Possibly demolished? Hard to say with no address, but the east side of Main (which was all modest wooden buildings on the 1915 Sanborn, the only one available online) is all prefab sheds now.
Old address was 503 Cherry. This building is actually pretty old, built between 1895 and 1902 as a grocery, still a store of some sort on the 1935 map, which shows no theater in town.
There is a theater on the 1913 Sanborn at what I believe is 233 3rd St. Streetview has no coverage, but I’m 90% sure. Might be the same one. A 2020 photo shows that the second floor is derelict, and the ground floor is perhaps an office of some sort.
I really don’t know what to make of it. I was sure it hadn’t come from nowhere. The courthouse is at the corner of Central (then known as Clay) and E 7th. The front faces Central, but Court streets sometimes approach the courthouse at other angles. It’s just possible it was a colloquial reference to that part of Central or 7th. It was also sort of a marginal neighborhood, with lots of industry and hotels close to the railroad. Searching the map wasn’t useless, as I did turn up an airdome. I’ll add a listing for that.
It’s possible that there was an earlier Princess, but there is no such thing as Court St, and there never has been. There are a few ‘such-and-such Courts’, but I wonder if the existence of the prior Princess isn’t fictitious.
Directories list the Royal at 1397, which would be the same building. Maps all show it as 1395. The Royal was opened in 1909, sometime after the Sanborn map was issued in February. It is listed through 1913. The Liberty was likely a wartime renaming. It is listed 1918-1929, after which it became the Uptown. The building was an old two-story brick commercial building, almost certainly pre-1884 (the relevant page is missing from this map), but definitely constructed before 1891, and expanded to the rear by 1909. The 1909 map shows it as a vacant store. The building still existed in 1950, but this section of the block is now a parking lot.
It seems that the Star closed in 1915, when the owner went into the tire sales business. No mention of the Rialto until 1929. It’s unclear what happened in the interim. The building was quite old, going back at least to the mid-1870s. It seems to have been a saloon before the Star opened.
Added a Sanborn view. Theater building can be seen at the far right of the lead picture here: https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php/URBAN_RENEWAL
Site is now beneath the depressingly awful arena which ate the entire block, save the Majestic.
There were two Dreamlands, the second became the Palace. From 1909 to 1915, the Dreamland was at 530 Main. This was the southern half of an old brick two-story commercial building constructed sometime before 1884. Starting in 1916, the Dreamland moved to 506 Main, a three-story stone fronted brick commercial building on the corner with 5th St, likewise constructed before 1884. The Sanborn map from February 1909 shows 530 as a store, and 506 as a saloon.
Both buildings remain on the 1950 map, but the entire block has been destroyed for a cheap and depressing box containing offices. This listing should be split. As it is, the address used was never the Palace.
This theater cannot have been built in 1908, as the February 1909 Sanborn still shows the older buildings. If it didn’t open until September 1909, a 1908 construction date doesn’t make much sense.
SethG
commented about
Cinema Xon
Sep 26, 2023 at 7:51 am
Still listed in the 1985-1993 directories. The building dates to around 1870, and this portion is now a business phone/internet service.
There is no such thing as S Market, and this has not been demolished. The building is obviously very old, and predates the theater by at least a decade. Correct address should be 102 E Market.
Note that the 1950 map shows a different address. Dubuque went through an absurd amount of street renaming/renumbering on the north side. The early address would have been 2181 Couler Ave, which became Central. It was originally at the corner with W Eagle Point Ave, which became 22nd St. Further out, 23rd (1891) became 27th (1909), and then 26th (1950). It makes it incredibly difficult to track buildings on the maps.
The original building seems to have existed before 1884. It had been expanded somewhat by 1891, and was a drug store prior to conversion. The auditorium appears to have been in a long single story addition to the rear. I’ve added a rather messy view from what appears to be a 1950 revision to the 1909 map. No idea why there is such a long gap in coverage.
Joe, I’ve added both the Crystal and Rivola. I agree the Majestic may well have been the opera house, but it’s unclear. There’s no mention of movies in any of the histories, but the old NRHP listing for the building says it was used as a theater until 1947. Could very well have been live theater only. I don’t see any other obvious choices on the 1913 map.
Located on the east side of the Wise Block, which was built between 1913 and 1920. 1920 map shows the theater, so it was at least open by that August if not earlier.
The Pythian Castle this theater is located in seems to be a remodel of an older building. The original structure was built between 1894 and 1899. The 1913 map is the first to show a hall on the 2nd floor, which may have been the K of P. By 1921, it had been extended in the rear to its current footprint.
The facade doesn’t really look like a building from the mid-30s (especially with its original, long gone crenelation), but it likely doesn’t date from the 1890s, either. I’d guess it may have been applied when the K of P moved in (if they weren’t always there, which is a bit unclear), perhaps around 1910.
By chance, I actually photographed this the weekend of the reopening. Was unable to make it, or not interested in the movie. I can’t remember.
The 1914 theater must have then been the Elite. Whether it became the Princess, I can’t say. There are two later maps, but they are not online, except perhaps on Iowa State’s website, which you need a login for.
Current use is an appliance dealer, and the sentence about the Castle should be removed as irrelevant and outdated. The first sentence is also incorrect, there was at least one other.
Dates are wrong. This theater first appears on the Feb. 1913 Sanborn. The building was an old commercial structure from before 1886. The 1905 map shows a clothing store there.
Between 1913 and 1921, it was nearly doubled in depth, and you can see a seam in the brick on the north wall where this was done. The addition included a lot of windows and a doorway, so it’s unlikely the auditorium was enlarged.
Possibly demolished? Hard to say with no address, but the east side of Main (which was all modest wooden buildings on the 1915 Sanborn, the only one available online) is all prefab sheds now.
Old address was 503 Cherry. This building is actually pretty old, built between 1895 and 1902 as a grocery, still a store of some sort on the 1935 map, which shows no theater in town.
Building looks residential. Ugly remodel with lots of siding.
There is a theater on the 1913 Sanborn at what I believe is 233 3rd St. Streetview has no coverage, but I’m 90% sure. Might be the same one. A 2020 photo shows that the second floor is derelict, and the ground floor is perhaps an office of some sort.
I really don’t know what to make of it. I was sure it hadn’t come from nowhere. The courthouse is at the corner of Central (then known as Clay) and E 7th. The front faces Central, but Court streets sometimes approach the courthouse at other angles. It’s just possible it was a colloquial reference to that part of Central or 7th. It was also sort of a marginal neighborhood, with lots of industry and hotels close to the railroad. Searching the map wasn’t useless, as I did turn up an airdome. I’ll add a listing for that.
It’s possible that there was an earlier Princess, but there is no such thing as Court St, and there never has been. There are a few ‘such-and-such Courts’, but I wonder if the existence of the prior Princess isn’t fictitious.
Directories list the Royal at 1397, which would be the same building. Maps all show it as 1395. The Royal was opened in 1909, sometime after the Sanborn map was issued in February. It is listed through 1913. The Liberty was likely a wartime renaming. It is listed 1918-1929, after which it became the Uptown. The building was an old two-story brick commercial building, almost certainly pre-1884 (the relevant page is missing from this map), but definitely constructed before 1891, and expanded to the rear by 1909. The 1909 map shows it as a vacant store. The building still existed in 1950, but this section of the block is now a parking lot.
It seems that the Star closed in 1915, when the owner went into the tire sales business. No mention of the Rialto until 1929. It’s unclear what happened in the interim. The building was quite old, going back at least to the mid-1870s. It seems to have been a saloon before the Star opened.
Added a Sanborn view. Theater building can be seen at the far right of the lead picture here: https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php/URBAN_RENEWAL
Site is now beneath the depressingly awful arena which ate the entire block, save the Majestic.
There were two Dreamlands, the second became the Palace. From 1909 to 1915, the Dreamland was at 530 Main. This was the southern half of an old brick two-story commercial building constructed sometime before 1884. Starting in 1916, the Dreamland moved to 506 Main, a three-story stone fronted brick commercial building on the corner with 5th St, likewise constructed before 1884. The Sanborn map from February 1909 shows 530 as a store, and 506 as a saloon.
Both buildings remain on the 1950 map, but the entire block has been destroyed for a cheap and depressing box containing offices. This listing should be split. As it is, the address used was never the Palace.
Address is wrong. It should be 978. The building dated to the mid-1890s, and had been home to various department stores prior to the remodel.
This theater cannot have been built in 1908, as the February 1909 Sanborn still shows the older buildings. If it didn’t open until September 1909, a 1908 construction date doesn’t make much sense.
Still listed in the 1985-1993 directories. The building dates to around 1870, and this portion is now a business phone/internet service.
There is no such thing as S Market, and this has not been demolished. The building is obviously very old, and predates the theater by at least a decade. Correct address should be 102 E Market.
Still need to correct ‘Frisnia’ to Frisina in the description and AKA.
Quite obviously not the right building.
Note that the 1950 map shows a different address. Dubuque went through an absurd amount of street renaming/renumbering on the north side. The early address would have been 2181 Couler Ave, which became Central. It was originally at the corner with W Eagle Point Ave, which became 22nd St. Further out, 23rd (1891) became 27th (1909), and then 26th (1950). It makes it incredibly difficult to track buildings on the maps.
The original building seems to have existed before 1884. It had been expanded somewhat by 1891, and was a drug store prior to conversion. The auditorium appears to have been in a long single story addition to the rear. I’ve added a rather messy view from what appears to be a 1950 revision to the 1909 map. No idea why there is such a long gap in coverage.
Joe, I’ve added both the Crystal and Rivola. I agree the Majestic may well have been the opera house, but it’s unclear. There’s no mention of movies in any of the histories, but the old NRHP listing for the building says it was used as a theater until 1947. Could very well have been live theater only. I don’t see any other obvious choices on the 1913 map.
Located on the east side of the Wise Block, which was built between 1913 and 1920. 1920 map shows the theater, so it was at least open by that August if not earlier.
The Pythian Castle this theater is located in seems to be a remodel of an older building. The original structure was built between 1894 and 1899. The 1913 map is the first to show a hall on the 2nd floor, which may have been the K of P. By 1921, it had been extended in the rear to its current footprint.
The facade doesn’t really look like a building from the mid-30s (especially with its original, long gone crenelation), but it likely doesn’t date from the 1890s, either. I’d guess it may have been applied when the K of P moved in (if they weren’t always there, which is a bit unclear), perhaps around 1910.
By chance, I actually photographed this the weekend of the reopening. Was unable to make it, or not interested in the movie. I can’t remember.
The 1914 theater must have then been the Elite. Whether it became the Princess, I can’t say. There are two later maps, but they are not online, except perhaps on Iowa State’s website, which you need a login for.
It’s really frustrating. Even larger towns have one pass through on the US highway, and no side streets. Seems to be a pretty large area of NE Iowa.
Current use is an appliance dealer, and the sentence about the Castle should be removed as irrelevant and outdated. The first sentence is also incorrect, there was at least one other.
Dates are wrong. This theater first appears on the Feb. 1913 Sanborn. The building was an old commercial structure from before 1886. The 1905 map shows a clothing store there.
Between 1913 and 1921, it was nearly doubled in depth, and you can see a seam in the brick on the north wall where this was done. The addition included a lot of windows and a doorway, so it’s unlikely the auditorium was enlarged.