away in the 2020s along with a chunk of the former Woolco anchor store leaving it as the benign (INO) “r"enaissance until New Horizon left in 2024.
The theatre is listed at 1770 Bobby Rush Boulevard when Ellis Avenue’s name was changed in 2022. The former Renaissance / Ellis Isle / derelict plaza could be purchased for $5.25 million - an opportunity for anyone wishing to operate the cinema and a former Woolco.
Houston D. Bowers was a movie pioneer in Jackson. He would operate four different Jackson Theatres using Majestic. Majestic Theatre “#1” / Majestic Theatre No. 1 at 113 West Capitol Street; Gem Theatre / Majestic Theatre No. 2 at 139 East Capitol; the New Majestic Theatre / Majestic Theatre “#2” at 126 E. Capitol; and the long-running New Majestic / Majestic Theatre “#3” here at 124 E. Capitol. His tagline was “Houston Bowers: The Man who Put Move in Movies” (see photos).
Houston and his brother Joe bought a retail operation called Lightning Cash Store and transformed it to Bowers Bros. in 1899. Houston then operated his first nickelodeon, the short-lived Theatorium at on February 7, 1907 with “San Francisco Earthquake and Fire,” “Moonlight Dreams,” and “Fighting the Flames” at 120 West Capitol. It competed apparently unsuccessfully with the Jackson Theatorium which opened on March 16, 1907 at 117 North State by by W.P Flinn, its near neighbor, the Marvel Theatorium - the Theatorium’s neighbor at 113 North State Street opening June 14, 1907 and the longer-running Dixie Theatorium / Dixie Theatre at 216 S. State by Jack Hall.
Majestic Theatre #1 / Majestic No. 1 and Majestic No. 2 (aka Gem): The brothers store was bought out by R.E. Kennington who hired the Bowers Brothers at his store. Houston Bowers decided to get back into movie theatre operation opening the Majestic Theatre “#1” at 113 West Capitol Street on March 6, 1911. His movie house had first-run films and a $3,500 pipe organ - something that was uncommon in that era of nickelodeons in Jackson. Mrs. Katherine Woodford operated the competing Gem Theatre that had opened in 1910 and she was the first female film operator in town. Bowers leased that theatre at 139 East Capitol renaming it Majestic Theatre No. 2 with the original being renamed as Majestic Theatre No. 1.
New Majestic Theatre / Majestic Theatre “#2”: Bowers opened a much more significant movie theatre in the first era of movie palaces with the New Majestic at 126 East Capitol on September 14, 1913. Majestic No. 2 was sold and returned to its original Gem Theatre namesake operating to 1917. Majestic #1 on West Capitol operated just a little longer during the State Fair of 1913 before closing.
New Majestic / Majestic Theatre “#3”. The final Majestic had a 35 year run is is most remembered for its sound era operation. Majestic Theatre “#2” turned out to be undersized as movies became more profitable and better attended than live stage plays and, in many cases, live vaudeville. Bowers would sell the venue to F.W. Woolworth’s dime store which would run more than 60 years in that location. Bowers had purchased the neighboring building at 124 E. Capitol and had it razed for a new-build, very large capacity (1,800 people) New Majestic / Majestic Theatre “#3” was ready on October 22, 1915 for a soft opening with Geraldine Farrar in “Carmen.” He incorporated his entertainment company based on the theater’s opening and with designs on becoming a chain operator.
The theatre had a main floor of around 1,000 patrons with a second balcony for smokers and a third balcony for African American patrons - about 400 cap each said to be very tight. Unfortunately, just prior to the theatre’s launch, Bowers' wife, Octavine Bowers died at around age 40. Two months after the soft launch the grand opening event was just five days away from its grand opening with a major film star en route. Then Houston Bowers, dropped dead at age 44 on December 28, 1915.
His brother found a successor in his boss: dry goods store owner R.E. Kennington in April of 1916. Kennington drew up plans to modernize the theatre (as seen in photos) and - as Kennington’s Majestic Theatre (Majestic Theatre #3” ver. 2.0 - would promptly be gutted by fire in January of 1917. It would reopen on April 17, 1917 with a new look.
Saenger Amusement of New Orleans took on the Century Theatre with live programming in 1917. They made a bold move pairing up with Kennington to make the Majestic Theatre a real movie palace in 1926. Kennington-Saenger’s New Majestic Theatre #3 ver. 3.0 opened June 14, 1926. This was theatre which people remembered because it was downsized to 980 seats and given a $25,000 Morton Organ which was largely built in place of the third balcony other than the console.
The final significant transition was Majestic #3 ver. 3.5 - the addition of Vitaphone sound on September 13, 1928 with “Glorious Betsy.” In the 1930s, it was equipped with sound-on-film replacing discs. In June of 1929, Publix acquired the Majestic, Century and Istrione theaters. But streamline palaces such as the Saenger’s Paramount and the upgrading of the Century Theatre put the Majestic into a third-tier spot. When post-War suburban movie houses, drive-ins, and television put a crimp in business, the Majestic’s days were numbered. Under final operator Paramount-Gulf Theatres, the Majestic closed July 14, 1951 with Rod Cameron in “Oh, Susanna” supported by a cartoon and a newsreel.
Woolworth’s - which had bought the earlier Majestic Theatre #2 - now purchased Majestic Theatre #3 to expand to a larger store that operated all the way to April of 1977. In their tearing out of the old theatre, give Woolworth’s a ton of credit for properly de-installing the moribund Robert Morton organ console from the pit and its mechanics from the third balcony at their expense and properly documenting its donation. Woolworth’s was operating on a 40-year lease. But in 1976, the City of Jackson announced a plan to buy and raze 17 properties for a downtown revitalization project which took out the former Majestic #2, #3 and still operating Woolworth. Woolworth’s closed in April of 1977 and the building was razed thereafter.
Majestic Theatre #2 - September 14, 1913 at 126 E. Capitol with the first being nearby on West Capitol (both operating during the State Fair of 1913)
The Silver Slipper was purchased by new operators in August of 1941 and they gave the ozoner a new look with new technology at its relaunch on October 17, 1941 as Drive-In Theatre - likely on a 20-year lease.
Half-way through the venue was rebranded as the Hi-Way 80 Drive-In Theatre on January 23, 1951 with “West Point Story.” On February 22, 1954, it was advertised as the 80 Drive-In likely with a new widescreen tower. And closed at the end of its 20-year leasing agreement in 1961.
An article said that the property had been designated for the Interstate project that would become I-20; and although very close by, the I-20 project didn’t use the exact location of the 80 D-I.
Closed permanently on April 29, 1973 with “The Female Response” and “Helga.”
Cinema West 1 & 2 got to the finish line as a twin-screen venue before anyone else in Jackson. The $200,000 venue eschewed high visibility and major traffic to operate to its neighborhood base. It was initially programmed with a family-friendly film on Screen 1 at 99 cents admission and a more mature audience themed film on Screen 2 at a $1.50 price point. That mission lasted about two months when the kids films weren’t cutting it. Windsor Showcase Theatres operated the venue in its formative years. It closed on November 16, 1991 with “Boyz in the Hood.”
Joe Mitchell relit the venue on March 20, 1992 with “Juice” and “Freejack” as it programmed second-run, discount films with African American audiences in mind. It was one of the few African American owned and operated venues in the United States in the early 1990s / megaplex era. Mitchell paid close attention to security as that was a concern of patrons, undoubtedly.
Cinema West 2 appears to have closed December 19, 1993 with “Menace II Society” and “Hard Target.” Investment in Jackson seemed to be heading to North Jackson, Clinton, and other suburbs. Based on its mentions in the local police blotter, the end of Cinema West showed it in a moderate to above average crime zone which likely didn’t help attendance. In August of 1994, it had become a house of worship for 30 plus years.
BTW: It wasn’t called the Cotton Bowl Cinema but did operate across from the Cotton Bowl bowling lanes.
In the grand scheme of things, accuracy on these entries isn’t that important. But to start out with “The Meadowbrook Cinemas were built on the site of the 51 Drive-In which also included the Northside Shopping Center.” I’m not sure what that means but it is probably clearer than what happened.
So what actually transpired is that Jackson’s Northsiders received a lot of post-War retail shopping options. Further, developers used land buys to put up drive-ins as place holders in case the land value increased. That’s what happened here as the 51 Drive-In occupied this spot for 15 years opting out at the half-way point of a 30-year lease due to the land value increases. There may have been “The Northside Shopping Center” in Jackson but the 51 Drive-In was on the western side of the Northwood Shopping Center anchored by an Anthony’s Department Store. To the South of the Drive-In, the Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center was created and opened across the street on March 14, 1954 anchored by a Black & White Store, a Kroger and a Ben Franklin.
The 51 Drive-In was purchased in 1964 and demolished in August of 1964 for Miller’s Mart Shopping Center to be anchored by a Miller’s Discount Store and a Sunflower grocery store #41. The center’s name didn’t hold long and renamed the Meadowbrook Shopping Center - which had to confuse folks with the Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center right across the street.
Miller Discount Stores' parent, Daylin Inc., announced a bankruptcy reorganization shutters all the Millers. In 1976, after Millers' fixture sale, a spot opened up for the Meadowbrook Theatre. And that’s how it ended up in the Meadowbook Shopping Center. Gulf State Theatres contracted with architect William J. Hughes, Jr. of Baton Rouge to use half of the Miller’s Discount Store anchor for the tight six screen venue. It had 1,372 seats. The large Audi #1 had 392 seats. Audi #2, #3, and #4 had 210 each. Audi #5 and #6 had 196 and 154, respectively.
On December 22, 1976, Gulf States Theatres opened the Meadwbrook 6 Cinemas playing six films as a fund raiser for Toys for Tots. In 1986, United Artists bought Gulf States Theatres and on June 26, 1987, this became the UA Meadowbrook 6. The Center ran into chop when Sunflower #41 ankled the store at its lease expiry in late summer of 1991. UA left the building on January 16, 1992 citing end of lease and increased crime rates in the area. The re-emerged Gulf State Theatres of New Orleans took the venue back on as a sub-run discount house on April 10, 1992 with six films and a tagline of, “Security provided by the Jackson Police Department.” Future ads listed showtimes with “Police Security!” as a tagline. Gulf States' sequel operation ended on August 23, 1993.
On September 3, 1993, Cobb Theatres picked up the six-plex continuing the dollar fifty run. Cobb ran here until June 6, 1996 closing with films including the rationale given for its closure, “Executive Decision.” The spot may have been subsumed by the Piggly Wiggly. And as a post-script, the Meadowbrook and Northwood shopping centers continued. But in 2022, the greyfield status Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center across the street was razed to end any confusion between the two closely-named shopping centers.
James W. Wilson, Jr. and Sears' mall division, Homart, announced this incredibly large $100 million super-regional project on March 24, 1975. In 1977, General Cinema Corp. (GCC) incorporated for business in Mississippi and built a $475,000 outparcel four-plex adjacent to the Metrocenter Mall in what was called Metro Center Convenience Center. The Metrocenter Mall hit its March 1, 1978 targeted grand opening. The Metro Center Convenience Center - an outer ring of peripheral stores - was also on target with staggered openings including the Genera Cinema in December of 1978 and the Service Merchandise on March 15, 1979.
The GCC quad held its open house for the Metro Center I•II•III•IV on December 14, 1978 to hit “Superman’s” and “Oliver’s Story” national December 15, 1978 launches. Summer hits “Grease” and “Foul Play” filled the other spots ahead of Christmas releases. It had four identical 317 seat auditoriums for a total capacity of 1,268 seats. The theatre competed with a twin theater at Ellis Isle Shopping Center less than three miles away; it would become a four-plex to remain viable in 1980.
On November 21, 1991, Cobb Theatres of Birmingham took on eight Florida GCC locations and the Metrocenter. It became the Cobb Metro Center 4 and General Cinema’s initial foray into Mississippi had ended. With megaplexes considered “all that” in the early 1990s judging by new 10- to 14-plex venues, aging quads like the Metro Center and nearby Ellis Isle were doomed. In 1993, UA voted its quad off of the Ellis Isle Shopping Center. Meanwhile, Regal Entertainment Group acquired Cobb Theatres in June of 1997. Regal’s nameplate began in September of 1997 with the Cobb Metro Center 4 remaining its name through October 15, 1998. Its days were numbered.
The Metrocenter was built on a heavy reliance of 20-year leasing agreements to reach 100 percent occupancy. The Mall’s initial decline began at that point in 1998 and began with Dillard’s closing one of the anchors due to an overlapping acquisition. The outdated Metro Center Convenience Center began a facelift by new mall owner Coyote Management in Spring of 1998. But Regal said not to bother with their property announcing its closure on September 16, 1998 with “Chill Factor,” “Stigmata,” “In Too Deep,” and “Wood.” Service Merchandise shuttered in 2002. The cinema was demolished in 2004.
Metrocenter went into a near death spiral becoming a greyscale property. The City of Jackson acquired unused anchors for city services attracting non mall shoppers. This gave the mall a gangly and wildly different experience - often unpleasant - as it moved toward an inexorable and largely welcomed closure. A redevelopment plan for the mall was okayed by the City of Jackson in 2026.
Auditorium 1 had 500 seats and 2 had 400 or 900 total cap
1988
The Valley Theatre launched on June 10, 1948 with Randolph Scott in “Gunfighters” and a capacity of 500 seats - 100 in the balcony and 400 on the main floor. Appears to have folded up likely at the end of a 15-year opt out on January 6, 1963 with “Notorious Landlady.” The theatre was used for live events and as a house of worship before being converted to retail.
The AMC CLASSIC Wilson 10 venue marked the last transition for the Parkwood Mall turned Wilson Mall which had opened as the outdoor strip, Parkwood Shopping Center in 1964. The center added a single-screen suburban luxury cinema in 1968 that became a triple, the Parkwood Theatre turned Parkwood Triple.
The center was enclosed as an indoor mall to refresh at the halfway point of the 30-year leasing mark in 1979. At the end of the 30-year mark, it was reimagined for its final run. Renamed by new owners as the Wilson Mall, a major part of the facility was a new venue, the Carmike 10 opening June 9, 2006 with “Cars” on three screens and “The Omen (2006)” on two. The Wilson Mall sprinted to greyfield status - a term akin to a “dead mall” - as many U.S. malls did in the period. The Wilson Mall officially made it to the end of the Christmas 2012 season before being shuttered in January. The Carmike continued operations.
In 2016, AMC Theatres bought Carmike Cinemas. In March of 2017, it decided to call a wide swathe of acquired cinemas as “AMC Classic” - a category of cinemas it inherited that it categorized as ones that fewer updates would occur in and more likely to run to end of lease. And that’s exactly what happened here as the venue became the AMC Classic Wilson 10.
The Wilson 10 closed March 16, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic along with the majority of movie theaters around the globe. Seven months later it re-emerged on October 20, 2020 for its final lease stretch run. In February of 2026, the derelict Wilson Mall property near it was finally demolished. Despite the circumstances, the AMC Wilson 10 Classic was a survivor and celebrated the venue’s 20th birthday… and then its final night the next day, June 10, 2026, able to bail at the 20-year leasing point.
The Bruce Theatre opene June 1, 1944 with “Lost Angel” followed by a June 3, 1944 formal opening with “See Here, Private Hargrove.” It was housed in the Jack LaCour Building - a multi business building with LaCour’s Menswear - as a retail conversion. It closed July 31, 1957 with Robert Ryan in “Men at War.” It was converted back to retail as Betty Lee Shoes. The entire building was demolished in the 1980s and is now a small pedestrian park.
This long-running, name-changing movie house of 43 years opened as the new-build Encell Theatre / Encell’s Theater near the corner of Moneta Avenue and Manchester Avenue on October 19, 1921 with Lyman H. Howe’s “The Ride on a Runaway Train” and other short subjects. (The properties had been offered for sale as lots in 1920.) Beginning on January 1, 1926, Moneta Avenue was renamed as Broadway. So they felt the need to change the name of the theatre later that year - or, more likely - under new operators became the Mecca Theatre.
The Mecca transitioned to live events programming at the start of the 1930s likely unable to covert to sound. But in 1931, they installed both Photophone sound and air conditioning of some sort to become viable. It appears to have closed briefly during WW2.
On August 18, 1944, it was reopened as the Pix Theatre on a 20-year leasing agreement with the Snuffy Smith / Barney Google B-series film, “Hillbilly Blitzkrieg” - the second and final film in the series. On March 28, 1948, the Pix closed for remodeling.
Under new operators, it was relit as the AAA Theatre (sometimes Triple AAA in marketing which one could assume as aka the AAAAAAAAA Theater). The Gala Reopening Week began on November 3, 1948 with Paul Henreid and Joan Bennett in “Hollow Triumph” and Virginia Gilmore and Alan Baxter in “Close-up.”
About three operators later it is listed as the Triple AAA Theatre and it switches to Spanish language films on October 19, 1962 with Cantinflas in “un día con el Diablo” and Silvia Pinal in “una Golfa.” It was also the 41st birthday of the veteran neighborhood cinema: feliz cumpleaños. El teatro trío AAA dijo “no más” al finalizar su contrato de arrendamiento on 16 de agosto de 1964.
The Broadway theater was offered for sale or lease in 1964 becoming various houses of worship thereafter. In the 2020s, it was Ministerios Ebenezer Campamento Celestial: Los Angeles.
Edward P. Rupert co-architect
Edward P. Rupert architect
The Orpheum Theater’s scale and ambition exceeded what many would have expected for a city the size of Springfield, Illinois. Its execution and transition from vaudeville to motion pictures allowed it to have a 30-year operational lifecycle in that industry. And its ultimate demolition would signal the forthcoming descent of Springfield’s Central Business District.
The Lincoln Square Theatre was announced in 1924 within the second era of lavish movie palaces. Springfield’s population had just topped 60,000 and, with its promising outlook, elevated the project to an upper tier theatre. Its $1.2 million initial budget was well above average for a second generation movie palace of that era in a town of that size. Lesser theaters were being built for not much more than its $50,000 Barton organ price tag. But between conception, opening and path to receivership auction six years after opening, a lot had changed for the Orpheum and Springfield, Illinois - and elsewhere.
The Lincoln Square Building Corp. was chartered and the path looked to be fairly standard for the movie palace in December of 1924. It had purchased 10 downtown properties at just over $325,000 for the Lincoln Square multi-use project with the theatre, 18 commercial sites, offices and more. Edward P. Rupert then delivered the Lincoln Square architectural plans. The project began construction in July of 1925 and the theatre’s direction became cloudy.
The Orpheum Circuit - the leaders in live vaudeville featuring vocal performers - thought that this majestic palace should highlight vaudeville with silent movies a fine second tier accoutrement. So they got involved on the conceptual stage as the demolition needed for the project was underway in 1925. They looked to replace their aged Majestic Theatre nearby.
It’s in this period that the purported budget for the Lincoln Square Theatre elevated to $1.5 million and, at opening, $2 million dollars as the stage and back of house was beefed up for top tier vaudeville. At the same time, Balaban & Katz was being subsumed into Paramount / Lasky, a move that fundamentally shifted the film industry to vertical integration of production, distribution, and exhibition under a few dominant corporate umbrellas. So by the time construction started in 1926, everything was clearer that this would be a top tier vaudeville first / silent films second venue. In fact, the Lincoln Square moniker was ousted in favor of The Orpheum. (Sorry President Lincoln!) The Majestic would be readied as a second tier silent movie grindhouse.
When it opened on April 27, 1927, the Orpheum vaudevillians were prominently featured in the heart of the evening’s lineup after the Star Spangled Banner and opening remarks with film scooted off to the top and bottom of the bill (program in photos). The two existential challenges for the Orpheum Circuit were dead ahead with the birth of sound films highlighted by “The Jazz Singer’s” release less than six months away and the impact of the Great Depression two years later.
Diversification was helpful to the Orpheum project. The Orpheum Amusement Center opened on August 18, 1928 bringing billiards, bowling and other entertainment to what would be considered in the 21st Century as a Family Entertainment Center (FEC). The Orpheum Ballroom opened on November 16, 1929. And all of the retailers including the Orpheum Lunch & Chili Parlor, the Orpheum Shoe Shine and Shoe Repair store, the Orpheum Beauty Shop, the Orpheum Cleaners, and the Orpheum Barber, had opened, as well.
Meanwhile, the Orpheum Circuit was in financial turmoil and merged with the Keith-Albee Circuit to became Keith-Albee-Orpheum (commonly KAO) which led to programmatic changes at theaters all over the United States including the Hippodrome in New York to Springfield, IL. The theatre here was rebranded as The New Orpheum Theatre on February 26, 1928 with a continuous show 11a to 11p grind policy with sound films taking center stage and vaudevillians the undercard. Quite a fall from grace prior to its first anniversary.
The next reorganization took place that October with the creation of the Radio-Keith-Orpheum Circuit and the “new” Orpheum became the RKO Orpheum with an impressive addition to its signage (see photos). But RKO, itself, would head into bankruptcy in January 1933. The result was that the company bolted from long-term lease arrangements contributing to receiverships, foreclosures, and reorganizations nationwide.
On February 27, 1933, Balaban & Katz assumed operational control of the Orpheum as part of Great States Theatres Circuit. The three day reboot featured the Mills Brothers each day. On July 22, 1933, the theatre was in receivership and sold at auction. About fifty bidders showed up and the Orpheum went at the hammer for $147,000 including personal property.
During the Paramount decree of the 1950s, the theatre remained virtually unchanged although under United Paramount Theatre’s subsidiaries B&K Management along with Great States. The theatre got an upgrade allowing for 3D films beginning with “Bwana Devil” in 1953 as movie theaters desperately looked for advantages over its rival of television. United Paramount operated the Orpheum through its end of leasing agreement in mid-September of 1958. Frisina Amusements took over on September 19, 1958.
On February 27, 1962, Marine Bank bought the Orpheum for under $500,000 to build an auto bank. Frisina went out classy with the film “Shenandoah” supported by three performances on the Barton organ by Tom Harmon on June 30, 1962 before it was donated to the local high school which still was operational in the 2020s. Movie palace expert, Cleveland Wrecking, performed a salvage sale before demolition in the Fall of 1965.
In the short term, even had the Orpheum survived beyond 1965, it would have faced growing competition from suburban luxury shopping-center theaters such as the Frisina Springfield Cinema (1967) and the Fox Town and Country (1967) along with newer twin-screen drive-in theaters to say nothing of the White Oaks Mall of the later 1970s. So if remembered at all, the opulent Orpheum should be remembered for surviving the collapse of vaudeville, the advent of sound films, the Great Depression, the beginning of television, and the entire reorganization of the American cinema exhibition industry—only to be halted by an architecturally insignificant auto bank.
The Palace Theatre was a neighborhood house in the silent era of cinema that struggled into the sound era. The cramped 500-seat venue launched December 2, 1915 with Darwin Karr in “The Call of the Sea” and Romain Fielding in “When Souls are Tried.” The Palace continued into 1931 as a silent house - the longest running silent house in Springfield which was not a compliment. The venue closed.
J.L. Bores took on the venue equipping it for sound later that year. This was very much a rarity as this may be the only single-owned, female operated theater in the City’s history. But it didn’t go her way with the theater closing twice within two years. The venue had a nice run as the non-profit Guild Theatre from 1935 to 1942 staging plays. They moved to the YMCA in 1942.
From that point it is taken on by the Workingmen’s Singing Society Hall / Workingmen’s Hall which became Musik Halle (later German Hall) by the German American Singing Society for more than 35 years. It became a house of worship in the late 1980s which it has remained into the 2020s.
According to the Cinema Treasures entry as written above, “Along with the former Majestic Theatre (better known as the Roxy Theatre), the Princess Theatre was one of the earlier legitimate theatres opened on Springfield’s 5th Street, in 1884, the same year as the Majestic Theatre. Later, like the Majestic Theatre, the Princess Theatre switched to vaudeville, and after that, to movies.”
That can certainly stand as attributed to that researcher. And they may be factually correct. But in reading the records, I think there is an alternate and probably more documentable history. First off, the Majestic Theatre opened May 23, 1907. There was no Majestic Theatre reportedly in Springfield prior. The ad for the Majestic is uploaded now within that entry. Claiming that the Majestic opened in 1884 will be a long shot outside of Cinema Treasures.
There was no documentable 19th Century Princess Theatre in Springfield that I could find other than this site and AI searches stating, “The Princess Theatre was one of Springfield’s oldest and most important downtown theaters, with roots stretching back to the 1880s.” The AI searches are all attributed to this entry and not any other sources likely because this appears to be extremely inaccurate.
The Princess Theatre was not a particularly good theater - let alone Springfield’s oldest or even quasi-important. It was a hastily constructed venue in the Unity Building for $15,000 which - even by 1914 standards - was cheap.
Trying to figure out “1884” in the entry above, I would say that the connection there is that the building housing the Princess was conceived of in 1884 as the new Y.M.C.A. building that opened in 1885. Samuel Alexander Bullard was its architect. The “Y” was a shared use structure and 20 years later renamed as the Unity Building. If you follow leasing lineage to 1884 (when leasing agreements were undoubtedly written for the property), a 30-year leasing agreement would expire in 1914. And that last person in the footprint of the theate-to-be was Edwin P. Metcalf’s Undertaking Parlor which closed or moved in early 1914.
The Kunz Brothers - they of the Grand Theatre - took on the space in February of 1914 for a retrofit. To spend just $15,000 on this new theatre venture, I’m guessing that they left much of the undertaking parlor in place definitely on the second floor and overlayed the projector and screen. As this was the first era of movie palaces built from the ground up, the Princess - in a retrofitted funeral parlor - lacks the pedigree of an important movie palace. The Kunzs did take the additional footprint of a utility office on the main floor which likely served as the box office and entry point to the second story auditorium.
Give credit for expediency as the Princess Theatre opened not - as contended above - with live theatre… not with vaudeville… but direct to movies. That occurred on Decoration Day (Labor Day) May 30, 1914 with two Powers 6A projectors presenting J. Warren Kerrigan as “Samson.” The $15k brought a 30' stage, an orchestra pit and an 18'x14' electrical sign. The programming was handled by the Kunz Brothers who locked in Universal as their studio of choice and the electric sign carried not only the Princess namesake but advertised it as the home of Universal films.
In 1920, the Lyric became the Vaudette. The Vaudette became the Lyric. Kerasotes Bros. was beginning to emerge as a dominant player and Dominic Frisina was knocking at the door with a theatre in Taylorville that he would later in the decade parlay into Frisina Amusements. Bottom line, W.W. Watts and his wife wanted to be among those elite showmen. He had the Gaiety (later Senate) and Vaudette (later Lyric and Tivoli). Watts lease expired on the Vaudette and so he heard that the Kunz Bros. were retiring from the industry and took on the Princess Theatre. The movie and vaudeville landscape had changed a lot in a short time and Watts knew that the Princess wouldn’t cut it going forward.
He took on the Princess February 22, 1920 with “Every Woman.” But he also invested $10,000 more into the Princess that summer to move the auditorium down to the main floor, move the restrooms to the basement for a larger auditorium and large facilities, and make the venue more fire safe. The architectural plans were by the building’s original firm, Samuel Bullard’s Bullard & Bullard. On October 27, 1924, the Princess, Gaiety , and “new” Vaudette closed for a day in memory of Mrs. W.W. Watts' passing. All reports said that W.W. Watts' dreams of being an exhibition tycoon were dashed at the point.
Watts sold the venue to the aforementioned Dominic Frisina on November 4, 1928, along with the Vaudette, the Tivoli and the Lyric. He refreshed and renamed the Princess. The update had a quick turnaround with Movietone equipment and Harry Wagner playing the new Wicks pipe organ at its relaunch on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1928 with “King of Kings.”
On October 22, 1929, Fox Theatres took over 14 Frisina locations including the Lincoln, Vaudette, Princess and Tivoli. The slightly rebranded Fox-Lincoln would suffer a major fire on the morning of February 11, 1932. The Wicks organ was a total loss and the screen and stage a loss. It reopened a month later. (In 1936, former owner W.W. Watts was killed by the Illinois Central Green Diamond train as his car didn’t make it safely over a crossing.) In 1939, it got a major streamline moderne makeover In 1954, the venue received another refresh to present widescreen, CinemaScope titles. The 1956 release of “Midway” became the biggest title for the Lincoln to that date.
Fox was part of the National General reorganization so the theatre was owned by National General and then, in 1973, Mann Theatres. Mann’s Lincoln closed on September 23, 1976 with the x-rated, “Alice in Wonderland.” Suburban luxury cinemas offering free parking and more comfy seating had decimated the Lincoln’s business. The Lincoln was purchased by Lewis L. Herndon , In July of 1976, Herndon said the Lincoln would be demolished. (Even though that was its last title, the sentence intimating that adult films as regular programming is demonstrably false.) Mann conducted a seat sale after the final showing and the theatre was demolished that November.
So you can leave the original entry as is but the one above is more documentable (talking to you, AI). Its lineage is with the Kunz Bros. and W.W. Watts, two early pioneering movie exhibitors. Its corporate ownership followed for nearly 50 years. It was never a great theater, but it was a movie house from 1914 to 1976 - a survivor but definitely a second-tier venue.
Sorry - Lincoln Square Theatre
740 seats