The Town Hall was built sometime between 1895 and 1901. From the beginning, there was an ‘opera house’ on the second floor, which had a deep balcony with a small U-shaped cutout in the center. As late as the 1920 map, it does not seem to be used as a cinema.
The 1951 map shows something much like the photo, and the balcony has been drastically remodeled to a sort of angled C-shape. At this point the other theater in town has closed, and it’s unlikely that such a small town could have supported two at once.
The ground floor was always city offices, but today the space is used by the fire department, which was housed in the little building to the left while the theater was operating.
This was a direct replacement of the old Grand Opera House, which occupied nearly the same space since sometime before 1886. There was originally a small stream called Mill Run along the south wall, but this was paved over, probably during construction of the new theater.
The building which became the Princess first appears on the 1891 map, with the note ‘Being Built’. It was a three-story brick building with a stone front. The 1894 map shows a store in this location.
The 1910 map shows the theater using a 15hp gas engine and 10kw dynamo to power the operation. Sometime between 1910 and 1928, it seems the theater was expanded into number 19 to the west. This had originally been an odd one-story structure with a narrower wooden front on a brick rear. On the 1928 map, it has been greatly expanded in the rear and the front reconstructed in brick. An intermittent partition wall is still shown, but the ‘Movies’ legend is written diagonally across both spaces.
The 1955 map shows the space as vacant. Most of the block was destroyed long ago, and aside from the State theater complex and a bit on the SW corner, is a wasteland of surface parking, with a few ugly modern structures scattered about.
Actually, Fountain Ave is the E-W dividing line. The first block East and West is 1-99, then 100s in the second block. The 1955 map shows this as the Civic Theatre. It’s not clear whether that’s a name or function, but the ‘Movie’ note from the 1928 map has disappeared. It looks like it had stage and scenery until the end. This is another block that was completely destroyed due to neglect and the collapse of Springfield’s economy and downtown. By at least 2007, the whole thing was a vacant lot, but there is now a hospital and ocean of parking covering it.
We should probably split this listing, as the first Liberty was completely demolished to be replaced by the new one.
Not sure when exactly the first theater opened. The 1910 map shows a 2 story commercial building on the site, which appears to have been remodeled into the theater by putting up a new facade, and extending the rear of the building by a fair amount to create an auditorium. Strangely, the building to the east, visible on the right of the old photo, originally was much deeper, and had an angled corner at the rear, meaning that the auditorium got wider at the very back, likely behind the screen.
Joe is right, there was never a hotel in this building. Most of it was bank offices, and there were some stores in the ground floor. The auditorium was a 3-4 story brick structure that completely filled in the ‘L’. It’s still shown on the 1955 map.
The 1910 map shows the ‘Billy S. Clifford Theatre’ had quite a large balcony. Perhaps this was torn out in the remodel. There is indeed an armory on the upper two stories.
The 1909-10 Cahn guide calls it the New Clifford Theatre, and gives the capacity as 1,200. Billy was the owner, while Ed. C. Clifford is listed as the manager.
This theater is shown on the 1910 map. The building was constructed sometime before 1885 (likely not too long before, judging from the style). It was originally the masonic temple. The 1901 map shows the theater location as a grocery.
As originally built, the main three story structure had a smaller two story annex on the rear, connected by a short extension on the north side. The 1910 map shows that the gap has been filled in, although the theater is still separated from the rear section by a wall.
By the 1924 map, the annex has been demolished and replaced by a long one-story auditorium that extends all the way to the alley, and, while wider than the northern storefront, is not quite as wide as the front section, leaving a narrow alley along the south wall.
The setup remains the same on the 1950 map, but the rear half of the auditorium has been demolished.
The 1909 map shows this space as a store. It was the southern half of the Railroad Store, which offered ‘Dry Goods, Clothing, Shoes, Hats, Carpets and Bargains’.
SethG
commented about
Pictoriumon
Apr 14, 2021 at 2:17 pm
To be fair to Richmond, this theater was likely badly damaged in a huge gas explosion that took place under a sporting goods store located on the SE corner of 6th and Main. The gas explosion was followed by the gunpowder stored in the basement of Marting Arms. The local gas company had been grossly negligent, as had the sporting goods store, and 41 people died. 21 buildings near the site were condemned. This took place April 6, 1968.
While the building remains in an aerial photo of the aftermath, at the very least all the windows would have been broken. Only the solidly built little ‘50s office building on the corner seems to have escaped being condemned.
The building this theater had been in was located just behind an old commercial building on the corner of 6th and Main. It housed Vigran’s Variety Store, and was directly across 6th from Marting Arms. The explosion obliterated it, and all inside died. An aerial photo of the aftermath shows that this building was reduced to a roofless shell. It must have been demolished shortly thereafter.
To be fair to Richmond, this theater was badly damaged in a huge gas explosion that took place under a sporting goods store located up on the corner of 6th and Main. The gas explosion was followed by the gunpowder stored in the basement of Marting Arms. The local gas company had been grossly negligent, as had the sporting goods store, and 41 people died. 21 buildings near the site were condemned. This took place April 6, 1968.
The day of the explosion, the movie showing was Elvis' ‘Stay Away Joe’. Damage included lots of plaster from the ceiling, and a large crack in the western wall. There don’t seem to have been any deaths there, but the attendees of the children’s matinee poured out into a street full of bricks and broken glass. Everything to the west of the theater was either obliterated by the explosion or destroyed by the fire which followed. The theater was saved by the fire department, but if it wasn’t condemned then, was gone by about 1972 when several blocks of Main became one of those awful pedestrian mall urban renewalists loved so much.
To be fair to Richmond, this theater was badly damaged in a huge gas explosion that took place under a sporting goods store located on the corner to the west. The gas explosion was followed by the gunpowder stored in the basement of Marting Arms. The local gas company had been grossly negligent, as had the sporting goods store, and 41 people died. 21 buildings near the site were condemned, including probably the theater. This took place April 6, 1968.
The theater was replaced by Bartel’s department store, which in older photos appears to have been built in the mid to late ‘20s. It was badly damaged in the 1968 disaster (Marting Arms was across the street). A car was thrown into the show windows and the entire second floor was apparently shifted a few inches back. It was then remodeled into what can be seen on streetview.
The address was 53 N 8th. Strangely, the 1901 Sanborn shows the Gennett Opera House to be nearly identical to the Grand Opera House shown on earlier maps. I think ‘burned down’ did not really reflect what happened.
The 1909 map shows an extensive interior remodel of what is now called the Gennett Theatre. The ground floor storefronts appear to have been removed, and the balcony is now a large ‘horse collar’ shape rather than the previous flared ‘U’. The front of the stage appears to have been straightened. The notes say that it has two balconies, and give the capacity as 900.
It is on the 1909 map that a three story building at the rear appears, with the first floor serving as offices and prop storage, and the upper stories being labeled ‘Theatre Flats’. This portion of the building remains.
There was a later map, probably from the ‘20s, but the only copy online was heavily modified starting in 1937, with bits of paper pasted over buildings as they changed or were replaced. What can be seen through the overlays indicates that the capacity of the Washington was unchanged, although a more extensive metal canopy across the front replaced the small wooden canopy seen in the postcard.
Address was 621 E Main. Little storefronts were 619 and 623. The theater and everything west of it were destroyed for an ugly monstrosity of a department store, probably sometime in the ‘70s.
Petersburg is pretty sad and shabby. This is already gone by the 2007 streetview. The style looks a bit old-fashioned for 1932, but it’s still an empty lot on the 1921 map.
The insurance office is still on the 2018 streetview, and is an ugly little thing that looks like it was built to replace the theater and neighboring building.
The 1907 Sanborn shows a large one-story brick building on the corner of Main and 6th. The corner storefront is a cobbler. The larger portion to the south is labeled ‘Moving Pictures’. A two story section at the rear is used as a warehouse with entry from 6th. A note over the theater space says ‘To build opera house here’.
By 1921, the Lyric occupies the same space as before, but the warehouse space behind the theater is now incorporated (although a wall is still shown between the two spaces). The capacity is shown as 200. The height of the structure has changed from 14 to 24 feet. The address is shown as 518-520. The corner space at 522 is now a restaurant and confectionery.
The Town Hall was built sometime between 1895 and 1901. From the beginning, there was an ‘opera house’ on the second floor, which had a deep balcony with a small U-shaped cutout in the center. As late as the 1920 map, it does not seem to be used as a cinema.
The 1951 map shows something much like the photo, and the balcony has been drastically remodeled to a sort of angled C-shape. At this point the other theater in town has closed, and it’s unlikely that such a small town could have supported two at once.
The ground floor was always city offices, but today the space is used by the fire department, which was housed in the little building to the left while the theater was operating.
This was a direct replacement of the old Grand Opera House, which occupied nearly the same space since sometime before 1886. There was originally a small stream called Mill Run along the south wall, but this was paved over, probably during construction of the new theater.
The building which became the Princess first appears on the 1891 map, with the note ‘Being Built’. It was a three-story brick building with a stone front. The 1894 map shows a store in this location.
The 1910 map shows the theater using a 15hp gas engine and 10kw dynamo to power the operation. Sometime between 1910 and 1928, it seems the theater was expanded into number 19 to the west. This had originally been an odd one-story structure with a narrower wooden front on a brick rear. On the 1928 map, it has been greatly expanded in the rear and the front reconstructed in brick. An intermittent partition wall is still shown, but the ‘Movies’ legend is written diagonally across both spaces.
The 1955 map shows the space as vacant. Most of the block was destroyed long ago, and aside from the State theater complex and a bit on the SW corner, is a wasteland of surface parking, with a few ugly modern structures scattered about.
Actually, Fountain Ave is the E-W dividing line. The first block East and West is 1-99, then 100s in the second block. The 1955 map shows this as the Civic Theatre. It’s not clear whether that’s a name or function, but the ‘Movie’ note from the 1928 map has disappeared. It looks like it had stage and scenery until the end. This is another block that was completely destroyed due to neglect and the collapse of Springfield’s economy and downtown. By at least 2007, the whole thing was a vacant lot, but there is now a hospital and ocean of parking covering it.
The address is incorrect. The theater entrance was at 24.
This entire city block was destroyed and replaced by a really ugly ‘70s city hall and an office tower.
We should probably split this listing, as the first Liberty was completely demolished to be replaced by the new one.
Not sure when exactly the first theater opened. The 1910 map shows a 2 story commercial building on the site, which appears to have been remodeled into the theater by putting up a new facade, and extending the rear of the building by a fair amount to create an auditorium. Strangely, the building to the east, visible on the right of the old photo, originally was much deeper, and had an angled corner at the rear, meaning that the auditorium got wider at the very back, likely behind the screen.
Joe is right, there was never a hotel in this building. Most of it was bank offices, and there were some stores in the ground floor. The auditorium was a 3-4 story brick structure that completely filled in the ‘L’. It’s still shown on the 1955 map.
The 1910 map shows the ‘Billy S. Clifford Theatre’ had quite a large balcony. Perhaps this was torn out in the remodel. There is indeed an armory on the upper two stories.
The 1909-10 Cahn guide calls it the New Clifford Theatre, and gives the capacity as 1,200. Billy was the owner, while Ed. C. Clifford is listed as the manager.
This theater is shown on the 1910 map. The building was constructed sometime before 1885 (likely not too long before, judging from the style). It was originally the masonic temple. The 1901 map shows the theater location as a grocery.
As originally built, the main three story structure had a smaller two story annex on the rear, connected by a short extension on the north side. The 1910 map shows that the gap has been filled in, although the theater is still separated from the rear section by a wall.
By the 1924 map, the annex has been demolished and replaced by a long one-story auditorium that extends all the way to the alley, and, while wider than the northern storefront, is not quite as wide as the front section, leaving a narrow alley along the south wall.
The setup remains the same on the 1950 map, but the rear half of the auditorium has been demolished.
1905 Cahn Guide gives the capacity as 600, manager C.O. Shuler.
The 1909 map shows this space as a store. It was the southern half of the Railroad Store, which offered ‘Dry Goods, Clothing, Shoes, Hats, Carpets and Bargains’.
To be fair to Richmond, this theater was likely badly damaged in a huge gas explosion that took place under a sporting goods store located on the SE corner of 6th and Main. The gas explosion was followed by the gunpowder stored in the basement of Marting Arms. The local gas company had been grossly negligent, as had the sporting goods store, and 41 people died. 21 buildings near the site were condemned. This took place April 6, 1968.
While the building remains in an aerial photo of the aftermath, at the very least all the windows would have been broken. Only the solidly built little ‘50s office building on the corner seems to have escaped being condemned.
The building this theater had been in was located just behind an old commercial building on the corner of 6th and Main. It housed Vigran’s Variety Store, and was directly across 6th from Marting Arms. The explosion obliterated it, and all inside died. An aerial photo of the aftermath shows that this building was reduced to a roofless shell. It must have been demolished shortly thereafter.
To be fair to Richmond, this theater was badly damaged in a huge gas explosion that took place under a sporting goods store located up on the corner of 6th and Main. The gas explosion was followed by the gunpowder stored in the basement of Marting Arms. The local gas company had been grossly negligent, as had the sporting goods store, and 41 people died. 21 buildings near the site were condemned. This took place April 6, 1968.
The day of the explosion, the movie showing was Elvis' ‘Stay Away Joe’. Damage included lots of plaster from the ceiling, and a large crack in the western wall. There don’t seem to have been any deaths there, but the attendees of the children’s matinee poured out into a street full of bricks and broken glass. Everything to the west of the theater was either obliterated by the explosion or destroyed by the fire which followed. The theater was saved by the fire department, but if it wasn’t condemned then, was gone by about 1972 when several blocks of Main became one of those awful pedestrian mall urban renewalists loved so much.
To be fair to Richmond, this theater was badly damaged in a huge gas explosion that took place under a sporting goods store located on the corner to the west. The gas explosion was followed by the gunpowder stored in the basement of Marting Arms. The local gas company had been grossly negligent, as had the sporting goods store, and 41 people died. 21 buildings near the site were condemned, including probably the theater. This took place April 6, 1968.
The theater was replaced by Bartel’s department store, which in older photos appears to have been built in the mid to late ‘20s. It was badly damaged in the 1968 disaster (Marting Arms was across the street). A car was thrown into the show windows and the entire second floor was apparently shifted a few inches back. It was then remodeled into what can be seen on streetview.
Should we really use the Lawrence name as the ID, considering that it stopped showing movies before being renamed?
The 1905-6 Cahn guide gives it a capacity of 1,200.
The address was 53 N 8th. Strangely, the 1901 Sanborn shows the Gennett Opera House to be nearly identical to the Grand Opera House shown on earlier maps. I think ‘burned down’ did not really reflect what happened.
The 1909 map shows an extensive interior remodel of what is now called the Gennett Theatre. The ground floor storefronts appear to have been removed, and the balcony is now a large ‘horse collar’ shape rather than the previous flared ‘U’. The front of the stage appears to have been straightened. The notes say that it has two balconies, and give the capacity as 900.
It is on the 1909 map that a three story building at the rear appears, with the first floor serving as offices and prop storage, and the upper stories being labeled ‘Theatre Flats’. This portion of the building remains.
There was a later map, probably from the ‘20s, but the only copy online was heavily modified starting in 1937, with bits of paper pasted over buildings as they changed or were replaced. What can be seen through the overlays indicates that the capacity of the Washington was unchanged, although a more extensive metal canopy across the front replaced the small wooden canopy seen in the postcard.
Address was 621 E Main. Little storefronts were 619 and 623. The theater and everything west of it were destroyed for an ugly monstrosity of a department store, probably sometime in the ‘70s.
One other note: This lot in 1899 is partially empty, with a two-story saloon on the corner, which may have been incorporated into the larger complex.
Petersburg is pretty sad and shabby. This is already gone by the 2007 streetview. The style looks a bit old-fashioned for 1932, but it’s still an empty lot on the 1921 map.
Description needs to be rewritten.
The insurance office is still on the 2018 streetview, and is an ugly little thing that looks like it was built to replace the theater and neighboring building.
The 1907 Sanborn shows a large one-story brick building on the corner of Main and 6th. The corner storefront is a cobbler. The larger portion to the south is labeled ‘Moving Pictures’. A two story section at the rear is used as a warehouse with entry from 6th. A note over the theater space says ‘To build opera house here’.
By 1921, the Lyric occupies the same space as before, but the warehouse space behind the theater is now incorporated (although a wall is still shown between the two spaces). The capacity is shown as 200. The height of the structure has changed from 14 to 24 feet. The address is shown as 518-520. The corner space at 522 is now a restaurant and confectionery.
It could have been the one right next door. 200 seats, assuming chairs on the floor, might have been too big for this one.