Avalon Cinema
4225 S. Kingshighway Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63109
4225 S. Kingshighway Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63109
6 people
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This poor theatre was “remodeled” in 1977. I found a picture from 1972 showing it in it’s original state. The theatre was sold on the courthouse steps as Arthur Enterprises went bankrupt shortly after they did this 70’s hack job. It was purchased by the brother of the Hi-Pointe. Later after his death, his son continued operation until John Moseley started a sub run policy there. At first, John cleaned up the theatre, but as the continuing battles with the landlord, the theatre suffered. He shut down in the spring of 1999. I later pulled the booth equipment and have tried since to get the city to work with a plan to reuse it. Since it had ceased operation it lost it’s grandfather status and therefore all the systems would have to be brought up to current code.
The 70’s were such a stagnant time for theatres. The neighborhood houses were in their last days as cable and VCR’s started killing them one by one. I remember when Loews opened the 34th Street Showplace, which was the first new Manhattan theatres in eons. A few years later it was considered a white elephant in theatre design, dark and depressing.
It was the ‘70s and, from what I’ve been told, a LOT of things happened in the '70s – in all seriousness, one of the bleakest periods, if not THE bleakest period ever, for American architecture…
Great exterior, but why the heck would anyone wood panel a theatre lobby???????????
Pics of vacant Avalon.
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Originally part of the Franchon & Marco and later part of St. Louis Amusement/Arthur Theatres. Single floor theatre which seated 647. Closed after the Arthur Brothers Bankruptcy and later reopened by the Mosely Brothers. They maintained the theatre for a little under four years and let it run down. Started out as a subrun theatre and later tried an art policy before Arthur Brothers started a first run policy. With all the suburban theatres opening and Arthur Theatres mostly having city theatres the chain faltered.