At this address was Joseph Michel’s Hall / Michel’s Hall (1907-1911), Prospect Hall (1911), Zimmerman’s Hall (1912-1914). The estate of John Frank Crawford built the Crawford likely incorporating some elements of the existing building. The new Crawford Theatre opened late in 1914 as an 800-seat movie house. Louis H. Gold of Gold Theatres took on the venue from the Crawford family in 1920 renaming it as the Treat Theatre after Newark co- founder, Robert Treat.
Gold continued it as a film theater and also converted the venue to sound to keep it viable. Orange Theatre Corp. took on the venue and sued both Brandt Circuit and Rayherstz in 1940 for antitrust violations claiming that they were denied quality second-run features (they ultimately lost the case of Orange Theatre Corp. v Rayherstz Amusement in 1943). A 1954 advertisement for a free showing of “From Here to Eternity” overwhelmed the theater. Operator Lewis Tortoriello had to call in the police and fire department to remove folks.
The Treat moved from Hollywood fare to porno chic rated “X” films in the 1970s getting charged with obscenity counts along its journey. It rebranded to the Cameo Theatre which moves from a grind policy of “X” rated films to unrated “XXX” adult films in the home video era of the 1980s ultimately operating as a twin-screen facility to its August 22, 2010 closure.
As best as can be determined, this is the timeline of this venue.
Opened as the Jobson Opera House on October 31, 1889. By 1897, Col. F.W. Blees takes over and calls it the Blees Theatre. Harry E. Logan took on the venue continuing as the Logan Theatre on August 12, 1909 with the live play, “Casino Girls” . Motion pictures were later added to the live mix with the theatre becoming primarily known for motion pictures.
This is where things become a bit tricky. The Logan goes dark late in 1918 and very briefly reopens in a new location in 1919. On October 3, 1919, the original Logan was taken over by W.D. Woods of Kansas City. The Princess Theatre launched on October 11, 1919 with “His Majesty, Bunker Bean” and listed as “formerly the Logan.” The short-lived Logan location became the original location of the Grand Theatre. The original Grand opened in July of 1919 – it, too, was also listed as “formerly the Logan.”
On January 1, 1923, the Princess under new owners relaunched as the Yale Theatre with “My Old Kentucky Home.” After closing in June of 1923, the venue relaunched under J. Earl Hayes as the Royal Theatre on August 25, 1923 likely with the film, “Wife in Name Only.” Hayes sells out to R.W. Rice after just a week. The Royal Theatre’s “ghost sign” /outside advertisement was maintained into the 21st Century.
On January 1, 1930, the theatre became the Dickinson Theatre installing RCA sound and converting the interior to a Moorish architectural design. The first film was Belle Baker in “Song of Love.” Dickinson sold his interest in the theatre and one of his employees took on the house. Under new operation, it re-launched October 28, 1936 as the long-running Macon Theatre. In 2004, the facility became live theatre opening its first season as the Maples Repertory Theatre.
That all may be incorrect but it’s the best timeline based on the local papers and the trade press.
The Gem Theatre became the Gem Cinema moving from English to Spanish language films on April 30, 1954 with “Susana” and “Ana Galena en Mexico.” After reverting to the Cinema Theatre moniker, the venue closed permanently with “Micaballo Prieto Revelde” and “Mi Esposa me Comprende” on September 7, 1969. Five years later it was still vacant and offered for sale. It was later demolished.
The State Theatre closed for the season on June 15, 1959 with “Ghost of Crossbones Canyon” and “Never Love a Stranger” with a hopeful message of, “See you next fall.” That wasn’t meant to be. The building became home to an auto dealer in 1960.
Cinemark left at the end of lease on August 26, 2024. It was rebranded as the Seneca Starvue with a soft launch on September 6, 2024 and a grand opening on September 25, 2024.
William Hamilton and William D. Grumbley reopened the theatre on January 17, 1964. On Christmas, 1,000 patrons showed up for the Theatrofilm concert, “The T.A.M.I. Show.” Unfortunately, a riot caused by a knife wielding teenager made the December 25, 1964 showing the final for the Michigan Theatre.
The Jeffers Theatre launched in 1902. On September 25, 1915, the venue switched from live plays to film reopening as the Jeffers-Strand Theatre with Edith Story in “The Island of Regeneration.” That didn’t work out well so it switched to vaudeville in 1916. The Jeffers-Strand Theatre turned to live plays and closed January 5, 1929 with a play. It remained empty until its signage was removed in 1932. I don’t believe it ever operated as the Strand Theatre.
The Wolverine Theatre was dropped after its second 20-year lease by Butterfield Theatres. It closed permanently on April 27, 1952 with “Father’s Little Dividend” and “Breakthrough.” The theatre was redeveloped for retail in 1954.
The Marr celebrated its 20th Anniversary but limped to a close three years later shutting after a double features of “Let No Man Write My Epitaph” and “The Wild One” on May 14, 1961. A week later it became a house of worship for the Gethsemane Evangelical Luthern Church. It has been converted to a multi-occupant business center still in use in the 2020s.
After a soft launch that lasted a period of time, the formal opening of Janes Theatre took place on December 27, 1934 with Joe E. Brown in “The Circus Clown.” Janes Theater veteran Frank D. Brown closed up on June 23, 1957 with “Loophole” and “Star of Texas.” It then became a house of worship called the House of Corinthian Church / Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church. In the 2020s, it was home to the Emmanuel Church of Deliverance.
Hoffman Brothers of Detroit brought Saginaw a first class vaudeville house in the Palace during World War I. The genesis for the project is directly tied to the Saginaw Hippodrome Company’s stock sale and concept to build a new construction 1,600-seat Hippodrome in the city. By 1915, plans for the Hippodrome stalled due to a single property owner not selling a building on the proposed Hippodrome lot. So the quickest solution was to convert an existing building to a live venue.
Saginaw got its new showplace in a converted, 1880-built building. It was originally a printing press operation owned by Charles Peters and Joseph Seemann. The converted space opened on April 24, 1916. Designed by C. Howard Crane, the 1,000 seat theater featured a variety of vaudeville acts on opening night. Unfortunately, the theater’s policy didn’t wow audiences as people in Saginaw preferred films. The Palace was a major misfire switching to grind runs of exploitation films by late 1916. To make matters worse, the never-built Hippodrome property was the subject of a contentious lawsuit.
Mecca Theatres, which had the smaller 400-seat Mecca movie house that opened in 1914 and the Dreamland Theatre both in downtown Saginaw, took on the failed Palace renaming it the Mecca-Palace Theatre on July 19, 1917 with Jackie Saunders in “Betty Be Good.” Seat count was reduced to 798 for comfort and the policy became first-run feature films. The former Mecca was closed though would return as a movie house some years later.
Mecca Theaters Inc. later sold the Mecca-Palace to Butterfield / Paramount in 1926 and the Dreamland in 1927 exiting theatrical exhibition. The Mecca-Palace was converted to sound to remain viable. A streamlined makeover update the venue in 1933. The theater closed for the summer of 1935 for a major renovation that removed the last vestiges of the Palace as the box seating was removed and the original stage was ripped out for a new stage. On October 12, 1935 the “new” Mecca Palace Theatre opened with Bette Davis in “Special Agent”. On July 1, 1936, the “Palace” was dropped with the operation called the Mecca Theatre. The Mecca closed early in 1955 without being converted to widescreen projection. Butterfield Theatres altered the property for retail use guaranteeing that the building’s exhibition era was over.
Cinemark closed the venue at the expiry of its 25-year lease. B&B Theatres Macedonia 15 opened September 12, 2024 after a six-month, $6.75 million renovation.
E.M. Smith launched the Dreamland Theatre on March 28, 1908 replacing a retail music store. Managed by C.J. Wilder, the venue played movies and illustrated slides with singalongs. George E. Marr took on the venue before selling out to the competing Mecca Theatre Company in 1916. The Taffy Shop was built within the entrance of the theater becoming the de facto concession stand for the Dreamland.
George Wilbur took on the venue from Mecca Theatre Co. The Mecca had sold its Mecca Palace to Butterfield / Paramount in 1926 thus leaving the market after selling the Dreamland in 1927. On June 8, 1928, William A. Cassidy and Albert E. Zuchike took over the Dreamland Theatre from Wilbur which converted to sound to remain viable. The Taffy Shop closed with concessions handled in house from 1929 to 1936.
Cassidy and Zuchike opted to move the venue to the superior and larger, former Mecca-Palace location when Butterfield/Paramount opened a new Mecca-Palace. Cassidy and Zuchike discontinued the Dreamland on March 1, 1936 with “The Dark Angel.” They then moved to their new location opting to rename it there at 110 S. Washington as the DeLuxe Theatre. The newspaper account says that the space once occupied by the Dreamland was converted to retail just three months later in June of 1936.
A.J. Kerfoot launched the Princess Theatre on June 10, 1912 with live vaudeville that played the Orpheum in Memphis and the Majestic Theatre in Little Rock.Carson and Will Mack took on the venue turning into a movie house. On August 12, 1918, new owner Eli Whitney Collins changed the name of the Princess Theatre to the World War I favorite theater moniker, the Liberty Theatre. The Liberty would switch to sound presentations to remain viable.
In July of 1957, Malco’s Liberty became Malco’s State Theatre when “name that theater” contestant Glenda Willent thought that “State” should be its new name in honor of Arkansas State then College. Manager Jay Kimbro unveiled not only the new name but the State’s state of the art widescreen projection equipped to play CinemaScope titles and a new air conditioning system
Midcontinent Theatres Co. opened the Midco 10 on May 6, 1994 as Grand Forks' first modern megaplex. On September 13, 1995 Carmike Theatres bought the company’s theatrical portfolio with Midco keeping its television interests. AMC purchased Carmike Theatres in 2016.
AMC rebranded the vast majority of inherited Carmike and Kerasotes theatres as AMC Classics. The Classic brand generally meant the location would receive just modest updates and were likely not going to be candidates for lease renewals. This location became the AMC Classic Grand Forks 10. It closed along with most U.S. cinemas on March 16, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. The AMC Classic Grand Forks 10 reopened September 3, 2020. But AMC closed here at the expiry of a 30-year lease on June 29, 2023.
Odyssey Cinemas took on the venue in 2024 and decided to gut the building in favor of a family entertainment center including theatrical films including a premium large screen format (PLF) three-story auditorium, duckpin bowling, live stage, and high-end bar. The Odyssey Cinemas Grand Forks would open in 2025 though is currently renovating. A picture of a new auditorium is in photos.
August 8, 1997 grand opening ad for the Hollywood Jewell in Waco
Closed by Lightstone Theatres as a deep discount movie house with 99 cent shows on June 6, 1982 with “Chariots of Fire.”
At this address was Joseph Michel’s Hall / Michel’s Hall (1907-1911), Prospect Hall (1911), Zimmerman’s Hall (1912-1914). The estate of John Frank Crawford built the Crawford likely incorporating some elements of the existing building. The new Crawford Theatre opened late in 1914 as an 800-seat movie house. Louis H. Gold of Gold Theatres took on the venue from the Crawford family in 1920 renaming it as the Treat Theatre after Newark co- founder, Robert Treat.
Gold continued it as a film theater and also converted the venue to sound to keep it viable. Orange Theatre Corp. took on the venue and sued both Brandt Circuit and Rayherstz in 1940 for antitrust violations claiming that they were denied quality second-run features (they ultimately lost the case of Orange Theatre Corp. v Rayherstz Amusement in 1943). A 1954 advertisement for a free showing of “From Here to Eternity” overwhelmed the theater. Operator Lewis Tortoriello had to call in the police and fire department to remove folks.
The Treat moved from Hollywood fare to porno chic rated “X” films in the 1970s getting charged with obscenity counts along its journey. It rebranded to the Cameo Theatre which moves from a grind policy of “X” rated films to unrated “XXX” adult films in the home video era of the 1980s ultimately operating as a twin-screen facility to its August 22, 2010 closure.
As best as can be determined, this is the timeline of this venue.
Opened as the Jobson Opera House on October 31, 1889. By 1897, Col. F.W. Blees takes over and calls it the Blees Theatre. Harry E. Logan took on the venue continuing as the Logan Theatre on August 12, 1909 with the live play, “Casino Girls” . Motion pictures were later added to the live mix with the theatre becoming primarily known for motion pictures.
This is where things become a bit tricky. The Logan goes dark late in 1918 and very briefly reopens in a new location in 1919. On October 3, 1919, the original Logan was taken over by W.D. Woods of Kansas City. The Princess Theatre launched on October 11, 1919 with “His Majesty, Bunker Bean” and listed as “formerly the Logan.” The short-lived Logan location became the original location of the Grand Theatre. The original Grand opened in July of 1919 – it, too, was also listed as “formerly the Logan.”
On January 1, 1923, the Princess under new owners relaunched as the Yale Theatre with “My Old Kentucky Home.” After closing in June of 1923, the venue relaunched under J. Earl Hayes as the Royal Theatre on August 25, 1923 likely with the film, “Wife in Name Only.” Hayes sells out to R.W. Rice after just a week. The Royal Theatre’s “ghost sign” /outside advertisement was maintained into the 21st Century.
On January 1, 1930, the theatre became the Dickinson Theatre installing RCA sound and converting the interior to a Moorish architectural design. The first film was Belle Baker in “Song of Love.” Dickinson sold his interest in the theatre and one of his employees took on the house. Under new operation, it re-launched October 28, 1936 as the long-running Macon Theatre. In 2004, the facility became live theatre opening its first season as the Maples Repertory Theatre.
That all may be incorrect but it’s the best timeline based on the local papers and the trade press.
Rebooted by Daniel Theater owner Daniel G. Bernstein on May 15, 1951 as the Roxy Theatre with “Kansas Riders” and “Mystery Submarine.”
The Gem Theatre became the Gem Cinema moving from English to Spanish language films on April 30, 1954 with “Susana” and “Ana Galena en Mexico.” After reverting to the Cinema Theatre moniker, the venue closed permanently with “Micaballo Prieto Revelde” and “Mi Esposa me Comprende” on September 7, 1969. Five years later it was still vacant and offered for sale. It was later demolished.
The State Theatre closed for the season on June 15, 1959 with “Ghost of Crossbones Canyon” and “Never Love a Stranger” with a hopeful message of, “See you next fall.” That wasn’t meant to be. The building became home to an auto dealer in 1960.
Cinemark left at the end of lease on August 26, 2024. It was rebranded as the Seneca Starvue with a soft launch on September 6, 2024 and a grand opening on September 25, 2024.
Website - https://senecastarvue.com/home
William Hamilton and William D. Grumbley reopened the theatre on January 17, 1964. On Christmas, 1,000 patrons showed up for the Theatrofilm concert, “The T.A.M.I. Show.” Unfortunately, a riot caused by a knife wielding teenager made the December 25, 1964 showing the final for the Michigan Theatre.
The Jeffers Theatre launched in 1902. On September 25, 1915, the venue switched from live plays to film reopening as the Jeffers-Strand Theatre with Edith Story in “The Island of Regeneration.” That didn’t work out well so it switched to vaudeville in 1916. The Jeffers-Strand Theatre turned to live plays and closed January 5, 1929 with a play. It remained empty until its signage was removed in 1932. I don’t believe it ever operated as the Strand Theatre.
The Goff Block was a three-story brick building that housed the Jeffers turned Strand Theatre long after the venue closed.
The Wolverine Theatre was dropped after its second 20-year lease by Butterfield Theatres. It closed permanently on April 27, 1952 with “Father’s Little Dividend” and “Breakthrough.” The theatre was redeveloped for retail in 1954.
Closed following the May 10, 1953 double feature of The Lion and the Horse and Moonlight Bay. It was converted to an upholstery shop soon thereafter.
The Marr celebrated its 20th Anniversary but limped to a close three years later shutting after a double features of “Let No Man Write My Epitaph” and “The Wild One” on May 14, 1961. A week later it became a house of worship for the Gethsemane Evangelical Luthern Church. It has been converted to a multi-occupant business center still in use in the 2020s.
After a soft launch that lasted a period of time, the formal opening of Janes Theatre took place on December 27, 1934 with Joe E. Brown in “The Circus Clown.” Janes Theater veteran Frank D. Brown closed up on June 23, 1957 with “Loophole” and “Star of Texas.” It then became a house of worship called the House of Corinthian Church / Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church. In the 2020s, it was home to the Emmanuel Church of Deliverance.
Closed March 2, 1952 with “Kon-Tiki”. Was remodeled for two storefronts in 1955 in Milton’s Clothes and Boston’s Shoes.
Final showtimes: April 3, 1955 with “The Nebraskan” and “Drums of Tahiti.”
The new-build Franklin Theatre opened with vaudeville on January 25, 1915 - and was sold out weeks prior to its launch.
Hoffman Brothers of Detroit brought Saginaw a first class vaudeville house in the Palace during World War I. The genesis for the project is directly tied to the Saginaw Hippodrome Company’s stock sale and concept to build a new construction 1,600-seat Hippodrome in the city. By 1915, plans for the Hippodrome stalled due to a single property owner not selling a building on the proposed Hippodrome lot. So the quickest solution was to convert an existing building to a live venue.
Saginaw got its new showplace in a converted, 1880-built building. It was originally a printing press operation owned by Charles Peters and Joseph Seemann. The converted space opened on April 24, 1916. Designed by C. Howard Crane, the 1,000 seat theater featured a variety of vaudeville acts on opening night. Unfortunately, the theater’s policy didn’t wow audiences as people in Saginaw preferred films. The Palace was a major misfire switching to grind runs of exploitation films by late 1916. To make matters worse, the never-built Hippodrome property was the subject of a contentious lawsuit.
Mecca Theatres, which had the smaller 400-seat Mecca movie house that opened in 1914 and the Dreamland Theatre both in downtown Saginaw, took on the failed Palace renaming it the Mecca-Palace Theatre on July 19, 1917 with Jackie Saunders in “Betty Be Good.” Seat count was reduced to 798 for comfort and the policy became first-run feature films. The former Mecca was closed though would return as a movie house some years later.
Mecca Theaters Inc. later sold the Mecca-Palace to Butterfield / Paramount in 1926 and the Dreamland in 1927 exiting theatrical exhibition. The Mecca-Palace was converted to sound to remain viable. A streamlined makeover update the venue in 1933. The theater closed for the summer of 1935 for a major renovation that removed the last vestiges of the Palace as the box seating was removed and the original stage was ripped out for a new stage. On October 12, 1935 the “new” Mecca Palace Theatre opened with Bette Davis in “Special Agent”. On July 1, 1936, the “Palace” was dropped with the operation called the Mecca Theatre. The Mecca closed early in 1955 without being converted to widescreen projection. Butterfield Theatres altered the property for retail use guaranteeing that the building’s exhibition era was over.
Cinemark closed the venue at the expiry of its 25-year lease. B&B Theatres Macedonia 15 opened September 12, 2024 after a six-month, $6.75 million renovation.
E.M. Smith launched the Dreamland Theatre on March 28, 1908 replacing a retail music store. Managed by C.J. Wilder, the venue played movies and illustrated slides with singalongs. George E. Marr took on the venue before selling out to the competing Mecca Theatre Company in 1916. The Taffy Shop was built within the entrance of the theater becoming the de facto concession stand for the Dreamland.
George Wilbur took on the venue from Mecca Theatre Co. The Mecca had sold its Mecca Palace to Butterfield / Paramount in 1926 thus leaving the market after selling the Dreamland in 1927. On June 8, 1928, William A. Cassidy and Albert E. Zuchike took over the Dreamland Theatre from Wilbur which converted to sound to remain viable. The Taffy Shop closed with concessions handled in house from 1929 to 1936.
Cassidy and Zuchike opted to move the venue to the superior and larger, former Mecca-Palace location when Butterfield/Paramount opened a new Mecca-Palace. Cassidy and Zuchike discontinued the Dreamland on March 1, 1936 with “The Dark Angel.” They then moved to their new location opting to rename it there at 110 S. Washington as the DeLuxe Theatre. The newspaper account says that the space once occupied by the Dreamland was converted to retail just three months later in June of 1936.
The Michigan Theatre’s Hammond Organ at its grand opening launch.
A.J. Kerfoot launched the Princess Theatre on June 10, 1912 with live vaudeville that played the Orpheum in Memphis and the Majestic Theatre in Little Rock.Carson and Will Mack took on the venue turning into a movie house. On August 12, 1918, new owner Eli Whitney Collins changed the name of the Princess Theatre to the World War I favorite theater moniker, the Liberty Theatre. The Liberty would switch to sound presentations to remain viable.
In July of 1957, Malco’s Liberty became Malco’s State Theatre when “name that theater” contestant Glenda Willent thought that “State” should be its new name in honor of Arkansas State then College. Manager Jay Kimbro unveiled not only the new name but the State’s state of the art widescreen projection equipped to play CinemaScope titles and a new air conditioning system
Midcontinent Theatres Co. opened the Midco 10 on May 6, 1994 as Grand Forks' first modern megaplex. On September 13, 1995 Carmike Theatres bought the company’s theatrical portfolio with Midco keeping its television interests. AMC purchased Carmike Theatres in 2016.
AMC rebranded the vast majority of inherited Carmike and Kerasotes theatres as AMC Classics. The Classic brand generally meant the location would receive just modest updates and were likely not going to be candidates for lease renewals. This location became the AMC Classic Grand Forks 10. It closed along with most U.S. cinemas on March 16, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. The AMC Classic Grand Forks 10 reopened September 3, 2020. But AMC closed here at the expiry of a 30-year lease on June 29, 2023.
Odyssey Cinemas took on the venue in 2024 and decided to gut the building in favor of a family entertainment center including theatrical films including a premium large screen format (PLF) three-story auditorium, duckpin bowling, live stage, and high-end bar. The Odyssey Cinemas Grand Forks would open in 2025 though is currently renovating. A picture of a new auditorium is in photos.
The New Grand launched November 10, 1919 with Elsie Ferguson in “Witness for the Defense”