KANSAS CITY-The Gladstone Theater, a Fox Midwest theater for a number of years, closed Saturday night, April 30. Located at 4608 St. John, the theater was built by the late John G. Hiatt and opened in 1919. In 1922 it was taken over by the old Capitol Enterprises and 1926 was acquired by Universal of New York.
Fox Midwest first leased the Gladstone in 1930 and operated it under a lease until 1945, at which time Fox Midwest bought the building. In 1958 the theater was sold to Frank and Manuel Zoglin, and Fox Midwest continued to operate it under a lease.
With the termination of the lease, Fox Midwest is moving its equipment from the theater. The Zoglins said the building will be remodeled and made into business property. Jess Spain, manager of the Gladstone, also manages the Vista for Fox Midwest and will continue in that capacity.
JOPLIN-Razing of the Rex Theater in South Joplin will eliminate a landmark. The Rex was built in 1916 by Louis F. Peters as a vauedeville house and afterwards became a motion picture showcase. Until two years ago it had been in continuous operation.
The present owner, C.K. Peters, offered the theater for sale after it closed, but no buyer appeared and the building deteriorated to the point that led to city condemnation. Peters plans to lease the leveled land as a parking lot or will sell it as a business site.
Superior Court Judge Grover Niemeyer has ordered the sale of the Fine Arts building, which houses the World Playhouse, at 400 S. Michigan Ave., and the proceeds divided among the owners, Bessie Simon and Arnold Schwartz. Mrs. Simon brought the court action. The building is valued at about $1,300,000, by Mrs. Simon’s attorney.
ST. LOUIS-The Roxy Theater, on Lansdowne Ave. in the southwestern part of the city, will resume a regular picture policy June 4 when new lessees Dave Ganz, a former house employee, and John Conner, a newcomer to exhibition, take over. They have leased the house from its owner.
The art policy the Roxy has followed for several years has been meeting growing disapproval by church members in the area.
Spelled as Amythis in the May 1960 issue of Boxoffice magazine:
ST. LOUIS-The Amythis, 4300 St. Ferdinand Avenue, has been reopened by Mort S. Silvers, a former vaudeville entertainer and Universal Pictures employee for 40 years. Silvers had planned to reopen the house January 11 but was delayed when he was hospitalized for a long period.
MOBERLY, MO.-The Sosna State, 209 North Fourth St., has been reopened after 4 ½ years of darkness by Louis M. Sosna, owner of the building. Sosna plans to complete a thorough remodeling and redecoration program, which includes installing a wide screen and bringing projection equipment up to date.
Sosna leased the State in November 1949 to the Dubinsky Circuit and moved his family to San Diego, where they resided until last month. Sosna expressed confidence in the future of Moberly and the theater business, saying “We have returned because we believe Moberly is on the way up. We plan to operate the State like we did in the good old days, with popular prices and strictly first-run releases”.
The Wilson circuit closed the El Patio Theater, Tyrone, on May 8. The city’s B-house had been operating only on weekends, with Tyrone’s Wilson Theater continuing on a full-time basis.
Right, says it was opened in 2000 and was never a theater previously. That may or may not be correct, since this article at least suggests that there was a prior mall theater in Seaford.
The Burlington Drive-In may have to agree to stop showing “arty” films or it will lose its license. Residents have complained about the picture “Nudist’s Paradise”, which is about a nudist colony. Burlington’s mayor went to see the film “and was shocked…I couldn’t believe it”. Traffic jams have been reported in areas where cars can see the screen while driving by the theater.
A conference will be set with city council and the drive-in manager, Mrs. Ethel Olarchik of Trenton, who also manages the High Theater in the same town for Melvin Fox Enterprises.
There is a newer carpet store on the corner of Seminary and E. Tennessee, and next to that, where 215 E. Tennessee would be, a small building that bears no relation to the exterior view posted on 6/17/07. It looks like the theater was razed and a church built on part of the property.
Here is part of a 3/17/91 article from the LA Times:
During the late 1980s, Corona was one of the state’s fastest growing cities, and urban sprawl sent its neighborhoods in all directions. But many newcomers from Orange County and elsewhere don’t even know what the Circle is, and they often end up bypassing downtown for their own neighborhood shopping centers.
Now business owners in the Circle want to revitalize the area and return some of downtown Corona’s former glory to a number of city blocks now blighted by drug activity, vagrancy, graffiti and prostitution. Some long-neglected homes and businesses need to be razed or repaired, and, if nothing is done soon, business owners and tenants fear the situation will only get worse.
The Downtown Business Association recently hired an architect to study the possible preservation of the Corona Landmark Theatre and an adjoining office building, which were built in 1929 and are two of the few remaining examples of Spanish Colonial-style architecture in the city. The owners of both structures have taken out demolition permits for the sites after their buildings were determined to be unsafe in an earthquake.
In any case, city officials warn that the Circle could face worse times if a major regional mall is built elsewhere in Corona. Such a prospect has been discussed with developers for the past several years. A city needs “a sense of place,” said George Guayante, redevelopment director. “We’ve all heard the expression `there’s no there there.‘ That’s not Corona now. But we could lose that sense of place if we don’t do something to keep it.”
According to this church site, the church moved first to the Del Mar, then to the Lyceum in 1953, then back to the Del Mar in 1955, which became the permanent location. http://www.sfchristiancenter.org/about.html
I haven’t thought about this theater in a long time. I went to one movie there, title unrecalled, on a cold winter day, probably because I was tired of being outside. As Howard points out in the introduction, this wasn’t the happening part of town in the 80s.
This is from Boxoffice magazine, May 1960:
KANSAS CITY-The Gladstone Theater, a Fox Midwest theater for a number of years, closed Saturday night, April 30. Located at 4608 St. John, the theater was built by the late John G. Hiatt and opened in 1919. In 1922 it was taken over by the old Capitol Enterprises and 1926 was acquired by Universal of New York.
Fox Midwest first leased the Gladstone in 1930 and operated it under a lease until 1945, at which time Fox Midwest bought the building. In 1958 the theater was sold to Frank and Manuel Zoglin, and Fox Midwest continued to operate it under a lease.
With the termination of the lease, Fox Midwest is moving its equipment from the theater. The Zoglins said the building will be remodeled and made into business property. Jess Spain, manager of the Gladstone, also manages the Vista for Fox Midwest and will continue in that capacity.
This is from Boxoffice magazine in May 1960:
JOPLIN-Razing of the Rex Theater in South Joplin will eliminate a landmark. The Rex was built in 1916 by Louis F. Peters as a vauedeville house and afterwards became a motion picture showcase. Until two years ago it had been in continuous operation.
The present owner, C.K. Peters, offered the theater for sale after it closed, but no buyer appeared and the building deteriorated to the point that led to city condemnation. Peters plans to lease the leveled land as a parking lot or will sell it as a business site.
This is from Boxoffice magazine, May 1960:
Superior Court Judge Grover Niemeyer has ordered the sale of the Fine Arts building, which houses the World Playhouse, at 400 S. Michigan Ave., and the proceeds divided among the owners, Bessie Simon and Arnold Schwartz. Mrs. Simon brought the court action. The building is valued at about $1,300,000, by Mrs. Simon’s attorney.
That’s understandable. If you’re searching through net archives for news articles, though, you will get more hits if you use 2736 instead of 2738.
Most of the Chicago Tribune stories from the teens and twenties place the theater at 2736 N. Clark.
I think that film came out in fall 1986.
This is from Boxoffice magazine, May 1960:
ST. LOUIS-The Roxy Theater, on Lansdowne Ave. in the southwestern part of the city, will resume a regular picture policy June 4 when new lessees Dave Ganz, a former house employee, and John Conner, a newcomer to exhibition, take over. They have leased the house from its owner.
The art policy the Roxy has followed for several years has been meeting growing disapproval by church members in the area.
Spelled as Amythis in the May 1960 issue of Boxoffice magazine:
ST. LOUIS-The Amythis, 4300 St. Ferdinand Avenue, has been reopened by Mort S. Silvers, a former vaudeville entertainer and Universal Pictures employee for 40 years. Silvers had planned to reopen the house January 11 but was delayed when he was hospitalized for a long period.
This is from Boxoffice magazine, May 1960:
MOBERLY, MO.-The Sosna State, 209 North Fourth St., has been reopened after 4 ½ years of darkness by Louis M. Sosna, owner of the building. Sosna plans to complete a thorough remodeling and redecoration program, which includes installing a wide screen and bringing projection equipment up to date.
Sosna leased the State in November 1949 to the Dubinsky Circuit and moved his family to San Diego, where they resided until last month. Sosna expressed confidence in the future of Moberly and the theater business, saying “We have returned because we believe Moberly is on the way up. We plan to operate the State like we did in the good old days, with popular prices and strictly first-run releases”.
Everybody could be wrong. That’s we call these discussions.
This is from Boxoffice magazine, May 1960:
The Wilson circuit closed the El Patio Theater, Tyrone, on May 8. The city’s B-house had been operating only on weekends, with Tyrone’s Wilson Theater continuing on a full-time basis.
Right, says it was opened in 2000 and was never a theater previously. That may or may not be correct, since this article at least suggests that there was a prior mall theater in Seaford.
The first two posters weren’t sure if this was a re-opened theater. I think Seaford Cinemas was also in a shopping mall, so there may be a connection.
This is from Boxoffice magazine in May 1960:
The Burlington Drive-In may have to agree to stop showing “arty” films or it will lose its license. Residents have complained about the picture “Nudist’s Paradise”, which is about a nudist colony. Burlington’s mayor went to see the film “and was shocked…I couldn’t believe it”. Traffic jams have been reported in areas where cars can see the screen while driving by the theater.
A conference will be set with city council and the drive-in manager, Mrs. Ethel Olarchik of Trenton, who also manages the High Theater in the same town for Melvin Fox Enterprises.
Boxoffice magazine reported in May 1960 that a new theater was planned in the Bar Harbor Shopping Center near Seaford.
There is a newer carpet store on the corner of Seminary and E. Tennessee, and next to that, where 215 E. Tennessee would be, a small building that bears no relation to the exterior view posted on 6/17/07. It looks like the theater was razed and a church built on part of the property.
Here is part of a 3/17/91 article from the LA Times:
During the late 1980s, Corona was one of the state’s fastest growing cities, and urban sprawl sent its neighborhoods in all directions. But many newcomers from Orange County and elsewhere don’t even know what the Circle is, and they often end up bypassing downtown for their own neighborhood shopping centers.
Now business owners in the Circle want to revitalize the area and return some of downtown Corona’s former glory to a number of city blocks now blighted by drug activity, vagrancy, graffiti and prostitution. Some long-neglected homes and businesses need to be razed or repaired, and, if nothing is done soon, business owners and tenants fear the situation will only get worse.
The Downtown Business Association recently hired an architect to study the possible preservation of the Corona Landmark Theatre and an adjoining office building, which were built in 1929 and are two of the few remaining examples of Spanish Colonial-style architecture in the city. The owners of both structures have taken out demolition permits for the sites after their buildings were determined to be unsafe in an earthquake.
In any case, city officials warn that the Circle could face worse times if a major regional mall is built elsewhere in Corona. Such a prospect has been discussed with developers for the past several years. A city needs “a sense of place,” said George Guayante, redevelopment director. “We’ve all heard the expression `there’s no there there.‘ That’s not Corona now. But we could lose that sense of place if we don’t do something to keep it.”
This 1951 suit discusses some hostilities between the respective owners of the Windsor and Walbrook:
http://tinyurl.com/bz2wk5
The current occupant is North Avenue Beauty Supply.
http://www.burmax.com/distributors.asp?states=MD
It’s s discount market. Function should be retail.
http://tinyurl.com/ck9n4k
Advertised for sale in Village Voice:
http://tinyurl.com/c5fuga
For sale on loopnet:
http://tinyurl.com/ass598
In 2004 the city gave conditional approval to add on to the original structure:
F. REGULAR CALENDAR
5825-5845 MISSION STREET, 50-68 OLIVER STREET & 846-848 BRUNSWICK STREET (aka SAN FRANCISCO CHRISTIAN CENTER) Lots 2,3,5,14,15,27 Assessor’s Block 6472 – Request for conditional use authorization to amend a Planned Unit Development previously authorized by the Planning Commission under Motion No. 16517. The proposal includes the construction of a three-story 4,550 square-foot horizontal addition to the rear of the existing church building located at 5825 Mission Street. This amendment requires conditional use findings for non-residential use size over 4,000 square feet for the proposed addition to the church building pursuant to Planning Code Sections 711.21, 121.2 & 303© . Lots 2 & 27 of the project site are located in an NC-2 (Small-Scale Neighborhood Commercial) District, and lots 3,5,14 & 15 are located in an RH-1 (Residential House, One-family) District. The entire site lies in a 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Preliminary Recommendation: Approval with Conditions
According to this church site, the church moved first to the Del Mar, then to the Lyceum in 1953, then back to the Del Mar in 1955, which became the permanent location.
http://www.sfchristiancenter.org/about.html
I haven’t thought about this theater in a long time. I went to one movie there, title unrecalled, on a cold winter day, probably because I was tired of being outside. As Howard points out in the introduction, this wasn’t the happening part of town in the 80s.