A lot of the history is wrong. This was never the Grand Opera House, that was a wooden building at the corner of Marion and 1st, and it was not built in the 1880s, since it doesn’t appear until the 1907 map. Since it sounds like it showed movies, I’ll add it. There was an opera house/skating rink at the SE corner of Robinson and 4th, which did date to sometime before 1886, and was replaced by the Grand. It’s still there on the 1913 map, used only as a rink. That 1913 map shows your typical older tin front commercial building where the theater is now. I’m not sure when this theater actually was built or opened. It was definitely after 1913, and might have been after the fire in 1922 (if there even was one, most of the buildings in the postcard clearly predate 1922). The original facade, which has now been revealed or recreated, is certainly pretty old-fashioned.
The 1926 listings show the Grand with 800 seats, which seems like a lot for this building, and might represent the old opera house. The 1935 listings still show 800 for the Grand, and 500 for an Iowa. By 1947, it is shown with 600 seats, and by 1954 it has 300, and the listing identifies the location, making it certain that it’s the same Grand as today.
I think this may have been the just recently demolished building on N Webster St. Still on streetview in 2021. It had some character, but I did not bother with it. Does have a lot of windows on the side for a theater, but those could have been added.
The history is wrong. This did not open in 1900, and was not originally called the Iowa. The building may have existed before 1886, but definitely by 1899, when a deeper structure appears on the Sanborn map. It was originally a one story brick storefront. The 1907 map shows this as ‘meat & grocery’.
Its use as a theater came much later, when R.E. Goshorn and Cail Creger remodeled the building in August of 1914, using seats and equipment from the short-lived Court theater (possibly on Court St?). The Majestic opened on September 24, 1914. It was known as the Iowa by 1919, when an extensive remodel was performed under the ownership of A.B. Pettit. A Star Theatre was apparently operated during this closure.
Pettit still owned the theater when it was enlarged in the summer of 1928. The addition of a balcony supposedly added about 200 to the capacity (and necessitated adding a second story). Curiously, the capacity is listed as 340 in 1926, and in 1931. It may have been that an already existing balcony was moved higher up or more steeply raked to improve sightlines. The facade was replaced with the current brick (the old theater seems to have had a stucco front). Movies were shown at the Chataqua pavilion while the work was performed.
This information comes from the Sanborn maps and the NRHP listing for downtown. Curiously, that listing also notes that the local paper said that Pettit had owned the Iowa for 16 years as of 1928, which cannot be correct.
This is pretty vague, and there’s no certainty that these were all the same place. There was a theater on the 1913 map, which is still there on the 1932 version. I’ve made a separate listing for it. The Community name appears in the 1928 listings with 200 seats.
I just realized that the opening date of 1914 cannot be right. It is possible that whoever supplied the 1914 date confused this theater with the Crystal.
The 1905 Cahn guide gives the Temple Grand a capacity of 884. I suggest that the Masonic name was likely generic, and it should be removed, or at least switched to the aka.
The Montgomery Ward store in the photo is the building that was the Comet, before it and the building to the right of it were ruined by a dull remodel.
If the address is correct, the identification of the building is wrong. 115-117 is part of the furniture store, but it is a wide building with a brick front that appears to date from after the closure of the theater.
On the 1923 map, this appears to be a remodel of a two story brick building constructed between 1899 and 1907. It now appears as two separate buildings with the addresses 117 and 119. The block south of this is all two story buildings of an identical height, so obviously there’s been quite a bit of remodeling and replacement.
This may have opened earlier. The 1913 map shows a movie theater in the prior building at 215. This was a two story wooden storefront, fairly large, which was constructed sometime before 1886. The 1907 map shows a barber there. By 1923, that building had been replaced by a brick building, two stories, which served as the entrance and lobby to a much larger theater with the auditorium on N Elm St. The whole complex today is used as retail.
The 1929 listings only have the Opera House, while 1930 has nothing for Corning, and 1931 only lists the American. Unsure whether that means anything as far as temporary closures. The 1928 listings show both the American and Opera House, as well as an Airdome, which seems awfully late for one to be operating. Really wish the later maps were available.
The building was constructed sometime between 1893 and 1899. The 1914-15 listings show a Scenic theater, along with the Lyric. Not sure where that was, since the last map is from 1907, and the next is 1929, and not available online. Nothing appears on the 1907 map, but that’s pretty early. The Opera House is a possibility.
So maybe it really was destroyed completely? In that case, the new Rialto/Hardin needs its own entry. Looking at the brickwork on the auditorium, it does seem to be newer than the 1910s.
Some confusion in the history. The building at 419 was not a clothing store. That was the building at 403, which is still there. I think we can be fairly confident that 419 was the Isis, since the later Community name makes perfect sense for a public hall. I’ve added a map view of that building. If we can determine whether 403 was the Wilson, or something else, I have a photo of it.
This is a poor entry, and the building may not have been demolished. The Pace building (at 403 Main St) is a 2 story concrete block structure from 1912, and was originally a clothing store. The 1933 map shows it extended to the rear, and showing movies.
This may have been the same as the Isis, since the capacity is identical at 250 (nothing I’ve seen shows 310 for anything). The Isis appears in listings from 1914-15, up through 1929. New Market is not listed in the 1930 Yearbook. The Community is listed from 1931, but from 1933 on, it appears closed. The 1933 Sanborn is from January, and doesn’t note it as closed. It’s still listed as closed (or at least without capacity) in the 1946 Yearbook, along with a Wilson, and finally disappears in the 1947 edition.
However, a building at 419 Main, which is now under a big ugly shed housing a trucking business, appears on the 1912 map as a theater, and on the 1933 map as a public hall. That use suggests ‘Community’ as a sensible name. Either way, the Isis and Community were likely the same.
It’s not at all clear where the Wilson was, and that has likely been demolished, since most of downtown is gone. It could have been a reopening of the 1933 theater, if that was not the Community.
It was not really ‘destroyed’. The front certainly was, and was replaced by the Hardin Building. The rear of this is definitely an auditorium, and the Rialto is listed in the 1957 yearbook. Later yearbooks are pretty useless, since they only list circuits.
The theater was likely built after 1914-15, and appears on the 1918 map as the Clark, with a capacity of 425. It originally had a very large opera house style balcony, which still appears on the 1933 map. The yearbook for that year lists a capacity of 400. I assume the balcony was greatly reduced at some point. The name was changed to Rialto by 1926 at the latest.
The awful new front was applied sometime after the mid-‘50s. At that point, it was a J.C. Penney, with a redone ground floor, but intact upper facade and cornice.
Kerr Theatres was a small circuit based in Colorado (but owning no theatres there). They ran the Frontier here, as well as a Frontier in Bethany, MO.
The Grand was run by Kerr Theatres from at least 1959 to 1966.
A lot of the history is wrong. This was never the Grand Opera House, that was a wooden building at the corner of Marion and 1st, and it was not built in the 1880s, since it doesn’t appear until the 1907 map. Since it sounds like it showed movies, I’ll add it. There was an opera house/skating rink at the SE corner of Robinson and 4th, which did date to sometime before 1886, and was replaced by the Grand. It’s still there on the 1913 map, used only as a rink. That 1913 map shows your typical older tin front commercial building where the theater is now. I’m not sure when this theater actually was built or opened. It was definitely after 1913, and might have been after the fire in 1922 (if there even was one, most of the buildings in the postcard clearly predate 1922). The original facade, which has now been revealed or recreated, is certainly pretty old-fashioned.
The 1926 listings show the Grand with 800 seats, which seems like a lot for this building, and might represent the old opera house. The 1935 listings still show 800 for the Grand, and 500 for an Iowa. By 1947, it is shown with 600 seats, and by 1954 it has 300, and the listing identifies the location, making it certain that it’s the same Grand as today.
I think this may have been the just recently demolished building on N Webster St. Still on streetview in 2021. It had some character, but I did not bother with it. Does have a lot of windows on the side for a theater, but those could have been added.
Is 1956 or 1957 correct for the fire? Listing says one thing, info from dmt another.
I skipped this during my 2010 visit, but when I get to my pictures from 2016, I’ll add a photo if no-one else has by then.
The history is wrong. This did not open in 1900, and was not originally called the Iowa. The building may have existed before 1886, but definitely by 1899, when a deeper structure appears on the Sanborn map. It was originally a one story brick storefront. The 1907 map shows this as ‘meat & grocery’.
Its use as a theater came much later, when R.E. Goshorn and Cail Creger remodeled the building in August of 1914, using seats and equipment from the short-lived Court theater (possibly on Court St?). The Majestic opened on September 24, 1914. It was known as the Iowa by 1919, when an extensive remodel was performed under the ownership of A.B. Pettit. A Star Theatre was apparently operated during this closure.
Pettit still owned the theater when it was enlarged in the summer of 1928. The addition of a balcony supposedly added about 200 to the capacity (and necessitated adding a second story). Curiously, the capacity is listed as 340 in 1926, and in 1931. It may have been that an already existing balcony was moved higher up or more steeply raked to improve sightlines. The facade was replaced with the current brick (the old theater seems to have had a stucco front). Movies were shown at the Chataqua pavilion while the work was performed.
This information comes from the Sanborn maps and the NRHP listing for downtown. Curiously, that listing also notes that the local paper said that Pettit had owned the Iowa for 16 years as of 1928, which cannot be correct.
I’ve added a map view. I did not take a picture of this for whatever reason.
This is pretty vague, and there’s no certainty that these were all the same place. There was a theater on the 1913 map, which is still there on the 1932 version. I’ve made a separate listing for it. The Community name appears in the 1928 listings with 200 seats.
I just realized that the opening date of 1914 cannot be right. It is possible that whoever supplied the 1914 date confused this theater with the Crystal.
Opened September 1914, closed summer of 1985, started restoration in 2003. It seems the building dates to 1887.
Building constructed 1886-1893 as a store, still a general store on the 1919 map. Open by 1926 with 250 seats, not sure when it closed.
The 1905 Cahn guide gives the Temple Grand a capacity of 884. I suggest that the Masonic name was likely generic, and it should be removed, or at least switched to the aka.
The Montgomery Ward store in the photo is the building that was the Comet, before it and the building to the right of it were ruined by a dull remodel.
If the address is correct, the identification of the building is wrong. 115-117 is part of the furniture store, but it is a wide building with a brick front that appears to date from after the closure of the theater. On the 1923 map, this appears to be a remodel of a two story brick building constructed between 1899 and 1907. It now appears as two separate buildings with the addresses 117 and 119. The block south of this is all two story buildings of an identical height, so obviously there’s been quite a bit of remodeling and replacement.
This may have opened earlier. The 1913 map shows a movie theater in the prior building at 215. This was a two story wooden storefront, fairly large, which was constructed sometime before 1886. The 1907 map shows a barber there. By 1923, that building had been replaced by a brick building, two stories, which served as the entrance and lobby to a much larger theater with the auditorium on N Elm St. The whole complex today is used as retail.
This needs to be corrected to closed. Incredibly ugly building. Maybe someone will pull that trashy dryvit off of it.
The 1929 listings only have the Opera House, while 1930 has nothing for Corning, and 1931 only lists the American. Unsure whether that means anything as far as temporary closures. The 1928 listings show both the American and Opera House, as well as an Airdome, which seems awfully late for one to be operating. Really wish the later maps were available.
The building was constructed sometime between 1893 and 1899. The 1914-15 listings show a Scenic theater, along with the Lyric. Not sure where that was, since the last map is from 1907, and the next is 1929, and not available online. Nothing appears on the 1907 map, but that’s pretty early. The Opera House is a possibility.
So maybe it really was destroyed completely? In that case, the new Rialto/Hardin needs its own entry. Looking at the brickwork on the auditorium, it does seem to be newer than the 1910s.
Some confusion in the history. The building at 419 was not a clothing store. That was the building at 403, which is still there. I think we can be fairly confident that 419 was the Isis, since the later Community name makes perfect sense for a public hall. I’ve added a map view of that building. If we can determine whether 403 was the Wilson, or something else, I have a photo of it.
This is a poor entry, and the building may not have been demolished. The Pace building (at 403 Main St) is a 2 story concrete block structure from 1912, and was originally a clothing store. The 1933 map shows it extended to the rear, and showing movies.
This may have been the same as the Isis, since the capacity is identical at 250 (nothing I’ve seen shows 310 for anything). The Isis appears in listings from 1914-15, up through 1929. New Market is not listed in the 1930 Yearbook. The Community is listed from 1931, but from 1933 on, it appears closed. The 1933 Sanborn is from January, and doesn’t note it as closed. It’s still listed as closed (or at least without capacity) in the 1946 Yearbook, along with a Wilson, and finally disappears in the 1947 edition.
However, a building at 419 Main, which is now under a big ugly shed housing a trucking business, appears on the 1912 map as a theater, and on the 1933 map as a public hall. That use suggests ‘Community’ as a sensible name. Either way, the Isis and Community were likely the same.
It’s not at all clear where the Wilson was, and that has likely been demolished, since most of downtown is gone. It could have been a reopening of the 1933 theater, if that was not the Community.
It was not really ‘destroyed’. The front certainly was, and was replaced by the Hardin Building. The rear of this is definitely an auditorium, and the Rialto is listed in the 1957 yearbook. Later yearbooks are pretty useless, since they only list circuits.
The theater was likely built after 1914-15, and appears on the 1918 map as the Clark, with a capacity of 425. It originally had a very large opera house style balcony, which still appears on the 1933 map. The yearbook for that year lists a capacity of 400. I assume the balcony was greatly reduced at some point. The name was changed to Rialto by 1926 at the latest.
The 1912 Sanborn notes ‘Damaged by Fire Nov 15, 1912 - Walls Only Remain’. That was the reason for the 1913 work.
The awful new front was applied sometime after the mid-‘50s. At that point, it was a J.C. Penney, with a redone ground floor, but intact upper facade and cornice.