The Lyceum Theatre was in operation by 1908, and is listed in the 1908-1909 edition of the Cahn guide as a 771-seat ground floor house. The Lyceum is listed at 213 Market Street in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. Two other movie houses were listed at Kittanning; The Electric Theatre, also on Market Street, and the Grand Theatre, no location given. The Lyceum was the subject of this item in the September 30, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World:
“Kittanning’s Lyceum Reopens.
“Kittanning, Pa.—After undergoing an extensive remodeling process, the Lyceum theater, Kittanning, Pa., has been reopened to the public with high class feature pictures exclusively. The improvements to the house cost $15,000 and include much new equipment of the latest type, In addition to beautiful decorations throughout. A more convenient and up-to-date seating arrangement has been installed and the gallery removed. The theater was formally opened under very auspicious circumstances and all indications point to a successful business. Andrew Condoleon is the owner and W. J. Marrian, a well known Pittsburgh man, is house manager of the Lyceum.”
It seems likely that the opening of the new Wick Opera House in 1913 forced the Lyceum, formerly a stage house, to reorient its programming to moving pictures.
History of the City of Batavia by Ruth M. McEvoy says that the Family Theatre was originally designed by local architect Frank Homelius, and that it opened on January 16, 1913.
A document listing events in Genesee County says that the groundbreaking for the Dipson Theatre at Batavia took place in 1946. The month is not given, so the house might have opened in either 1946 or 1947.
This item is from the September 11, 1920 issue of Exhibitors Herald:
“New House at Cynthiana
“FRANKFORT, IND., Aug. 31.— Herman Rohs, for many years a jeweler in this city, has just completed the erection of a motion picture theater at Cynthiana, Ky., according to information received here. The new theater will run pictures and vaudeville and will be under the management of Karl Rohs, son of Herman Rohs.”
Herman Rohs was not only a jeweler, though. Various issues of The Billboard in 1908 mention H. A. Rohs as the manager of the Rohs Opera House. The Rohs Opera House is listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, so that upstairs theater, opened in 1871 as Aeolian Hall, also ran movies for a while. In 1941 the Rohs family added a new ground floor theater to the back of the Opera House building, and it opened that year as the New Rohs Opera House.
Other early Cynthiana theaters named in the trades were the Electric Theatre (1908,) the Cinema Theatre (1914 and 1916,) the Royal Theatre 1916 and 1922,) and the Montgomery Theatre (1923.) As the manager of the Royal in 1916 was named Alva Montgomery, the Montgomery Theatre might have been the Royal renamed.
I’ve been unable to discover when the Rohs Theatre closed, but the Rohs Opera House was still showing movies into the 21st century, and is still intact and equipped to show them, but does so only occasionally.
It turns out that the building collapsed in March, 2018, following a heavy snowfall. According to this article it was no longer occupied by Spilly’s. Two adjacent buildings on Rue de l'Église, which must have been those between the Star and the Capitol, had burned down six years earlier.
The Casino Theatre in Edmundston was mentioned in the December 18, 1926 issue of Exhibitors Herald. The 1960-61 Film Weekly Year
Book of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry lists the Capitol Theatre, operated by B&L Theatres, with 480 seats.
This web page about the former Star Theatre building says that it was built around 1900 and converted into the Star Theatre in 1927. It says that the Star operated for “…more than 40 years….” Today the building, listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places since 2008, is occupied by a dining and drinking establishment, Spilly’s Resto-Bar.
If that page is correct about the 1927 opening year, then there must have been an earlier Star Theatre at another location in Edmunston, as a house of that name was mentioned in the May 5, 1923 issue of The Moving Picture World. The owner of the house in 1923 was named Charles T. Johnson. The historic listing page says the Star was owned by two lawyers named John Stevens and Aaron Lawson. The 1960-61 Film Weekly Year Book of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry lists the Star Theatre, operated by Mrs. H. M. Nesbitt, with 560 seats.
As far as I know, the only movie shown at the Huntington Hartford during the ten years (1954-1964) the house had that name was Ely Landau’s production of Eugene O'Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, which had its west coast premier there on December 18, 1962. The movie had a fairly long run at the Hartford, but I believe the house went back to stage productions after it ended.
An entertainment venue has been on the site of the Mesa Theatre since 1885. The text on the marker placed at the site by the Colorado Historical Society reads as follows:
“This building originally housed the Mesa Opera Rink, which opened in 1885. It offered a 300-seat playhouse for live theater, musical, and vaudeville acts. Ballroom dancing was on the large wooden ‘Rink’ floor. In 1907, the front of the building was remodeled, the show house was enlarged to seat 1,000, and it reopened as the Majestic Theater. Some of the first silent films and the first movie with sound in Western Colorado were shown at the Majestic Theatre.
“It was renamed the Mesa Theater in 1930, and in 1953 a complete mid-century remodel brought it up to date with a panoramic screen, stereo sound, and plush seats. It remained open until 1987.”
In the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, 110 N. Broadway is listed as the address of the Broadway Theatre. The Broadway is also listed, though with no addess given, in the 1914 edition of Gus Hill’s National Theatrical Directory. It was then a 10 cent house operated by O. Gill, subscribed to the General Film Service, and seated 301.
This item is from the October 4, 1919 issue of The Moving Picture World:
“Gill Building a $40,000 House.
“O. Gill, of Hugo, Okla., is constructing a new theatre which will seat 800 persons and cost $40,000. It will be called the Erie Theatre and will take the place of the old Erie Theatre.”
O. Gill is mentioned in quite a few trade journals in the 1910s and 1920s, having been Hugo’s movie theater mogul during the period.
A Dixie Theatre at 120 Duke Street is one of five theaters listed at Hugo in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The Dixie is also one of two movie houses listed at Hugo in the 1914 edition of Gus Hill’s National Theatrical Directory, but with no address given. It was managed by O. Hill, charged 10 cents admission, subscribed to the Universal service, and had a capacity of 288.
This notice from The American Contractor of June 16, 1917, might be a bit early for a theater that didn’t open until January, 1919, but it does fit the description of the Rapids Theatre, and local sources indicate that E. A. Hunt was the original owner of the house:
“Rock Rapids, Ia.—Theater & Amusement Bldg.: $20,000. 3 sty. & bas. 50x100. Archt. J. J. Crossett, 401 Frances bldg., Sioux City. Ia. Owner E. A. Hunt, Rock Rapids, taking bids.”
The June 27, 1917 issue of The American Architect also carried a notice about the project:
“J. J. Crossett, Architect, 401 Frances building, has completed plans for a theatre and amusement building to be erected at Rock Rapids for E. A. Hunt of that place. The building will cost about $20,000.”
Here is an item about the Rio Theatre from the April 25, 1941 issue of The Film Daily:
“House Will Be Reopened
“Van Buren, Ark.— The Rio Theater which has been closed since the Bob Burns Theater opened in 1937, was reopened April 19, it is announced. The building is being remodeled and a new marquee is being installed.”
This item about the Brentwood Theatre is from the April 25, 1941 issue of The Film Daily:
“Brentwood Open In Fla.
“Jacksonville, Fla. — The new Sparks Theater, the Brentwood, has been opened with Robert Ewing as manager. This is a 540-seat house, designed by Roy A. Benjamin, architect, and built by A. L. Clayton, Jacksonville contractors.”
A 1946 opening under the name Bonito Theatre indicates that there is probably a missing aka, as the building (which in the vintage photo looks like it has a stage house) dates from 1925. The reliable Bill Counter says the remodeled building is currently in use as a print shop.
The American Theatre that opened in 1913 was probably completely demolished to make way for the house that was built in 1928. The new American Theatre had a frontage about twice that of the original house, so it’s very unlikely that any of the old building was incorporated into the new one.
This web page has links to photos of both of them. The original theater was at modern address 217 S. Jefferson, the second theater used the address 215 S. Jefferson. The building on the site now, originally a bank, is today a medical clinic with the address 213 S. Jefferson.
An ad in the May 15, 1915 issue of the Muskogee Times-Democrat touted the summer season openings of the “Wigwam Airdomes.” The Wigwam #1 was on Court Street and the Wigwam #4 was on 4th Street. Wigwam #1 would show only movies during the summer season, and the Wigwam #4 would have stock companies and musical comedies.
It might be that the Wigwams had both indoor and outdoor houses at each location, with the indoor theaters operating only during the cooler seasons. The ad also noted a program of movies at the New Yale Theatre, N. 2nd Street, for five and ten cents, and movies at the New Gaiety Theatre.
The April, 1912 issue of The Typographical Journal makes a reference to “… the Muskogee Amusement Company, which operates the four Wigwam theaters in this city….” What became of the other two Wigwams by 1915 I haven’t discovered.
There were only five listings at Muskogee in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, the only Wigwam listed being the Wigwam Theatre #2, 218 N. 3rd St. The directory also lists the Yale Theatre, at 200 N. 2nd Street and the Gaiety at 322 Court Street, as well as a Pastime Theatre, no address given. The Muskogee Amusement Company is also listed, without an address.
The Lyceum Theatre was in operation by 1908, and is listed in the 1908-1909 edition of the Cahn guide as a 771-seat ground floor house. The Lyceum is listed at 213 Market Street in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. Two other movie houses were listed at Kittanning; The Electric Theatre, also on Market Street, and the Grand Theatre, no location given. The Lyceum was the subject of this item in the September 30, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World:
It seems likely that the opening of the new Wick Opera House in 1913 forced the Lyceum, formerly a stage house, to reorient its programming to moving pictures.It’s possible that a grand opening ad was placed in the popular local suburban paper, The South Bay Daily Breeze.
History of the City of Batavia by Ruth M. McEvoy says that the Family Theatre was originally designed by local architect Frank Homelius, and that it opened on January 16, 1913.
The Dreamland Theatre opened in 1906, according to a list of events in Genesee County.
A document listing events in Genesee County says that the groundbreaking for the Dipson Theatre at Batavia took place in 1946. The month is not given, so the house might have opened in either 1946 or 1947.
This item is from the September 11, 1920 issue of Exhibitors Herald:
Herman Rohs was not only a jeweler, though. Various issues of The Billboard in 1908 mention H. A. Rohs as the manager of the Rohs Opera House. The Rohs Opera House is listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, so that upstairs theater, opened in 1871 as Aeolian Hall, also ran movies for a while. In 1941 the Rohs family added a new ground floor theater to the back of the Opera House building, and it opened that year as the New Rohs Opera House.Other early Cynthiana theaters named in the trades were the Electric Theatre (1908,) the Cinema Theatre (1914 and 1916,) the Royal Theatre 1916 and 1922,) and the Montgomery Theatre (1923.) As the manager of the Royal in 1916 was named Alva Montgomery, the Montgomery Theatre might have been the Royal renamed.
I’ve been unable to discover when the Rohs Theatre closed, but the Rohs Opera House was still showing movies into the 21st century, and is still intact and equipped to show them, but does so only occasionally.
Actually the Capitol building itself must have been one of the two that burned in 2012.
It turns out that the building collapsed in March, 2018, following a heavy snowfall. According to this article it was no longer occupied by Spilly’s. Two adjacent buildings on Rue de l'Église, which must have been those between the Star and the Capitol, had burned down six years earlier.
The Casino Theatre in Edmundston was mentioned in the December 18, 1926 issue of Exhibitors Herald. The 1960-61 Film Weekly Year Book of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry lists the Capitol Theatre, operated by B&L Theatres, with 480 seats.
This web page about the former Star Theatre building says that it was built around 1900 and converted into the Star Theatre in 1927. It says that the Star operated for “…more than 40 years….” Today the building, listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places since 2008, is occupied by a dining and drinking establishment, Spilly’s Resto-Bar.
If that page is correct about the 1927 opening year, then there must have been an earlier Star Theatre at another location in Edmunston, as a house of that name was mentioned in the May 5, 1923 issue of The Moving Picture World. The owner of the house in 1923 was named Charles T. Johnson. The historic listing page says the Star was owned by two lawyers named John Stevens and Aaron Lawson. The 1960-61 Film Weekly Year Book of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry lists the Star Theatre, operated by Mrs. H. M. Nesbitt, with 560 seats.
As far as I know, the only movie shown at the Huntington Hartford during the ten years (1954-1964) the house had that name was Ely Landau’s production of Eugene O'Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, which had its west coast premier there on December 18, 1962. The movie had a fairly long run at the Hartford, but I believe the house went back to stage productions after it ended.
This house should be listed as Hardy’s Theatre, since it was called the Liberty only from 1917 to 1931.
An entertainment venue has been on the site of the Mesa Theatre since 1885. The text on the marker placed at the site by the Colorado Historical Society reads as follows:
An earlier Park Theatre operated at 920 9th Street, as listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
Listed as the Orpheum Theatre in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
In the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, 110 N. Broadway is listed as the address of the Broadway Theatre. The Broadway is also listed, though with no addess given, in the 1914 edition of Gus Hill’s National Theatrical Directory. It was then a 10 cent house operated by O. Gill, subscribed to the General Film Service, and seated 301.
This item is from the October 4, 1919 issue of The Moving Picture World:
O. Gill is mentioned in quite a few trade journals in the 1910s and 1920s, having been Hugo’s movie theater mogul during the period.A Dixie Theatre at 120 Duke Street is one of five theaters listed at Hugo in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The Dixie is also one of two movie houses listed at Hugo in the 1914 edition of Gus Hill’s National Theatrical Directory, but with no address given. It was managed by O. Hill, charged 10 cents admission, subscribed to the Universal service, and had a capacity of 288.
This notice from The American Contractor of June 16, 1917, might be a bit early for a theater that didn’t open until January, 1919, but it does fit the description of the Rapids Theatre, and local sources indicate that E. A. Hunt was the original owner of the house:
The June 27, 1917 issue of The American Architect also carried a notice about the project:Here is an item about the Rio Theatre from the April 25, 1941 issue of The Film Daily:
This item about the Brentwood Theatre is from the April 25, 1941 issue of The Film Daily:
A 1946 opening under the name Bonito Theatre indicates that there is probably a missing aka, as the building (which in the vintage photo looks like it has a stage house) dates from 1925. The reliable Bill Counter says the remodeled building is currently in use as a print shop.
The American Theatre that opened in 1913 was probably completely demolished to make way for the house that was built in 1928. The new American Theatre had a frontage about twice that of the original house, so it’s very unlikely that any of the old building was incorporated into the new one.
This web page has links to photos of both of them. The original theater was at modern address 217 S. Jefferson, the second theater used the address 215 S. Jefferson. The building on the site now, originally a bank, is today a medical clinic with the address 213 S. Jefferson.
A third address for a Yale Theatre turns up in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, which lists the Yale Theatre, 200 N. 2nd Street.
An ad in the May 15, 1915 issue of the Muskogee Times-Democrat touted the summer season openings of the “Wigwam Airdomes.” The Wigwam #1 was on Court Street and the Wigwam #4 was on 4th Street. Wigwam #1 would show only movies during the summer season, and the Wigwam #4 would have stock companies and musical comedies.
It might be that the Wigwams had both indoor and outdoor houses at each location, with the indoor theaters operating only during the cooler seasons. The ad also noted a program of movies at the New Yale Theatre, N. 2nd Street, for five and ten cents, and movies at the New Gaiety Theatre.
The April, 1912 issue of The Typographical Journal makes a reference to “… the Muskogee Amusement Company, which operates the four Wigwam theaters in this city….” What became of the other two Wigwams by 1915 I haven’t discovered.
There were only five listings at Muskogee in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, the only Wigwam listed being the Wigwam Theatre #2, 218 N. 3rd St. The directory also lists the Yale Theatre, at 200 N. 2nd Street and the Gaiety at 322 Court Street, as well as a Pastime Theatre, no address given. The Muskogee Amusement Company is also listed, without an address.