State Theater

The State Theatre was opened in 1937 by Homer Hodge at 106 South Main Street. Griffith Amusements operated it for a stretch with Hodge returning later. It was equipped with widescreen projection in 1954 to present CinemaScope films. The State closed on June 9, 1979. Homer Hodge offered the building as a donation to the City of Winters in 1981 (which it declined). The building was retrofitted as a professional building in 1983 and is used - as of the 2020s - as a retail building.

I spent the summer of 1958 or 1959 in Winters visiting my uncle who had his veterinarian’s office in the screen of the Fiesta Drive-In, South of town on U.S. 83. I remember a closed movie theater in downtown Winters, recognizable from the architecture. I was only about 14 years old so the details are a little vague, but I think it may have been a lawyer’s office. I’m sure it was no longer in use as a theater.