The November 8, 1916 Moving Picture World mentions a house called the Grant Theatre in Beloit, run by an E. T. Burgan. By 1926, the only theater listed at Beloit in the FDY was a 700-seat house called the Grand, still listed in 1929. Grant/Grand makes me stroke my chin whiskers. Hmmm.
Boxoffice of July 8, 1950 had a brief item noting that the Werts Brothers were celebrating the 22nd anniversary of their Mainstreet Theatre in Beloit. George and Bert Werts had opened the house on June 28, 1928. In 1950, an air conditioning system and new projection equipment were being installed, and the theater was being repainted.
A 1904 Polk directory lists the 500-seat Cooper’s Opera House at Beloit. Cooper’s Opera House was listed in the 1889 Jeffrey Guide with 600 seats. Also listed with 600 seats on the 1894 Donaldson guide. There is a drawing of the house dated 1887 on page four of this PDF.
Why would H. D. Heard promote two fairly large theaters in the same very small town at the same time? Despite the repeated appearance of both names in the FDY, I suspect that the Pfohl was a phantom theater, and only the Paula actually existed.
The Paula Theatre building is on S. Main Street. The address is not displayed on the building, but the building to the north houses a spa with the address 1476. If the northernmost storefront in the theater building is 1478, then the theater entrance would be at 1480 S. Main. The theater is one of a number of downtown Mount Pleasant buildings under renovation, and some photos of the project, including some interior shots, can be seen on this Facebook page.
The August 21, 1915 issue of Moving Picture Worldhad this item which was certainly about the house that would soon open as the DeLux: “Work is progressing on the new moving picture theater being erected on Oneida square, Utica, N. Y., by H. G. and A. G. Lux, owners of the Alhambra theater in that city. Names for the theater will be submitted in a public contest, and prizes will be offered. The house will seat 1400 persons.”
The DeLux was one of eleven houses listed at Utica in the 1926 FDY, and one of six listed in all capital letter, indicating first-run theaters.
The caption of the photo showing the Princess Theatre in 1940, on page 34 of Morristown, by Larry Michael Hobby, says that the theater closed on April 7, 1983. The last movie shown was “The Outsiders.” The building was demolished in 1995.
The new organ recently installed in the Bender Theater is mentioned in the September 11, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World: “At the Bender theater, Utica, N. Y., a new $10,000 symphony organ was heard for the first time last week. The organist is Paul Forrester, who also directs the orchestra.”
This house became the Colonia in 1915, but it had the earlier aka of Buckley Theatre. This item is from the July 31, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World: “UTICA, N. Y.—The Utica Hippodrome Amusement Company has taken over the Bulkley [sic] theater located at the corner of Lansing and Nicholas [sic] streets. The structure will be completely renovated and have seating capacity for 800 persons.”
The August 7, 1915 MPW had this update: “THE Colonia theater, at Lansing and Nichols streets, Utica, N. T., has been extensively remodeled and reopened. The Colonia, formerly the Buckley, is owned by the Hippodrome Amusement Co. and is managed by Peter Karl, vice-president of the concern. The house has been made cozy and beautiful. The other improvements include a new ventilating system. High class moving pictures are featured at the Colonia.”
The Buckley Theatre is not listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, but is listed in the Polk company’s 1914 Utica directory, so the AMPD probably just missed it.
This item about the Alhambra Theatre is from the April 21, 1915 issue of Engineering and Contracting: “Utica, N. Y. H. & A. Lux, of the Alhambra Amusement Co., Alhambra Theater, city, will let contracts about May 1 for erection of a theater, 68x120-ft., and to cost about $75,000. E. A. Howard & Son, 503 The Bastable, Syracuse, N. Y., are the architects. Type of construction follows: Foundations, concrete; wall, tile, steel frame; floor, reinforced concrete; partitions, tile; exterior finish, tile, front enamel brick.”
Although that sounds like it would be a major rebuilding, this item from Moving picture World of July 31, 1915 calls the project a remodeling: “The Alhambra moving picture theater of Utica, N. Y., is being remodeled and will reopen in a few weeks. Patrons will be given much higher grade of pictures than before. The interior of the playhouse will be one of the most attractive and comfortable in the city.”
So we can finally confirm that the Alhambra Theatre was the house that, according to that day’s issue of The Utica Herald Dispatch, first opened on December 21, 1907.
A paragraph about Cunningham Auditorium is found way down this web page. There is also a photo. It was quit a handsome building of rusticated stone. The text says it was built in 1904 and was often used for basketball games and roller skating in it’s early days, and it later became an armory and was used as a garage. It must have had a flat floor, so would not have been ideal for a movie house. It was destroyed when its roof collapsed from a heavy snowfall in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
The Family Theatre was opened in the fall of 1911 in a former gymnasium on the second floor of the Dawson Amateur Athletic Association building by Walter Creamer, director of the D.A.A.A.. The house was not wired for sound until 1932, and competed only sporadically with the Orpheum Theatre in its last few years. The D.A.A.A. building was located on Fifth Avenue at the northwest corner of Queen Street. There are conflicting reports of the construction date, but it was some time between the latter half of the 1890s and 1902.
There is some conflicting information in the book History of Leavenworth County, by Jesse A. Hall and Leroy T. Hand, published in 1921, which says that “[t]he old Crawford Grand Opera House was erected in 1880. It… will be remembered by many of the old timers of the present day. It was located on Shawnee street, south side, between Fifth and Sixth streets, and was erected by a stock company of which H. D. Rush was president. It played for years to large audiences and always showed the very best bills. In 1910 the building was sold to the Abdallah Shrine and after being thoroughly overhauled, has been since used as a Shrine Temple.”
If the Opera House doesn’t show up on Sanborn Maps prior to 1905, it’s safe to assume that Messrs. Hall and Hand were misinformed about its construction date. There must have been an earlier Crawford’s Opera House at a different location, and “Crawford’s New Opera House” was built after 1897 to replace it. There are multiple references to a Crawford’s Opera House at Leavenworth prior to 1897, but I’ve been unable to discover its address. Internet searches are complicated by the fact that there was more than one Crawford’s Opera House, and most search results concern the larger theater of that name in Topeka.
At the time the book I cited was published in 1921, the Shriners were building a new temple on land adjacent to the former Crawford’s. It might be that the old building became a full time movie theatre when the new Temple was completed, but if so it probably would not have been listed as the Abdallah Temple, as that name would have belonged to the new building.
The book I cited in my previous comment also says that C. F. Mensing “…came to Leavenworth in 1908 and remodeled the old McKelvery livery barn into the Hippodrome Skating Rink….” Mr. Mensing later took control of a rival skating rink, the Coliseum, and it was presumably after that when the Hippodrome was converted into a movie house.
Here is (most of) a thumbnail biography of Carl F. Mensing, one time owner of the Orpheum. It is from the book History of Leavenworth County, by Jesse A. Hall and Leroy T. Hand, published in 1921:
“C. F. Mensing, a member of a pioneer family of Kansas, is one of the most widely known picture show proprietors in the state. He was born in Manhattan, Kansas in 1875, and is the son of J. F. and Clara Mensing, who were early settlers of that city, the former being one of the first merchants locating in Manhattan in 1865.
“C. F. Mensing was one of the early men in the picture show business, and was first engaged in that line of work in 1897 at a time when the picture show was in its infancy. He operated a show in Kansas City, Missouri, and instituted popular price ten cent vaudeville. He came to Leavenworth in 1908 and remodeled the old McKelvery livery barn into the Hippodrome Skating Rink, and built the Casino picture house, where the Masonic Temple now stands. He then built the Princess movie house, where the Linck Sill and Kirmayer Clothing House is now located. He also took over the Coliseum skating rink and made a success of that business. He later bought the Palm and Fern Movie Show from Mr. Lansing, and the Airdrome Theater on Shawnee Street. He purchased the Orpheum in 1912 from M. B. Shamberg, which he still owns and operates. In the same year he bought the Lyceum Theater, which was being foreclosed under mortgage. He also owns and operates this show.
“The Orpheum has a reputation throughout the state for its fine projection and excellent music. The capacity of the Orpheum Theater is 1,000 and that of the Lyceum is 750. These show houses are two of the best in Kansas. Mr. Mensing has a thorough knowledge of the business and the people of Leavenworth appreciate the result of his wide experience in the amusement line, and an excellent and substantial patronage is given him. Mr. Mensing is wide awake and progressive and endeavors to give the people the very best and latest shows.”
The Royal was opened by 1921. History of Leavenworth County by Jesse A. Hall and Leroy T. Hand published that year says of a Mr. John W. Evans that “…he… opened the first moving picture airdome in Tonganoxie which developed into the present Royal Theatre.”
Here are two relevant paragraphs about the Hippodrome from the 1921 book Hstory of Leavenworth County by Jesse A. Hall and Leroy T. Hand:
“Thomas J. Brown, the manager of the Hippodrome of Leavenworth, Kansas, is a well known business man and very successful in his present line of work. The Hippodrome Theater, with Thomas J. Brown and Frank J. Warren as owners, has a reputation of giving clean, high class pictures. This theater is located at 526-528 Delaware Street.
“In February, 1915, Mr. Brown bought an interest in the Hippodrome from Frank J. Warren, who continued as his partner. They have two shows every afternoon and evening of the week with the exception of Saturdays and Sundays, when the show is continuous.”
The Iowana Theatre does not appear in the FDY until the 1928 edition, which is also the last year a house called the Oak Theatre is listed (it was also listed in 1926 and 1927.) I’m wondering if Oak was an aka for the Iowana? The only other theater listed at Red Oak during that period is the Beardsley.
The Iowana was probably the proposed house noted in this item from the March 10, 1923 Motion Picture News: “It is announced that A. H. Blank, of Des Moines and Omaha, will build a new theatre in Red Oak, Iowa.”
Despite having been called an Opera House, this theater was planned to accommodate movies from its inception. Plans for the project were announced in the February 7, 1914 issue of movie theater industry trade journal Motography: “F. O. McGill of Gooding was awarded the contract to build the new moving picture theater at Glenns Ferry, for which plans have been drawn by Tourtellotte & Hummel. The building will cost $10,000.”
An early announcement about Quinn’s Superba appeared in Motography of February 7, 1914: “J. A. Quinn, owner and manager of the Garrick and Lyceum theaters, has signed a lease on the property at 518 to 524 South Broadway, below Fifth street, Los Angeles, and will remodel and transform it into a picture theater with a seating capacity of 900. The theater will be opened about April 1 as Quinn’s Superba.” Plans were clearly altered before construction, as the theater ended up larger and took longer to build than this item said.
The February 7, 1914 issue of Motography contradicts my earlier source for the year of opening for the Princess, saying “[t]he new Princess fireproof theater on One Hundred and Nineteenth street, Whiting, opened New Year’s day.”
The Mills Edisonia Theatre was listed at the above address in a guidebook published in 1904.
The November 8, 1916 Moving Picture World mentions a house called the Grant Theatre in Beloit, run by an E. T. Burgan. By 1926, the only theater listed at Beloit in the FDY was a 700-seat house called the Grand, still listed in 1929. Grant/Grand makes me stroke my chin whiskers. Hmmm.
The Beloit Theatre was mentioned in the April 5, 1965 issue of em>Boxoffice.
Boxoffice of July 8, 1950 had a brief item noting that the Werts Brothers were celebrating the 22nd anniversary of their Mainstreet Theatre in Beloit. George and Bert Werts had opened the house on June 28, 1928. In 1950, an air conditioning system and new projection equipment were being installed, and the theater was being repainted.
The Electric was the only theater listed at Beloit in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
A 1904 Polk directory lists the 500-seat Cooper’s Opera House at Beloit. Cooper’s Opera House was listed in the 1889 Jeffrey Guide with 600 seats. Also listed with 600 seats on the 1894 Donaldson guide. There is a drawing of the house dated 1887 on page four of this PDF.
Why would H. D. Heard promote two fairly large theaters in the same very small town at the same time? Despite the repeated appearance of both names in the FDY, I suspect that the Pfohl was a phantom theater, and only the Paula actually existed.
The Paula Theatre building is on S. Main Street. The address is not displayed on the building, but the building to the north houses a spa with the address 1476. If the northernmost storefront in the theater building is 1478, then the theater entrance would be at 1480 S. Main. The theater is one of a number of downtown Mount Pleasant buildings under renovation, and some photos of the project, including some interior shots, can be seen on this Facebook page.
The August 21, 1915 issue of Moving Picture Worldhad this item which was certainly about the house that would soon open as the DeLux: “Work is progressing on the new moving picture theater being erected on Oneida square, Utica, N. Y., by H. G. and A. G. Lux, owners of the Alhambra theater in that city. Names for the theater will be submitted in a public contest, and prizes will be offered. The house will seat 1400 persons.”
The DeLux was one of eleven houses listed at Utica in the 1926 FDY, and one of six listed in all capital letter, indicating first-run theaters.
The caption of the photo showing the Princess Theatre in 1940, on page 34 of Morristown, by Larry Michael Hobby, says that the theater closed on April 7, 1983. The last movie shown was “The Outsiders.” The building was demolished in 1995.
The new organ recently installed in the Bender Theater is mentioned in the September 11, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World: “At the Bender theater, Utica, N. Y., a new $10,000 symphony organ was heard for the first time last week. The organist is Paul Forrester, who also directs the orchestra.”
This house became the Colonia in 1915, but it had the earlier aka of Buckley Theatre. This item is from the July 31, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World: “UTICA, N. Y.—The Utica Hippodrome Amusement Company has taken over the Bulkley [sic] theater located at the corner of Lansing and Nicholas [sic] streets. The structure will be completely renovated and have seating capacity for 800 persons.”
The August 7, 1915 MPW had this update: “THE Colonia theater, at Lansing and Nichols streets, Utica, N. T., has been extensively remodeled and reopened. The Colonia, formerly the Buckley, is owned by the Hippodrome Amusement Co. and is managed by Peter Karl, vice-president of the concern. The house has been made cozy and beautiful. The other improvements include a new ventilating system. High class moving pictures are featured at the Colonia.”
The Buckley Theatre is not listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, but is listed in the Polk company’s 1914 Utica directory, so the AMPD probably just missed it.
This item about the Alhambra Theatre is from the April 21, 1915 issue of Engineering and Contracting: “Utica, N. Y. H. & A. Lux, of the Alhambra Amusement Co., Alhambra Theater, city, will let contracts about May 1 for erection of a theater, 68x120-ft., and to cost about $75,000. E. A. Howard & Son, 503 The Bastable, Syracuse, N. Y., are the architects. Type of construction follows: Foundations, concrete; wall, tile, steel frame; floor, reinforced concrete; partitions, tile; exterior finish, tile, front enamel brick.”
Although that sounds like it would be a major rebuilding, this item from Moving picture World of July 31, 1915 calls the project a remodeling: “The Alhambra moving picture theater of Utica, N. Y., is being remodeled and will reopen in a few weeks. Patrons will be given much higher grade of pictures than before. The interior of the playhouse will be one of the most attractive and comfortable in the city.”
So we can finally confirm that the Alhambra Theatre was the house that, according to that day’s issue of The Utica Herald Dispatch, first opened on December 21, 1907.
A paragraph about Cunningham Auditorium is found way down this web page. There is also a photo. It was quit a handsome building of rusticated stone. The text says it was built in 1904 and was often used for basketball games and roller skating in it’s early days, and it later became an armory and was used as a garage. It must have had a flat floor, so would not have been ideal for a movie house. It was destroyed when its roof collapsed from a heavy snowfall in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
The Family Theatre was opened in the fall of 1911 in a former gymnasium on the second floor of the Dawson Amateur Athletic Association building by Walter Creamer, director of the D.A.A.A.. The house was not wired for sound until 1932, and competed only sporadically with the Orpheum Theatre in its last few years. The D.A.A.A. building was located on Fifth Avenue at the northwest corner of Queen Street. There are conflicting reports of the construction date, but it was some time between the latter half of the 1890s and 1902.
There is some conflicting information in the book History of Leavenworth County, by Jesse A. Hall and Leroy T. Hand, published in 1921, which says that “[t]he old Crawford Grand Opera House was erected in 1880. It… will be remembered by many of the old timers of the present day. It was located on Shawnee street, south side, between Fifth and Sixth streets, and was erected by a stock company of which H. D. Rush was president. It played for years to large audiences and always showed the very best bills. In 1910 the building was sold to the Abdallah Shrine and after being thoroughly overhauled, has been since used as a Shrine Temple.”
If the Opera House doesn’t show up on Sanborn Maps prior to 1905, it’s safe to assume that Messrs. Hall and Hand were misinformed about its construction date. There must have been an earlier Crawford’s Opera House at a different location, and “Crawford’s New Opera House” was built after 1897 to replace it. There are multiple references to a Crawford’s Opera House at Leavenworth prior to 1897, but I’ve been unable to discover its address. Internet searches are complicated by the fact that there was more than one Crawford’s Opera House, and most search results concern the larger theater of that name in Topeka.
At the time the book I cited was published in 1921, the Shriners were building a new temple on land adjacent to the former Crawford’s. It might be that the old building became a full time movie theatre when the new Temple was completed, but if so it probably would not have been listed as the Abdallah Temple, as that name would have belonged to the new building.
The book I cited in my previous comment also says that C. F. Mensing “…came to Leavenworth in 1908 and remodeled the old McKelvery livery barn into the Hippodrome Skating Rink….” Mr. Mensing later took control of a rival skating rink, the Coliseum, and it was presumably after that when the Hippodrome was converted into a movie house.
Here is (most of) a thumbnail biography of Carl F. Mensing, one time owner of the Orpheum. It is from the book History of Leavenworth County, by Jesse A. Hall and Leroy T. Hand, published in 1921:
The Royal was opened by 1921. History of Leavenworth County by Jesse A. Hall and Leroy T. Hand published that year says of a Mr. John W. Evans that “…he… opened the first moving picture airdome in Tonganoxie which developed into the present Royal Theatre.”
Here are two relevant paragraphs about the Hippodrome from the 1921 book Hstory of Leavenworth County by Jesse A. Hall and Leroy T. Hand:
The February 7, 1914 issue of Motography said that “[t]he Colonial theater in Cedar Rapids opened to the public January 5, and seats 370.”
The Iowana Theatre does not appear in the FDY until the 1928 edition, which is also the last year a house called the Oak Theatre is listed (it was also listed in 1926 and 1927.) I’m wondering if Oak was an aka for the Iowana? The only other theater listed at Red Oak during that period is the Beardsley.
The Iowana was probably the proposed house noted in this item from the March 10, 1923 Motion Picture News: “It is announced that A. H. Blank, of Des Moines and Omaha, will build a new theatre in Red Oak, Iowa.”
Despite having been called an Opera House, this theater was planned to accommodate movies from its inception. Plans for the project were announced in the February 7, 1914 issue of movie theater industry trade journal Motography: “F. O. McGill of Gooding was awarded the contract to build the new moving picture theater at Glenns Ferry, for which plans have been drawn by Tourtellotte & Hummel. The building will cost $10,000.”
An early announcement about Quinn’s Superba appeared in Motography of February 7, 1914: “J. A. Quinn, owner and manager of the Garrick and Lyceum theaters, has signed a lease on the property at 518 to 524 South Broadway, below Fifth street, Los Angeles, and will remodel and transform it into a picture theater with a seating capacity of 900. The theater will be opened about April 1 as Quinn’s Superba.” Plans were clearly altered before construction, as the theater ended up larger and took longer to build than this item said.
The February 7, 1914 issue of Motography contradicts my earlier source for the year of opening for the Princess, saying “[t]he new Princess fireproof theater on One Hundred and Nineteenth street, Whiting, opened New Year’s day.”