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.
Concessionaire Gus Kerasotes began his cinematic career on the Royal in 1909 and acquired the four-year old Savoy on February 16, 1913. The Savoy closed unable to convert to sound after the February 24, 1930 with Ken Maynard in “Seňor Americano.” Kerasotes had already moved on to better theaters at that point.
If you were searching for the most important theatre in the history of Springfield, Illinois, you found it. Peter Coutrakon and Gus Kerasotes ran an ice cream in the summer and concessionary year-round beginning in 1902. Both Coutrakon and Kerasotes would also eventually go into the movie theatre business.
Gus Kerasotes was first and found his calling here on bustling Sixth Street with the Royal Theatre on March 7, 1909. It was a nondescript, second-floor nickelodeon but Kersotes and his brothers figured out how to draw crowds and the nickels added up. Pretty soon Kerasotes Bros. became a local and then regional chain of movie theatres. The Royal appears to have closed on August 27, 1916 with live programming plus “The Gates of Divorce” with Gertrude McCoy and Ben Turpin in “Delinquent Bridegrooms.”
Second floor nickelodeons were not only out of favor by 1916 but considered quite unsafe. By that time Kerasotes was on to other theaters including the Savoy and many others.
Carl T. Meyer sketch from 1937 in photos. Reopening ad from December 23, 1960 also in photos. Final closure March 19, 1961 with “The Hunters” and Jerry Lewis in “The Bellboy.”
The Kunz Brothers opened the 300-seat Grand Theatre on the North Side of the Square on May 7, 1910. The venue added a 2,000 pound plate glass mirror screen to have a bright, larger than life screen - 10' x 14'. Co-Owner Adolph F. Kunz said the screen cost $500. The Kunz’s programming was different - very much one of a pre-art film approach in which anything involving world exploration would play there. The Kunzs appreciated the ability of film to present the wider global society to their audience - which was apparently never that large.
In 1912, Kunz said of the movie theater industry, “I think the nickel show will disappear.” He envisioned dime and quarter movie houses with “better and more expensive (movies) will be in demand all the time;” these longer films would allow people to spend hours at the theatre instead of a single hour or less. He suggested that the movie theater would be more important to communities than live stage opera houses.
Kunz also added a phone to be one of the first movie theaters in Springfield that you could call for showtimes. The Boys Candy store at 525 E. Washington was the de facto concession stand for the Grand. It’s safe to say that the Kunz Brothers, Edward and Adolph, understood the exhibition business model; but were not in a position with a single, non-capacity house to be leaders like Gus Kerasotes was. And the movies stopped in October of 1916 as the Grand scuffled against better theaters.
The venue became a retail furniture store for Westenberg Furniture and the building remained a retail spot until the early 1970s. Kunz continued in retail clothing sales until closing January 11, 1930 and passed the store to a competitor. But the location was probably best known for bargain shoes and a long-running Thom McAn shoe store through January of 1972. Likely just as well that they moved to new digs as not that long after the vacant building just gave up on July 21, 1972 self-demolishing in a collapse that injured nobody. The glass mirror screen, if still in the venue, would have undoubtedly been damaged beyond repair.
The Pekin Theater’s Dec. 7, 1914 Grand Opening ad with two episodes of “Lucille Love, Girl of Mystery” starring Grace Cunard, in photos. The Pekin did not covert to sound and switched to public affairs live programming - meetings, boxing and talent shows into the 1940s.
After the War, it became two different nightclubs: first the Pioneer Club and then the Savoy Club. In the 1950s, it became a funeral parlor. In the 1960s, a house of worship. In 1965, the City used urban renewal to condemn the entire area including 813 E. Wash. to ensure that the commercial and social heart of the African American community in Springfield - which wasn’t in particularly good shape - was severed and could not mount a comeback.
Mid-America Cinema Corp. closed the venue following the September 5, 1983 double feature of “Octopussy” and “Pink Floyd The Wall.” The venue continued as The Giant Flea Market to 1986.
Sort of interesting to have two different listings in the database with the same photo. Good news: they didn’t move the theatres physically but they did do a name swap. Harry T. Loper’s entry into the movie industry was unusual by any standard. During Springfield’s Race War Riot of August 14, 1908, Loper’s Restaurant located at this address was set ablaze in fatal fire that ended his restaurant. How bad was the situation? The Governor intervened and had reinforcements from Lincoln, Bloomington, Normal, Peoria, Pekin, and Taylorville deployed. And as an odd footnote, Loper - who was trying to mitigate the violence based on his experiences in another city.
So with the restaurant gone and with that incident on file, in 1909, Loper opened the Lyric Theatre with nickel movies. (The 223-225 South Fifth Street location was where his restaurant once was.) Above the Lyric was a popular dance hall, the Lyric Dance Hall. Loper found success and said he enjoyed this business far more than that of the restaurant industry.
Across the street was the Vaudette Theatre (#2). Basically, the Vaudette bebopped across the street displacing the Lyric here at 223-225 S. Fifth Street. It was the third and final Vaudette location for Springfield. (The original Vaudette - a vaudeville theatre - had opened on Sixth Street in 1904 and appears to have closed quickly. ) So what happened across the street at the former Vaudette locale of 216-218? The venue received a brand new Mark Evans-create terra cotta front as the New Lyric Theatre. A swap.
W.W. Watts opened here removing the pillars The Vaudette became a lower tier, discount sub-run double feature house here at 223-225 S. Fifth Street displacing the Lyric Theatre to now become a 550-seat venue effective at its relaunch on September 26, 1920 to the plans of Samuel A. Bullard of Bullard & Bullard Architects and likely on a ten year leasing agreement. So what happened at the former Vaudette locale of 216-218 S. Fifth? Harry P. Loper reopened there on July 31, 1920 with a terra cotta front as the New Lyric Theatre. (It would become the Tivoli Theatre which has its own Cinema Treasure listing.)
At this location, the inherited occupant upstairs - the Lyric Dance Hall retained its name not accepting the new Vaudette’s moniker - take that. A bit confusing though to have the Lyric Dance Hall not above the Lyric Theatre and Karma occurred as the Dance Hall was gutted by a fire on January 21, 1921.
Effective on November 4, 1928, Dominic Frisina’s Frisina Amusement took on the Vaudette, the Lyric and the Princess to make the transition to sound with Movietone equipment. On October 22, 1929, Fox Theatres took over 14 Frisina locations including the Vaudette, Princess and Tivoli. The slightly rebranded Fox Vaudette closed on May 30, 1930 at the end of its 20-year leasing agreement. Their final ad (in photos) read, “Say Goodby in a blaze of dazzling glory with Bebe Daniels in “Rio Rita.” The location was transformed into a W.T. Grant variety store (1930-1965) followed by a Thrifty Drug store with cafeteria. And I would say still standing although nothing is original.
Entry should be the Vaudette Theatre formerly known as the New Vaudette Theater, the Fox Vaudette Theatre, and the Lyric Theatre.
The Tivoli was a movie house that housed two other major venues in a 44-year time span. The original Vaudette - a vaudeville theatre - had opened on Sixth Street in 1904 and appears to have closed quickly. The second of three homes for the unrelated Vaudette “#2” was here when it opened in October 1908. It closed in the Summer of 1910 doubling its size as it took over the neighboring retail storefront at its reboot.
The Vaudette scooted across the street to 223 S. Fifth Street displacing the Lyric Theatre to now become a 550-seat venue effective at its relaunch on September 26, 1920 to the plans of Bullard & Bullard and likely on a ten year leasing agreement. So what happened here at the former Vaudette locale of 216-218? The venue received a brand new Mark Evans-create terra cotta front (see picture above) to the plans of noted architect George Barrington Helmle of Helmle & Helmle Architects. Harry P. Loper reopened on July 31, 1920 as the - why not - Lyric Theatre (#2). The Beaux-Arts styled theatre wowed at launch.
Across the street, the Lyric Dance Hall retained its name above the Vaudette - take that. It seems a bit confusing, though, to have the Lyric Dance Hall not above the Lyric Theatre and karma occurred as the Dance Hall was gutted by a fire on January 21, 1921. Effective on November 4, 1928, Dominic Frisina’s Frisina Amusement took on the Vaudette, the Lyric and the Princess to make the transition to sound with Movietone equipment. Frisina gave the Tivoli a more moderne look under the Tivoli nameplate relaunching on July 27, 1929 with “On With the Show.” That show and operation didn’t go on long, lasting just three months.
On October 22, 1929, Fox Theatres took over 14 Frisina locations including the Vaudette, Princess and Tivoli. The slightly rebranded Fox Tivoli lasted until 1934 when Fox, in bankruptcy, reorganized. Frisina Amusements was back in charge and gave the Tivoli Theatre a minor refresh in November of 1935. The Tivoli was pushed back to third-tier status. On May 7, 1952 it played an exploitation double feature of “Marijuana” and “Confessions of a Model.” Frisina moved on and the theatre was torn out in April of 1954 as it transitioned to retail. After a period of vacancy, the former Vaudette “2” (1908-1920), New Lyric / Lyric “2” (1920-1929), Tivoli / Fox Tivoli (1929-1952) was demolished at a cost of $8,500 in April of 1983.
Harris Hickox, Jr. opened the Vogue Theatre on the West side of the square on April 1, 1914 with “Wolves of the Underworld” and a “Mutual Weekly” newsreel. The short-lived venue closed on August 5, 1917 with Charlie Chaplin in “The Immigrant.” Woolworth’s expanded into the space operating 50 years and going out of business there on December 24, 1968
The World’s Dream Theatre opened here as an early Springfield nickelodeon. It opened March 14, 1908 presumably on a 10-year leasing agreement with highlights from the Jimmy Britt and Fighting Nelson boxing match. The Casino Theatre had opened as an outdoor theater as part of the White City Amusement Park in 1908. So successful was it that indoor digs were found right here. The Casino bumped the World’s Dream and was operated by John Kargin and George Mills.
Leo Burnstine and George Shepherd ran it to the end of the 10-year leasing agreement during WWI; but they closed before War’s end as the pair moved on to more modern theaters.
The Capitol Airdome opened at Capitol and Sixth with seating for 1,800 folks on May 28, 1910. Isadore Burnstine and William Evans decided that a hardtop Capitol might be the ticket and created the Capital Theatre which would run on a (likely) 25-year leasing agreement 1912 to 1937. Burnstein lost Evans and Gaines partner Joseph W. Shepherd transformed the Capital from a nickelodeon to a more then-current era theatre now with an “o” as Capitol (likely they ordered a modern sign and it had that spelling). The pair also took on the AmuseU and Empire theaters.
Frisina Amusement Circuit acquired the location effective on June 7, 1931 giving it a new look and equipping it with a contemporary sound system. Frisina ended the Capitol’s run on April 25, 1937 for a significant upgrade - keeping - reportedly - just the walls of the theatre. The new streamline moderne State Theatre was designed by architect Carl T. Meyer (sketch in photos). The State Theatre launched December 2, 1937 with “You Can’t Have Everything.”
The State closed on July 1, 1960 with “Jukebox Rhythm” and “Curse of the Demon” along with the hopeful message, “Watch for Reopening.” That was a long way off. It was listed for sale or lease with real estate ads for about 10 years.
So after that much vacancy, it was time for the State to really earn its stripes. American Amusement Co. of Durand, Michigan - the most prolific purveyor of porno chic cinema in the United States - reopened here on May 26, 1970. The first double feature was Tony Curtis in “On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who….” followed by an unnamed film that Lad Nelson of American claimed was an “acceptable picture….” but only for those over 18. And probably not that acceptable.
It finally ended on January 30, 1986 with that final two advertised films of Michelle Bauer in “Night Dreams” and “Dixie Ray: Hollywood Star.” The lease was terminated and the building demolished in 1986 with the former State Theatre joining the parking brigade. CT Corp. of Chicago carried on with Cinema Springfield - the capitol city’s exclusive adult film house. The Durand, Michigan folks would retain its Land of Lincoln presence taking it over and rebranding it to its Deja Vu moniker.
This is the wrong address and name of the ozoner. Percy Duplissey built the Surf Twin Drive-In Theatre about a mile from Southern Amusement’s Round-Up Drive-In Theatre. The idea was to out screen the venue. But six months after opening, Southern bought out the venue. Meanwhile, Walter’s Gaurino’s Open Air Theatres Inc. was opening the New Moon Twin Drive-In.
The Surf Twin was located at your choice of 1001 9th Avenue or 2450 Broad Street. The address currently listed here is for the single-screen Round-Up Drive-In a mile away. The Surf Twin reportedly opened May 2, 1953 and was the first of the venues to drop by the wayside in the early 1960s.
The Midway launched Feb. 26, 1951 with “Summer Stock” (ad in photos). It was still being used for church services in 1972. It maps to: 3610 Highway 90 Westlake, LA 70669
C&C Enterprises opened the Ritz in November of 1934. Southern Amusements took on the venue. It eventually closed here on March 30, 1952. The Ritz became a church in 1954.
The Arcade opened September 26, 1910 with Mr. and Mrs. Sydney in the live play, “Billy.” Designed as an opera house, the venue scuffled in the town of 11,500. In late August 1912, Josiah Pearce & Sons, an early New Orleans circuit of movie theaters, closed deals in Houston and here to convert failing opera houses into movie theaters with a live vaudeville component. It relaunched for films on September 2, 1912 with Mary Pickford in “An Indian Summer,” supported by “The Greed for Gold” and Francesca Bertini in “The Wandering Minstrel.”
Southern Amusements took on the venue and dominated the growing Lake Charles movie marketplace with the four major movie theatres in 1916. A fatal $1 million fire in Lake Charles on December 1, 1925 likely should have ended the Arcade save the efforts of the local firefighting team - despite losing three firefighters that day. The theatre reopened quickly and Southern Amusement would convert the theaters to sound later in the decade. By the 1950s, Southern had the Paramount, the Arcade, the Lake and both the Round-Up and Surf drive-ins. The Paramount was converted to widescreen for presenting CinemaScope titles in 1954 and the fading Arcade was not. It was a portent of things to come.
An exposé by one of the local newspapers questioned what appeared to be overly favorable taxing valuations for the aging theaters. While good journalism, a more contemporary view would suggest that the valuations of the late 1950s were based on a combination of the fading prospects for dying movie theaters and the tremendous costs associated with redeveloping them for other retail uses. The combination of drive-ins and suburban theaters offering newer technology, better seating and ample free parking had pretty much decimated downtown movie theaters - especially in a growing city like Lake Charles.
The Arcade fit the bill as Southern closed the Arcade at the end of lease on March 30, 1956 with “Lady & the Tramp.” The theatre was dormant until used by a non-profit Lake Charles Little Theatre beginning December of 1960 for stage plays. That lasted regularly until the April 30, 1967 staging of “Alice!” As part of the Downtown Mall urban renewal, the theatre had many fewer events. But the Arcade’s listing in 1978 on the National Register of Historic Places helped secure a renovation in the mid-1980s.
On Thanksgiving Day 1985 - days prior to the 60th Anniversary of the fatal fire that could have ended the Arcade in 1925, two fire calls were placed. The first fire was quickly extinguished. The second took out the theatre which was undergoing renovations. The venue was delisted on July 22, 2016 but the Arcade Theatre, Miller Building, the Paramount and the Weber Building are commemorated by a historical marker in honor of the fallen building.
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
325 seats - took the Bressler’s Ice Cream spot.
Concessionaire Gus Kerasotes began his cinematic career on the Royal in 1909 and acquired the four-year old Savoy on February 16, 1913. The Savoy closed unable to convert to sound after the February 24, 1930 with Ken Maynard in “Seňor Americano.” Kerasotes had already moved on to better theaters at that point.
If you were searching for the most important theatre in the history of Springfield, Illinois, you found it. Peter Coutrakon and Gus Kerasotes ran an ice cream in the summer and concessionary year-round beginning in 1902. Both Coutrakon and Kerasotes would also eventually go into the movie theatre business.
Gus Kerasotes was first and found his calling here on bustling Sixth Street with the Royal Theatre on March 7, 1909. It was a nondescript, second-floor nickelodeon but Kersotes and his brothers figured out how to draw crowds and the nickels added up. Pretty soon Kerasotes Bros. became a local and then regional chain of movie theatres. The Royal appears to have closed on August 27, 1916 with live programming plus “The Gates of Divorce” with Gertrude McCoy and Ben Turpin in “Delinquent Bridegrooms.”
Second floor nickelodeons were not only out of favor by 1916 but considered quite unsafe. By that time Kerasotes was on to other theaters including the Savoy and many others.
Carl T. Meyer sketch from 1937 in photos. Reopening ad from December 23, 1960 also in photos. Final closure March 19, 1961 with “The Hunters” and Jerry Lewis in “The Bellboy.”
The Kunz Brothers opened the 300-seat Grand Theatre on the North Side of the Square on May 7, 1910. The venue added a 2,000 pound plate glass mirror screen to have a bright, larger than life screen - 10' x 14'. Co-Owner Adolph F. Kunz said the screen cost $500. The Kunz’s programming was different - very much one of a pre-art film approach in which anything involving world exploration would play there. The Kunzs appreciated the ability of film to present the wider global society to their audience - which was apparently never that large.
In 1912, Kunz said of the movie theater industry, “I think the nickel show will disappear.” He envisioned dime and quarter movie houses with “better and more expensive (movies) will be in demand all the time;” these longer films would allow people to spend hours at the theatre instead of a single hour or less. He suggested that the movie theater would be more important to communities than live stage opera houses.
Kunz also added a phone to be one of the first movie theaters in Springfield that you could call for showtimes. The Boys Candy store at 525 E. Washington was the de facto concession stand for the Grand. It’s safe to say that the Kunz Brothers, Edward and Adolph, understood the exhibition business model; but were not in a position with a single, non-capacity house to be leaders like Gus Kerasotes was. And the movies stopped in October of 1916 as the Grand scuffled against better theaters.
The venue became a retail furniture store for Westenberg Furniture and the building remained a retail spot until the early 1970s. Kunz continued in retail clothing sales until closing January 11, 1930 and passed the store to a competitor. But the location was probably best known for bargain shoes and a long-running Thom McAn shoe store through January of 1972. Likely just as well that they moved to new digs as not that long after the vacant building just gave up on July 21, 1972 self-demolishing in a collapse that injured nobody. The glass mirror screen, if still in the venue, would have undoubtedly been damaged beyond repair.
The Pekin Theater’s Dec. 7, 1914 Grand Opening ad with two episodes of “Lucille Love, Girl of Mystery” starring Grace Cunard, in photos. The Pekin did not covert to sound and switched to public affairs live programming - meetings, boxing and talent shows into the 1940s.
After the War, it became two different nightclubs: first the Pioneer Club and then the Savoy Club. In the 1950s, it became a funeral parlor. In the 1960s, a house of worship. In 1965, the City used urban renewal to condemn the entire area including 813 E. Wash. to ensure that the commercial and social heart of the African American community in Springfield - which wasn’t in particularly good shape - was severed and could not mount a comeback.
Mid-America Cinema Corp. closed the venue following the September 5, 1983 double feature of “Octopussy” and “Pink Floyd The Wall.” The venue continued as The Giant Flea Market to 1986.
Sort of interesting to have two different listings in the database with the same photo. Good news: they didn’t move the theatres physically but they did do a name swap. Harry T. Loper’s entry into the movie industry was unusual by any standard. During Springfield’s Race War Riot of August 14, 1908, Loper’s Restaurant located at this address was set ablaze in fatal fire that ended his restaurant. How bad was the situation? The Governor intervened and had reinforcements from Lincoln, Bloomington, Normal, Peoria, Pekin, and Taylorville deployed. And as an odd footnote, Loper - who was trying to mitigate the violence based on his experiences in another city.
So with the restaurant gone and with that incident on file, in 1909, Loper opened the Lyric Theatre with nickel movies. (The 223-225 South Fifth Street location was where his restaurant once was.) Above the Lyric was a popular dance hall, the Lyric Dance Hall. Loper found success and said he enjoyed this business far more than that of the restaurant industry.
Across the street was the Vaudette Theatre (#2). Basically, the Vaudette bebopped across the street displacing the Lyric here at 223-225 S. Fifth Street. It was the third and final Vaudette location for Springfield. (The original Vaudette - a vaudeville theatre - had opened on Sixth Street in 1904 and appears to have closed quickly. ) So what happened across the street at the former Vaudette locale of 216-218? The venue received a brand new Mark Evans-create terra cotta front as the New Lyric Theatre. A swap.
W.W. Watts opened here removing the pillars The Vaudette became a lower tier, discount sub-run double feature house here at 223-225 S. Fifth Street displacing the Lyric Theatre to now become a 550-seat venue effective at its relaunch on September 26, 1920 to the plans of Samuel A. Bullard of Bullard & Bullard Architects and likely on a ten year leasing agreement. So what happened at the former Vaudette locale of 216-218 S. Fifth? Harry P. Loper reopened there on July 31, 1920 with a terra cotta front as the New Lyric Theatre. (It would become the Tivoli Theatre which has its own Cinema Treasure listing.)
At this location, the inherited occupant upstairs - the Lyric Dance Hall retained its name not accepting the new Vaudette’s moniker - take that. A bit confusing though to have the Lyric Dance Hall not above the Lyric Theatre and Karma occurred as the Dance Hall was gutted by a fire on January 21, 1921.
Effective on November 4, 1928, Dominic Frisina’s Frisina Amusement took on the Vaudette, the Lyric and the Princess to make the transition to sound with Movietone equipment. On October 22, 1929, Fox Theatres took over 14 Frisina locations including the Vaudette, Princess and Tivoli. The slightly rebranded Fox Vaudette closed on May 30, 1930 at the end of its 20-year leasing agreement. Their final ad (in photos) read, “Say Goodby in a blaze of dazzling glory with Bebe Daniels in “Rio Rita.” The location was transformed into a W.T. Grant variety store (1930-1965) followed by a Thrifty Drug store with cafeteria. And I would say still standing although nothing is original.
Entry should be the Vaudette Theatre formerly known as the New Vaudette Theater, the Fox Vaudette Theatre, and the Lyric Theatre.
The Tivoli was a movie house that housed two other major venues in a 44-year time span. The original Vaudette - a vaudeville theatre - had opened on Sixth Street in 1904 and appears to have closed quickly. The second of three homes for the unrelated Vaudette “#2” was here when it opened in October 1908. It closed in the Summer of 1910 doubling its size as it took over the neighboring retail storefront at its reboot.
The Vaudette scooted across the street to 223 S. Fifth Street displacing the Lyric Theatre to now become a 550-seat venue effective at its relaunch on September 26, 1920 to the plans of Bullard & Bullard and likely on a ten year leasing agreement. So what happened here at the former Vaudette locale of 216-218? The venue received a brand new Mark Evans-create terra cotta front (see picture above) to the plans of noted architect George Barrington Helmle of Helmle & Helmle Architects. Harry P. Loper reopened on July 31, 1920 as the - why not - Lyric Theatre (#2). The Beaux-Arts styled theatre wowed at launch.
Across the street, the Lyric Dance Hall retained its name above the Vaudette - take that. It seems a bit confusing, though, to have the Lyric Dance Hall not above the Lyric Theatre and karma occurred as the Dance Hall was gutted by a fire on January 21, 1921. Effective on November 4, 1928, Dominic Frisina’s Frisina Amusement took on the Vaudette, the Lyric and the Princess to make the transition to sound with Movietone equipment. Frisina gave the Tivoli a more moderne look under the Tivoli nameplate relaunching on July 27, 1929 with “On With the Show.” That show and operation didn’t go on long, lasting just three months.
On October 22, 1929, Fox Theatres took over 14 Frisina locations including the Vaudette, Princess and Tivoli. The slightly rebranded Fox Tivoli lasted until 1934 when Fox, in bankruptcy, reorganized. Frisina Amusements was back in charge and gave the Tivoli Theatre a minor refresh in November of 1935. The Tivoli was pushed back to third-tier status. On May 7, 1952 it played an exploitation double feature of “Marijuana” and “Confessions of a Model.” Frisina moved on and the theatre was torn out in April of 1954 as it transitioned to retail. After a period of vacancy, the former Vaudette “2” (1908-1920), New Lyric / Lyric “2” (1920-1929), Tivoli / Fox Tivoli (1929-1952) was demolished at a cost of $8,500 in April of 1983.
Harris Hickox, Jr. opened the Vogue Theatre on the West side of the square on April 1, 1914 with “Wolves of the Underworld” and a “Mutual Weekly” newsreel. The short-lived venue closed on August 5, 1917 with Charlie Chaplin in “The Immigrant.” Woolworth’s expanded into the space operating 50 years and going out of business there on December 24, 1968
The World’s Dream Theatre opened here as an early Springfield nickelodeon. It opened March 14, 1908 presumably on a 10-year leasing agreement with highlights from the Jimmy Britt and Fighting Nelson boxing match. The Casino Theatre had opened as an outdoor theater as part of the White City Amusement Park in 1908. So successful was it that indoor digs were found right here. The Casino bumped the World’s Dream and was operated by John Kargin and George Mills.
Leo Burnstine and George Shepherd ran it to the end of the 10-year leasing agreement during WWI; but they closed before War’s end as the pair moved on to more modern theaters.
The Capitol Airdome opened at Capitol and Sixth with seating for 1,800 folks on May 28, 1910. Isadore Burnstine and William Evans decided that a hardtop Capitol might be the ticket and created the Capital Theatre which would run on a (likely) 25-year leasing agreement 1912 to 1937. Burnstein lost Evans and Gaines partner Joseph W. Shepherd transformed the Capital from a nickelodeon to a more then-current era theatre now with an “o” as Capitol (likely they ordered a modern sign and it had that spelling). The pair also took on the AmuseU and Empire theaters.
Frisina Amusement Circuit acquired the location effective on June 7, 1931 giving it a new look and equipping it with a contemporary sound system. Frisina ended the Capitol’s run on April 25, 1937 for a significant upgrade - keeping - reportedly - just the walls of the theatre. The new streamline moderne State Theatre was designed by architect Carl T. Meyer (sketch in photos). The State Theatre launched December 2, 1937 with “You Can’t Have Everything.”
The State closed on July 1, 1960 with “Jukebox Rhythm” and “Curse of the Demon” along with the hopeful message, “Watch for Reopening.” That was a long way off. It was listed for sale or lease with real estate ads for about 10 years.
So after that much vacancy, it was time for the State to really earn its stripes. American Amusement Co. of Durand, Michigan - the most prolific purveyor of porno chic cinema in the United States - reopened here on May 26, 1970. The first double feature was Tony Curtis in “On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who….” followed by an unnamed film that Lad Nelson of American claimed was an “acceptable picture….” but only for those over 18. And probably not that acceptable.
It finally ended on January 30, 1986 with that final two advertised films of Michelle Bauer in “Night Dreams” and “Dixie Ray: Hollywood Star.” The lease was terminated and the building demolished in 1986 with the former State Theatre joining the parking brigade. CT Corp. of Chicago carried on with Cinema Springfield - the capitol city’s exclusive adult film house. The Durand, Michigan folks would retain its Land of Lincoln presence taking it over and rebranding it to its Deja Vu moniker.
This is the wrong address and name of the ozoner. Percy Duplissey built the Surf Twin Drive-In Theatre about a mile from Southern Amusement’s Round-Up Drive-In Theatre. The idea was to out screen the venue. But six months after opening, Southern bought out the venue. Meanwhile, Walter’s Gaurino’s Open Air Theatres Inc. was opening the New Moon Twin Drive-In.
The Surf Twin was located at your choice of 1001 9th Avenue or 2450 Broad Street. The address currently listed here is for the single-screen Round-Up Drive-In a mile away. The Surf Twin reportedly opened May 2, 1953 and was the first of the venues to drop by the wayside in the early 1960s.
The Midway launched Feb. 26, 1951 with “Summer Stock” (ad in photos). It was still being used for church services in 1972. It maps to: 3610 Highway 90 Westlake, LA 70669
C&C Enterprises opened the Ritz in November of 1934. Southern Amusements took on the venue. It eventually closed here on March 30, 1952. The Ritz became a church in 1954.
The Arcade opened September 26, 1910 with Mr. and Mrs. Sydney in the live play, “Billy.” Designed as an opera house, the venue scuffled in the town of 11,500. In late August 1912, Josiah Pearce & Sons, an early New Orleans circuit of movie theaters, closed deals in Houston and here to convert failing opera houses into movie theaters with a live vaudeville component. It relaunched for films on September 2, 1912 with Mary Pickford in “An Indian Summer,” supported by “The Greed for Gold” and Francesca Bertini in “The Wandering Minstrel.”
Southern Amusements took on the venue and dominated the growing Lake Charles movie marketplace with the four major movie theatres in 1916. A fatal $1 million fire in Lake Charles on December 1, 1925 likely should have ended the Arcade save the efforts of the local firefighting team - despite losing three firefighters that day. The theatre reopened quickly and Southern Amusement would convert the theaters to sound later in the decade. By the 1950s, Southern had the Paramount, the Arcade, the Lake and both the Round-Up and Surf drive-ins. The Paramount was converted to widescreen for presenting CinemaScope titles in 1954 and the fading Arcade was not. It was a portent of things to come.
An exposé by one of the local newspapers questioned what appeared to be overly favorable taxing valuations for the aging theaters. While good journalism, a more contemporary view would suggest that the valuations of the late 1950s were based on a combination of the fading prospects for dying movie theaters and the tremendous costs associated with redeveloping them for other retail uses. The combination of drive-ins and suburban theaters offering newer technology, better seating and ample free parking had pretty much decimated downtown movie theaters - especially in a growing city like Lake Charles.
The Arcade fit the bill as Southern closed the Arcade at the end of lease on March 30, 1956 with “Lady & the Tramp.” The theatre was dormant until used by a non-profit Lake Charles Little Theatre beginning December of 1960 for stage plays. That lasted regularly until the April 30, 1967 staging of “Alice!” As part of the Downtown Mall urban renewal, the theatre had many fewer events. But the Arcade’s listing in 1978 on the National Register of Historic Places helped secure a renovation in the mid-1980s.
On Thanksgiving Day 1985 - days prior to the 60th Anniversary of the fatal fire that could have ended the Arcade in 1925, two fire calls were placed. The first fire was quickly extinguished. The second took out the theatre which was undergoing renovations. The venue was delisted on July 22, 2016 but the Arcade Theatre, Miller Building, the Paramount and the Weber Building are commemorated by a historical marker in honor of the fallen building.