President Theatre
210 8th Street,
Des Moines,
IA
50309
210 8th Street,
Des Moines,
IA
50309
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Orpheum Circuit
Architects: Cornelius Ward Rapp, George W. Leslie Rapp
Firms: Rapp & Rapp
Previous Names: Majestic Theatre, Orpheum Theatre, Iowa Thetare, Garrick Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Majestic Theatre in Des Moines opened on November 17, 1907 and was designed by Rapp & Rapp. The building sat at 210 8th Street and was reportedly built at a cost of $125,000. On November 14, 1909 it was renamed Orpheum Theatre (not to be confused with the former Empress/Pantages/Sherman/RKO Orpheum Theatre at 412 8th Street).
The theatre was built as a vaudeville house but started showing movies in 1909 as part of the vaudeville program. Seating consisted of the main floor, balcony, gallery and twelve proscenium boxes, six on each side. The theatre was later renamed the Garrick Theatre and then the President Theatre, and closed as a burlesque theatre on November 21, 1937. It was torn down in 1938.
Contributed by
Paul Wolter
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
From Des Moines in the early 1900s a view of the MajesticTheatre before it became the Garrick or President.
The history of this theater is puzzling. It opened as the Majestic in 1907, but by 1915 206-210 8th Street was listed in the city directory as the address of the Orpheum Theatre, and 313-317 8th Street is listed as the location of the Majestic Theatre. Orpheum vaudeville moved to the Sherman (previously Empress) Theatre in 1922, and that house was renamed the Orpheum Theatre.
Local impresarios Elbert and Getchell then took over the house at 210 8th and renamed it the Iowa Theatre. The Iowa was operated as a legitimate house, and closed after one year. The first photo on this web page shows the theater at 210 8th Street with the name Majestic on it, and from the dress and hair styles of the women and a fragment of a parked car it is clear that the photo was taken in the early to mid-1920s, so the house must have returned to its original name after the Iowa closed. I don’t know what became of the other Majestic at 317 8th Street.
From listings in various issues of The Billboard it is clear that there were houses called the Majestic and the Orpheum operating in Des Moines at the same time as early as 1908, but as no addresses are listed for either theater at that time there’s no telling which name then belonged to this house. It might have been renamed Orpheum fairly soon after opening, or it might have been called the Majestic for several years, in which case there was then another Orpheum somewhere in Des Moines.
The entire 8th street cluster of theatres is puzzling. At some point, I’ll post what I’ve researched on this. For now, just know that up and down 8th were a lot of theatres with similar names, often run by the same people: Empire, Empress, 2 Majestic’s, 2 Orpheums, a Black Cat, possibly a Strand, as well as temporary names Iowa/Sherman/Pantages!
1907 1922 and 1924 grand opening ads posted.
The Majestic Theatre was a high profile vaudeville house opened to house the Orpheum circuit performers at 206-210 8th Street. High dollars were associated in the puffery for the building to create excitement and for a chance to claim it as the most expensive theater built in the city of Des Moines to date. $175k, $150k. $125k. $100k. But the City listed the project at an austere $50k - not the most expensive theater in the city at that time. The building carried a 15-year lease but would be subleased out seasonally year over year - another clue that this was a lower cost shed than a grand theatrical palace.
So it began as the Majestic Theatre on November 17, 1907. Year one, season one - first day’s performance had the Kinodrome short films and Orpheum vaudeville attractions. Its first two years were as the Majestic Theatre with a mix of Orpheum and Orpheum-like performers. Things would change as one might expect in such a fluid subleasing situation. So be patient.
Its third year (9th season) began on November 14, 1909 as the Des Moines Orpheum Theatre. It would be actual Orpheum Orpheum every day. The venue booked W.C. Fields, Mae West, Sarah Bernhardt, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, the Foys, and many others. So the Majestic sign was removed on favor of an Orpheum Theatre sign making the Majestic sign available. It was one of the best built elements of the former Majestic so Elbert and Getchell purchased the Majestic sign and be-bopped it over to the Empire Theatre at 313-315 8th Street for the New Majestic beginning August 21, 1910 with “popular vaudeville” (aka cheaper).
During World War I, profits had definitely swung to cinematic exhibition and live stage programming in mid-sized cities and lower dropped considerably as opera houses and vaudeville theaters struggled for survival. In Des Moines, alone, the Berchel and Princess had gone dark, Foster’s Opera House/Theatre was demolished; the Majestic was showing many more films than ever before, and the Orpheum Circuit was fighting for survival closing here for a brief period in 1919.
The reorganized Orpheum took on the Des Moines Orpheum in late 1919 reopening for its season. It was a major vote of confidence for the house. That confidence lasted until the end of the venue’s 15 year leasing agreement in 1922. The Orpheum decided to move to new digs over at the Sherman / Pantages / Empress / Hippodrome wannabe at 412 8th Street. So it was time for a new name here and that became the Iowa Theatre (not the one you’re thinking of, likely) on September 24th, 1922 with third-tier vaudeville on the building’s second and final 15-year leasing cycle. The Iowa’s live presentation was - as you might expect - not a programmatic winner. So there was only one direction for the Majestic/Orpheum/Iowa to go: burley house! And so it began as the renamed Garrick Theatre on August 24, 1924 and The Kandy Girls dancing across the burlesque stage.
For its 20th birthday (77th season), it got a new partner and name. The burlesque house was picked up by the “Tiffany” of the burley circuit - The Mutual Burlesque Association (MBA) and known as the “Mutual Wheel” as it bicycled adult acts across the country. The venue was renamed as the Mutual Garrick Theatre in late 1927. Rube Bernstein’s Bathing Beauties opened the season with Erin Jackson - known as one of the main Mutual beauties on the “wheel.” In other words, a vote of confidence for the theater. Omer Kenyon was the programmer but it wasn’t a big hit. The Mutual Garrick was done after a single year.
So for its 21st birthday (81st season), it was the first of many indy operators trying to wring a nickel out of the old dog and under its new and final operational name - The President Theatre. It opened its season with a live play in 1928, “Why Men Leave.” Generally, this presidential dog was not up for the hunt. But at least its direction was familiar. After failing as a legit stage, it tried to be an event hall including wrestling, and it would finally end up as a second- and sometimes third-tier burley house - the kind with a “k” or burlesk theater - complete with a police raid and some local controversy. But there were some good shows toward its final days. In February of 1937, “Sliding” Billy Watson brought his “Beef Trust” show entitled, “Krausemeyer’s Alley” headlined by Bobbie Lee and with Babe Davis and Nadine Marsh performing the way they performed. And its final Burlesk presentation was on November 15-21, 1937 with “Running Wild” starring the “Creole Fashion Plate” herself, Karyl Norman. Not a bad swan song.
The venue’s 30th Anniversary had been reached and - having already reached the lower tier burley house stage - there would be no re-upping by anyone for a third 15-year cycle as there was nowhere to go but down. Literally. The last contract was signed by the Cohen Brothers - demolition experts. They had a salvage sale in early 1938. Orpheum Booker / Manager Clyde Fairless retrieved the booking ledger (!) listing all of the house’s live performances. He reviewed the ledger tracing the building’s demise in the reduction of booked acts year over year as the theater devolved to closure. The Majestic/Des Moines Orpheum/Iowa/Garrick/Mutual Garrick/President Theatre had few distinctions especially as not being the city’s most expensive theater built. But at least in 1938 it could claim to be the first Des Moines Theatre razed for a car parking garage.
Sadly… that distinction is also not the Majestic-President’s as the Berchel Theatre was torn down in 1931 for - yes - a parking lot. But at least it was the second theater razed for a parking lot and the first theater to be torn down and replaced by a parking lot with six operational names. That’s something, I guess.
Factually - it wasn’t really ever a silent movie house, per se, although short silent films were a part of vaudeville presentations here. Also, it wasn’t known as the Orpheum in 1908. And, it wasn’t closed in 1929.