Crystal Theatre

The Crystal Theatre was opened on January 15, 1914, this old small-town theatre seems to have withstood the test of time despite suffering damage from a fire in November 1921, it is still in operation. From the royal blue marquee to the hand painted rose vines with bidding roses running in the lobby rotunda with its pink incadescent neon lighting. Everything in the theatre is as if time stood still.

The royal blue vertical with its white neon lettering spelling out Crystal set against the red brick back round of the building and the flashing lights around the vertical gives you the feel that you are entering into the past.

From the center of the hand painting in the ceiling rotunda hangs a beautiful glass chandelier that puts it all in place. The original dark wood doors that lead to the auditorium and the matching wood railings leading to the small balcony are in pristine condition. The Crystal Theatre was closed in the 1980’s. A community group was formed to help restore and reopen the theatre. It reopened in 1997. It was badly damaged by a storm in 2009 which destroyed the roof. Repairs were carried out, and it reopened

This has to be one of my favorite small town theatres that I have had the pleasure of entering. The Crystal Theatre is now a venue for both live performances and films.

Recent comments (view all 4 comments)

kencmcintyre on February 24, 2006 at 1:16 am

Fire in 1921:

The next bout with fire in the community was not nearly as costly. However, it claimed a sizable amount of merchandise Feb. 16, 1913.

About $8,000 in merchandise and fixtures burned at Rolfe’s Drug store after flames shot out of a furnace in the rear of the store about 10 a.m. The loss was not total.

A 2:30 a.m. discovery of smoke brought firemen to the R. L. Brown Hardware Store March 1, 1916. However, before the fire fighters could quell the blaze $12,000 in stock and the building were gone. Tile structure was one of the early ones in Flandreau and was a landmark. The Bidne-Brown Building in the main business district stands on the site now.

Another early morning blaze engulfed tile Bland Meat Market May 22, 1921. Defective wiring was listed as the probable cause for $9,000 in damage beginning about 3:30 a.m.

The interior furnishings and equipment at the Crystal Theatre received damage to the tune of $6,000 in Nov. No cause was ever established for the fire, which was noticed about 6 O'clock in the evening but it was believed to have been the result of a furnace.

SethG on September 24, 2025 at 9:28 pm

Built sometime between 1911 and 1917, likely after 1914-15, as Flandreau does not appear in the AMPD.

SethG on September 25, 2025 at 7:19 pm

Seems 1914 is probably a good date. My pictures from Labor Day 2014 show the theater celebrating 100 years.

Joe Vogel on September 27, 2025 at 11:01 am

This web page from South Dakota Public Broadcasting says the Crystal Theatre opened on January 15, 1914. An estimated 1,000 people attended the three showings of the movie program presented at that event. The Crystal was built and operated by Purl R. Matson, a farmer from Fairmont, Minnesota who also ran a theater in that town. Members of the Matson family ran the Crystal until the mid-1950s.

The theater finally fell dark in the 1980s. In 1988 a community group was formed to preserve and restore the theater, and after much work to renovate the house it began presenting a variety of events in 1997. In 2009 a severe derecho did extensive damage, destroying much of the roof and soaking the exposed areas with rain, but repairs were made and operations began again. Improvements to the facility are ongoing, and the Crystal Theatre remains popular, enjoying strong support from the local community.