The building was constructed in 1900, and was initially the offices of the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Co. The east side of the building was later an implement dealership and a marble works before becoming the theater.
The address was 406-408 N 3rd St. The Opera House appears on the Dec. 1908 map, but it may have been recently completed, and not open yet. There is a large nondescript one story building there now.
Wilupp (one L and 2 Ps, although the AMPD spells it wrong under both towns) seemed conceivable. Since Woodbine is so close, it could have been owned by the same person.
But it appears that it was an error, and Hupp is the name for this one.
The addition on the side, which appears to have become the theater at some point, did not exist in 1913. It also appears from some of the pictures that this was Beck’s Theatre initially. The address for that portion would have been 705. That part of the building has been very badly preserved, and is covered in cheap plywood paneling and a garage door.
There was also a Gem elsewhere in town in the 1914-15 AMPD. Nothing on the 1913 map for that, so I assume it opened sometime in 1914. It seems that this building was still partly around in 2006. I found a photo showing the butchered remains of the south wall frankensteined onto a raw plywood mess. It was a bar at that point.
That address is wrong. The addresses are a complete mess, and the street name may actually change at that intersection. The building to the north claims to be 41, and there is a definite number 6 two blocks north. None of the intersections have signs with street names, and odds and evens seem to jump from one side of the street to the other.
This must have been the Lyric. Not sure where the Opera House was. There is no theater on the 1935 map. There is a ‘hall’ in the second floor of the building at the NW corner of Maple and Noyes, but that building says ’T. Wallis - 1916' on the top, and I believe it was built as a hotel. It’s still the best choice, I think.
Thanks for finding that information! It looks like the theater had re-closed by 1926, since it’s not in that yearbook. That just leaves the Iowa to list, if we can figure out where it was.
The correct current capacity is not 259, that’s what it was in 1913, when this was only on the ground floor. It was listed as 480 in 1956. I assume it expanded to two floors and was given the Mission remodel in 1924, when it became the Rialto. It’s possible it opened under some other name, and became the Palm in 1911. Hopefully someone will have more information.
Calling this demolished is very misleading. The entire structure is still there, although it’s possible it’s been gutted. Still vacant on the 2025 streetview.
The address is wrong. It should be 1315, and the zip code is 00907.
This was either an expansion or replacement of the old Majestic. Can anyone supply information? If the Majestic (which was only one story) was demolished, we should create a listing for that.
In 1929, both the Majestic and Rialto were operated by the Hostettler Amusement Co., which also operated the Casino, Odeon, and Strand in Marshalltown.
The Majestic was either replaced by or extensively remodeled into the Valley. However, this does not match any of the photos of the Majestic (which had a curved arch entry early on, replaced by a flat glass canopy later), and may actually show the Palm. The small portions shown of the neighboring buildings are a better match for the Palm/Rialto.
Any pictures of a one story building are of the Majestic, which seems to have become/been replaced by the Valley. They should be removed from this listing.
The opening date is incorrect. This building is shown as a theater on the Sept. 1908 map. The original structure was built between 1886 and 1890, as a store. The 1913 map shows it as a ground floor theater, with a hall above. The capacity is listed as 259.
Added a photo I took years ago. The building appeared to be derelict in 2010, and it looks basically the same on the 2024 streetview, although there is a dumpster in front of the door, so someone may be clearing out the junk.
The 1926 Yearbook lists only a New with 500 seats. I’m thinking this has to have been the New. The New name also makes sense because this replaced a large wooden building which was being used as an opera house in 1906. I have found one of the other theaters, but I’m not sure which. I’ll create a listing.
I found some old photos I took in Keota, and at the beginning of 2010 this part of the block was all churned up dirt, indicating that the buildings were recently demolished. I may even have a shot of the rear wall of the theater, but it’s impossible to tell where exactly I was.
The building was constructed in 1900, and was initially the offices of the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Co. The east side of the building was later an implement dealership and a marble works before becoming the theater.
The address was 406-408 N 3rd St. The Opera House appears on the Dec. 1908 map, but it may have been recently completed, and not open yet. There is a large nondescript one story building there now.
Wilupp (one L and 2 Ps, although the AMPD spells it wrong under both towns) seemed conceivable. Since Woodbine is so close, it could have been owned by the same person.
But it appears that it was an error, and Hupp is the name for this one.
The addition on the side, which appears to have become the theater at some point, did not exist in 1913. It also appears from some of the pictures that this was Beck’s Theatre initially. The address for that portion would have been 705. That part of the building has been very badly preserved, and is covered in cheap plywood paneling and a garage door.
If this theater was still open in 1926, it was the Idle Hour. The 1930 map is unavailable online, which makes it hard to say.
There was also a Gem elsewhere in town in the 1914-15 AMPD. Nothing on the 1913 map for that, so I assume it opened sometime in 1914. It seems that this building was still partly around in 2006. I found a photo showing the butchered remains of the south wall frankensteined onto a raw plywood mess. It was a bar at that point.
I hadn’t noticed until the reopening ad was posted, but the address is completely wrong. It should be 154 Calle de San Justo.
That address is wrong. The addresses are a complete mess, and the street name may actually change at that intersection. The building to the north claims to be 41, and there is a definite number 6 two blocks north. None of the intersections have signs with street names, and odds and evens seem to jump from one side of the street to the other.
This must have been the Lyric. Not sure where the Opera House was. There is no theater on the 1935 map. There is a ‘hall’ in the second floor of the building at the NW corner of Maple and Noyes, but that building says ’T. Wallis - 1916' on the top, and I believe it was built as a hotel. It’s still the best choice, I think.
Thanks for finding that information! It looks like the theater had re-closed by 1926, since it’s not in that yearbook. That just leaves the Iowa to list, if we can figure out where it was.
The correct current capacity is not 259, that’s what it was in 1913, when this was only on the ground floor. It was listed as 480 in 1956. I assume it expanded to two floors and was given the Mission remodel in 1924, when it became the Rialto. It’s possible it opened under some other name, and became the Palm in 1911. Hopefully someone will have more information.
Calling this demolished is very misleading. The entire structure is still there, although it’s possible it’s been gutted. Still vacant on the 2025 streetview.
The address is wrong. It should be 1315, and the zip code is 00907.
This was either an expansion or replacement of the old Majestic. Can anyone supply information? If the Majestic (which was only one story) was demolished, we should create a listing for that.
In 1929, both the Majestic and Rialto were operated by the Hostettler Amusement Co., which also operated the Casino, Odeon, and Strand in Marshalltown.
The Majestic was either replaced by or extensively remodeled into the Valley. However, this does not match any of the photos of the Majestic (which had a curved arch entry early on, replaced by a flat glass canopy later), and may actually show the Palm. The small portions shown of the neighboring buildings are a better match for the Palm/Rialto.
Since the accompanying photo is of the wrong building, it’s dubious this is actually the Palm.
This appears to be the Majestic. There was never a one story building here.
This photo is under the wrong listing, and very poor quality. This is the Majestic, across the street.
This photo is under the wrong listing, and very poor quality. This is the Majestic, across the street.
Any pictures of a one story building are of the Majestic, which seems to have become/been replaced by the Valley. They should be removed from this listing.
The opening date is incorrect. This building is shown as a theater on the Sept. 1908 map. The original structure was built between 1886 and 1890, as a store. The 1913 map shows it as a ground floor theater, with a hall above. The capacity is listed as 259.
By the way, there’s a typo. I don’t even think the NRHP existed in 1950. It was added in 1990.
I wonder if the expansion on the north side also dates from 1959?
Added a photo I took years ago. The building appeared to be derelict in 2010, and it looks basically the same on the 2024 streetview, although there is a dumpster in front of the door, so someone may be clearing out the junk.
The 1926 Yearbook lists only a New with 500 seats. I’m thinking this has to have been the New. The New name also makes sense because this replaced a large wooden building which was being used as an opera house in 1906. I have found one of the other theaters, but I’m not sure which. I’ll create a listing.
I found some old photos I took in Keota, and at the beginning of 2010 this part of the block was all churned up dirt, indicating that the buildings were recently demolished. I may even have a shot of the rear wall of the theater, but it’s impossible to tell where exactly I was.