The Laurel Theater is being purchased by Bahri Yilmaz. Mr. Yilmaz owns the BridgeWater Pub in Bridgeton and the Green Olive Restaurant in Hopewell. Plans for the Laurel Theater include renovating the existing building and connecting it with the BridgeWater Pub in order to expand the Pub to do weddings and other large banquets. Mr. Yilmaz will create a garden environment on the property in order to hold outdoor events.
This May 1979 article from the Winnipeg Free Press calls the theater Colony Cinema:
A robber armed with a pistol held up the Colony Cinema on Portage Avenue and Colony Street just before midnight yesterday. Police refused to release other details early this morning, but it is believed an arrest has been made.
The theatre manager said a man entered through a secondary entrance and held up the cashier. The manager refused, however, to say how much cash, if any, was taken. This is the second robbery to happen at the Colony in the last two years. During the first robbery, the assistant manager was held up and bound. The manager said he was tempted to lock all the doors in the theatre to prevent future robberies, but he said that would be against fire regulations.
Here is part of a 1946 case decided by the Michigan Supreme Court:
The Esquire Theatre Corporation, a Michigan corporation, was the owner of the Esquire Theatre Building including a small adjacent store in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. The Bankers Trust Company was appointed trustee of the Theatre Corporation January 7, 1944, for certain purposes including liquidation of the corporation. On January 14, 1941, the theater corporation entered into a lease under which plaintiff became its tenant. The lease was for a period of five years and covered the east store and the lobby concessions of the theater, the latter being a small space in the lobby. Plaintiff carried on the business of vending confections, cigars, novelties, operating a delicatessen, soda fountain, et cetera. The lease provided for rental of $100 per month. It also provided that upon its expiration the lessee shall have the right to renewal for a like term “at such rental as these parties shall agree upon.” It is conceded in defendant’s answer that plaintiff is entitled to a five-year renewal at a fair and reasonable rental. The parties were unable to agree on the rental to be provided in the renewal lease, and thereupon plaintiff lessee filed a petition in the circuit court of Wayne county wherein the court was asked to determine what would be a fair and reasonable rental to be provided in the renewal lease. The petition recited that the lessor was demanding that the renewal rental should be $350 per month. Plaintiff asserted such demand was unreasonable and excessive and claimed $125 per month would be a reasonable rental. Defendant appeared and answered, in effect alleging that its demand of $350 monthly rental was not unreasonable or excessive, but on the contrary was fair and reasonable. After hearing in open court an order was entered fixing the rental for the renewal period at $275 per month. Both parties have appealed.
The fair rate of rental fixed by the trial judge at $275 per month is affirmed, but the decree will be amended by extending to 30 days after decree in this Court the time within which plaintiff shall vacate the premises in event he does not elect to renew his lease. The decree to be entered in this Court will also remand the case to the circuit court for any further proceedings therein. Defendant will have costs of this Court.
If you look at the drive-ins.com site, they give a slightly different chronology than in the introduction. According to them, the theater was closed in 1984 and then re-opened in 1985, which was its last season.
This June 1983 article from the Paris (TX) News gives a different address:
An amplifier valued at $450, a $300 pressure pump, and a $200 tape deck have been stolen in a burglary of the 271 Drive-In, 1995 N. Main St., police said. The burglary occurred between June 12 and June 17.
An air conditioner was removed from a window to gain entry to the projection room, where the amplifier and tape deck were stolen, reports indicated. The pressure pump was removed from a pickup truck parked behind the concession stand.
If you look at the 1938 photo from March 2008, you see the same portholes as the Vern in Los Angeles and the American in Newhall. All three are S. Charles Lee theaters, of course.
That’s a pretty horrendous remodel by the church. It looks like they covered the marquee with tin and painted it brown. Also some kind of false brick front. I’m sure the theater looked better than this in its day.
There is no trace of this theater or any of its adjacent buildings on E. Michigan today. This site also mentions that the theater was razed for a parking lot. Status should be changed to closed/demolished. http://tinyurl.com/cwu7tk
Here are some interior photos:
http://www.houstondeco.org/1920s/metro.html
This is from a city progress report in February 2008:
Laurel Theater, Laurel Street, Downtown Bridgeton:
The Laurel Theater is being purchased by Bahri Yilmaz. Mr. Yilmaz owns the BridgeWater Pub in Bridgeton and the Green Olive Restaurant in Hopewell. Plans for the Laurel Theater include renovating the existing building and connecting it with the BridgeWater Pub in order to expand the Pub to do weddings and other large banquets. Mr. Yilmaz will create a garden environment on the property in order to hold outdoor events.
More demolition news:
http://tinyurl.com/9cnrcf
Here is a March 2009 article about some renovations at the Shattuck:
http://tinyurl.com/74n29l
This May 1979 article from the Winnipeg Free Press calls the theater Colony Cinema:
A robber armed with a pistol held up the Colony Cinema on Portage Avenue and Colony Street just before midnight yesterday. Police refused to release other details early this morning, but it is believed an arrest has been made.
The theatre manager said a man entered through a secondary entrance and held up the cashier. The manager refused, however, to say how much cash, if any, was taken. This is the second robbery to happen at the Colony in the last two years. During the first robbery, the assistant manager was held up and bound. The manager said he was tempted to lock all the doors in the theatre to prevent future robberies, but he said that would be against fire regulations.
It looks like it has quite a few tenants. I think it’s now called “Franklin Center”.
Here is part of a 1946 case decided by the Michigan Supreme Court:
The Esquire Theatre Corporation, a Michigan corporation, was the owner of the Esquire Theatre Building including a small adjacent store in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. The Bankers Trust Company was appointed trustee of the Theatre Corporation January 7, 1944, for certain purposes including liquidation of the corporation. On January 14, 1941, the theater corporation entered into a lease under which plaintiff became its tenant. The lease was for a period of five years and covered the east store and the lobby concessions of the theater, the latter being a small space in the lobby. Plaintiff carried on the business of vending confections, cigars, novelties, operating a delicatessen, soda fountain, et cetera. The lease provided for rental of $100 per month. It also provided that upon its expiration the lessee shall have the right to renewal for a like term “at such rental as these parties shall agree upon.” It is conceded in defendant’s answer that plaintiff is entitled to a five-year renewal at a fair and reasonable rental. The parties were unable to agree on the rental to be provided in the renewal lease, and thereupon plaintiff lessee filed a petition in the circuit court of Wayne county wherein the court was asked to determine what would be a fair and reasonable rental to be provided in the renewal lease. The petition recited that the lessor was demanding that the renewal rental should be $350 per month. Plaintiff asserted such demand was unreasonable and excessive and claimed $125 per month would be a reasonable rental. Defendant appeared and answered, in effect alleging that its demand of $350 monthly rental was not unreasonable or excessive, but on the contrary was fair and reasonable. After hearing in open court an order was entered fixing the rental for the renewal period at $275 per month. Both parties have appealed.
The fair rate of rental fixed by the trial judge at $275 per month is affirmed, but the decree will be amended by extending to 30 days after decree in this Court the time within which plaintiff shall vacate the premises in event he does not elect to renew his lease. The decree to be entered in this Court will also remand the case to the circuit court for any further proceedings therein. Defendant will have costs of this Court.
What is the building at 510 Franklin that is seen in the Google photo? It looks to be in good shape. Is that the theater, or a new building?
Here is a photo taken last night:
http://tinyurl.com/cmv9l3
If you look at the drive-ins.com site, they give a slightly different chronology than in the introduction. According to them, the theater was closed in 1984 and then re-opened in 1985, which was its last season.
This June 1983 article from the Paris (TX) News gives a different address:
An amplifier valued at $450, a $300 pressure pump, and a $200 tape deck have been stolen in a burglary of the 271 Drive-In, 1995 N. Main St., police said. The burglary occurred between June 12 and June 17.
An air conditioner was removed from a window to gain entry to the projection room, where the amplifier and tape deck were stolen, reports indicated. The pressure pump was removed from a pickup truck parked behind the concession stand.
If you look at the 1938 photo from March 2008, you see the same portholes as the Vern in Los Angeles and the American in Newhall. All three are S. Charles Lee theaters, of course.
Some photos here:
http://tinyurl.com/as7fbr
Didn’t theaters during the Depression give away plates and silverware? I’ve seen some ads to that effect from the thirties.
Bookstar has also taken over the Studio City theater in Southern CA. I wonder if they target old theaters, or if it’s just coincidental.
Here is a history of the mall and its eventual demise:
http://tinyurl.com/dfmhp6
That’s a pretty horrendous remodel by the church. It looks like they covered the marquee with tin and painted it brown. Also some kind of false brick front. I’m sure the theater looked better than this in its day.
There is no trace of this theater or any of its adjacent buildings on E. Michigan today. This site also mentions that the theater was razed for a parking lot. Status should be changed to closed/demolished.
http://tinyurl.com/cwu7tk
Photo of the Adams here:
http://tinyurl.com/bljkm5
Here is another photo of the Jewel:
http://tinyurl.com/cjdtpx
There is a photo on the church site:
http://tinyurl.com/b38ake
Is there any part of the theater left on the property? If not, the status should be closed/demolished.
It looks like she only lived to the age of 31, but her husband died at the age of 102 in 1990. Quite a disparity.
This is from the Cullman (AL) Banner, dated 3/14/46:
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hury and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Griffin will attend
the opening of the Melba Theater in Birmingham Thursday (today).
I was hoping that one of the doors would be open, but it was sealed tight. Have you ever been inside of the building?