Lyric Theatre
804 Central Aveue,
Hawarden,
IA
51023
804 Central Aveue,
Hawarden,
IA
51023
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This theatre first appears on the October 1909 Sanborn, in an old two story brick commercial building that likely dates to around 1880. The 1899 map shows a hardware store here.
The Hawarden Theatre remains in operation on the 1914 map and is listed in the 1914-1915 edition of American Motion Picture Directory. By 1916 it had been renamed Lyric Theatre. It suffered damage from a fire in November, 1918. The 1926 map shows it as a store. It was likely driven out of business by the new theatre opening across the street, and seems to have closed in February 1922.
Rather blandly remodeled, this building is now part of the thrift store to the south. The historical address was 206 Kansas.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
While the Hawarden Theatre is listed (without an address) in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, Polk’s 1914 Iowa Gazetteer lists only one movie theater (the Lyric) and the opera house (Brunskill Opera House, David Brunskill, propr.) at Hawarden. Items in theater industry trade journals indicate that Lyric was a new name for the Hawarden Theatre, but not in 1914. The earliest mention of the Lyric in Hawarden I’ve found in the trades is from Moving Picture World of March 6, 1915, which says that the Hawarden Theatre had recently changed hands and would be renamed the Lyric. But I do wonder how a name change from 1915 ended up in the 1914 Gazetteer?
In any case, after that March 6, 1915 item, Lyric is the only theater name I’ve found associated with Hawarden in the trade journals for the next few years, and the last of those mention, in MPW of January 4, 1919, says that the Lyric had “…burned to the ground….” Is there any indication of the building at 804 Central having burned? It most likely would have been only whatever was between the brick side walls. Roof and floors were usually built of wood in those old commercial buildings.
It’s hard to tell. It certainly didn’t burn to the ground. There could have been a fire, and it even could have been fairly serious, but left the facade.
The first dedicated movie theatre opened in the 1890-built Lind Block on February 20, 1908 - a store-show nickelodeon. That’s likely this venue - which became the Star Theatre. The second theatre opened as the Electric Theatre on July 23, 1908 - a second such operation. And the Opera House was advertising movies as well in 1908. It was a busy time.
The Lyric Theatre nameplate began advertising in 1913 with the Electric Theatre still in business. So that’s why it’s likely that the first theatre operated by Robert Curran and Herman Storrs - becoming the Star Theatre - is the Lyric’s antecedent here. The Star was sold to Lewis Sprague in November of 1912. He promised to move the stage and slope the floor. The Lyric’s first shows are in 1913 though don’t mention Sprague or listing it as the “Former Star” so this may be in error.
J.F. Jobes and Son operated it from 1917 to January 8, 1920. The only fire was a serious projection booth fire at the second showing of the night on November 20, 1918. J.F. Jones was seriously burned in that incident. It was back in business on December 3, 1918.
Jobes sold it to Larson and Krasky. They obviously scuffled. The Lyric and Auditorium Theatres were then sold to E.T. Dunlap in August of 1921. Dunlap concentrated on the Auditorium running “Dunlap’s Program” there. C.A. Dixon took on the former Lyric venue to refit it as a retail grocery and confectionery operation in February of 1922 ending the Lyric’s (and likely Star Theater’s) run.