Temple Theatre

116 S. Main Street,
Viroqua, WI 54665

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on January 30, 2024 at 12:32 am

The NRHP registration form for the Masonic Temple Building (PDF here) says that the Temple Theatre opened on July 1, 1922 under the management of local showman Ben C. Brown, who had first shown movies in Viroqua at the old Brown Opera House at 120-122 N. Main Street in 1908, and had later operated an Airdome, a storefront house called the Electric Theatre, and then in 1915 the Star Theatre, which was in a new building at 211 S. Main Street.

In 1931, the Masonic Lodge entered lease agreement with the Paramount-Publix theater chain, which remodeled the theater interior from its original Classical Revival style to the popular, modern Art Deco style, and installed a modern marquee, though the building’s exterior was otherwise unchanged, retaining the Classical Revival look it still has today. Having lost control of the Temple, Ben Brown responded by converting a garage on Court Street into the Vernon Theatre.

Neither the local Masonic lodge nor Paramount-Publix prospered in Viroqua in the early years of the depression, and by 1935 the Masons had lost their building and Paramount its lease on the theater. The building’s new owner, William Dyson, sold the upstairs lodge facilities back to the Masons, but retained ownership of the ground floor, leasing the theater to a local operator, though it was not Brown. The new operator, Jacob Eskin, refreshed the house and installed new seating with four more inches between rows.

By 1951, when Ben Brown celebrated his sixtieth anniversary in show business (he had started as a promoter of shows in the town’s Brown Opera House in 1891) he was once again a partner in the Temple Theatre.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on May 5, 2022 at 3:25 am

This item is from the July 29, 1922 issue of The Billboard: “The Temple Theater, Viroqua, Wis., was formally opened early this month and has been enjoying excellent patronage.”

unglaciated
unglaciated on April 18, 2018 at 1:02 am

The Temple Theatre has recently installed a new screen and projector, and movies have returned. The first film to be shown on the new screen was Citizen Kane.

Trolleyguy
Trolleyguy on March 23, 2016 at 11:24 pm

Updated website link: http://historictempletheatre.com/

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on November 29, 2008 at 3:48 pm

Function should be changed to live performances.

atmos
atmos on June 28, 2005 at 6:13 am

The architects were Parkinson and Dockendorff and it reopened in 2002.

teecee
teecee on March 2, 2005 at 8:50 am

Nice expandable photos at this link:

View link

Gregg
Gregg on February 4, 2004 at 3:26 am

The web site for this theatre can be found at:
http://www.temple-theatre.com/index.htm