The building is pretty old, I’d guess mid-1800s. Cinema entrance is ugly modern anodized sheet metal and glass doors. Still derelict in the 2020 street view.
I suspect this must have been the Theatoriam (Theatorium?), with an incorrect address (or the numbers may have changed). The 1909 map has no street numbers, but 418 on the 1917 map is a little wooden dry cleaners, which on the 1909 map is a barber. It looks far too small to seat 250 in the small rear extension.
Assuming it’s the theater on the 1917 Sanborn, the address was 313 Main St, and this was long ago demolished, along with about 2/3 of downtown.
The building was typical of older commercial buildings, being very deep and narrow, but was rather unusual in being four stories tall at the front, then about 25% of the way back dropping to two stories, then for the last 1/3 being only one story. It was of brick construction with a wood and tin facade.
The building first appears on the 1892 map (the lot is vacant in 1885) as a stationery store. By 1909, it is shown as an ‘Electric Theatre’. Aside from the further addition of a one story wooden shed housing a gasoline engine, no great changes seem to have been involved in the conversion to a theater.
The building was gone at least as early as 2007, but probably quite a few years before that.
I think the NRHP listing is wrong. They took the dates on the first map the theater appears on, and the last one, and assumed they had anything to do with opening or closing. It may have remained in operation into the ‘50s.
The theater remains in operation on the 1949 map. By this point, the marquee in the photo has been replaced by a ‘V’ shaped model. The theater is noted as being air conditioned on this map.
The building was rather oddly arranged. The auditorium was not nearly as wide as the front section. On what is the left in the photo, the front extended all the way to the alley, and the northern storefront had a section extending back perhaps 10'. The auditorium past that was much lower, and was set back perhaps 6' from the alley.
When the building was constructed, it replaced a very old church, which then relocated to a large new structure to the south of the theater, and has likewise been torn down.
I’m not entirely convinced that the old bottling plant is a remodel of the theater. The shape is different, although the height and width appear to be the same. The back section of the plant looks like it would have involved demolishing at least some of the rear of the theater, and definitely involved the removal of some other buildings on that lot. It would probably have been easier to demolish the older building.
The original Coliseum appears on the 1908 map, having replaced several small buildings serving as the Newcastle Buggy Works. It was a large brick building with a sloping wooden truss roof, shown as 1-2 stories. The SE corner of the building was cut off diagonally. I think the capacity is wrong, since the Grand Theater on the 1914 map has a huge balcony, roughly ‘C’ shaped, running all the way down the walls to the stage. By 1924, the building as an auto dealership appears to have a flat roof (at any rate it is now 2' shorter), but the footprint is identical. The roof is noted as a wooden truss on both the 1924 and 1949 maps, but the bottling plant definitely has a flat roof, so it can’t have been a holdover from the original Coliseum.
The theater appears on the 1914 Sanborn. In 1908, the space was a millinery and dry goods store. The building was one of the oldest on the block, being built sometime before 1886. It was your basic two-story brick commercial building. The 1949 map shows a small triangular marquee on the front. At least through 1924, the theater only occupied the ground floor. The 1949 map does not show a second floor occupant.
The 1908 Sanborn notes a ‘5¢ theatre’ in the basement. The theater is still there on the 1914 map, and the note puts it under 1500, which was then the westernmost of four storefronts.
Depending on when it opened, the Hiway was probably just south of the present 9397 S Congress St (Lee Hwy). The 1930 Sanborn shows a 2-story brick/tile theater in what is now the parking lot of the ugly bank at 9397. This lot was empty on the 1923 map. The building was a pretty good size, and there is a small rectangular awning or marquee shown on the front.
That’s a lot of information, most of which agrees. I understood it to mean that the opera house (which is the large building at Chester and Tonica) was called the Lyric by no later than 1913. The 1887 map has the opera house labelled as La Forge’s Hall, and all subsequent maps just call it an opera house. It is a very basic box of a building, but could date to 1875. It was certainly not unusual for opera houses to be renamed, just as with theaters.
As far as population goes, I would think that 1,800 might support two small theaters, at least in the early years of the craze.
So I might guess:
That the opera house was occasionally showing movies under perhaps the ‘Frank’ name, and then right around 1911 we have the Lyric operating in this smaller building.
The owner of the Lyric takes over the opera house lease, and moves to the larger venue, and takes the name with him at some point. The small theater is still in business in 1914, but the Lyric is now the opera house.
Perhaps the small theater closes, and then is reopened in 1917 with a new name.
Yes, it was called Tippecanoe City, but the post office made them change it because there is a tiny unincorporated town 200 miles away called Tippecanoe. The Sanborn map spells it Chaffe’s a few times (but also Chaffee’s), and the 1905-6 Cahn guide spelled it Chaffee’s.
This theater appears on the Sept. 1914 Sanborn, so the opening date is incorrect. ‘Liberty’ does make sense for a jingoistic wartime renaming, so 1917 could be relevant. The building was constructed sometime before 1887, and on the 1909 map, it’s a harness shop.
By the way, the article calls it Hunt’s theater with a small ’t', meaning just that he owned it. It also says that it was on E Main, which is obviously wrong if it was next to the Mayflower’s later location. It’s hard to tell if the front of the Mayflower building really is the heavily remodeled remains of the two very old structures it replaced. I would have assumed those were demolished.
The address is wrong, and this has not been demolished. The theater was at 7 E Main. The building is a two-story Second Empire style building with a limestone front. It was likely constructed in the 1870s, and appears on the 1887 Sanborn as a bank. It’s the 1st National Bank on the 1905 map, but is ‘Moving Pictures’ on the 1911 map. It is still in operation on what is supposedly the 1947 map. The front page of the map is the 1931 map, with additions in 1937 and 1942, but Ohio’s collection labels it as June 1947.
The building is pretty old, I’d guess mid-1800s. Cinema entrance is ugly modern anodized sheet metal and glass doors. Still derelict in the 2020 street view.
Street name is misspelled (should be ‘Maréchal’).
Correct website is: https://www.cinemaspathegaumont.com/cinemas/cinema-gaumont-champs-elysees
Name was changed well before 2018, most likely in the 2003 remodel.
I suspect this must have been the Theatoriam (Theatorium?), with an incorrect address (or the numbers may have changed). The 1909 map has no street numbers, but 418 on the 1917 map is a little wooden dry cleaners, which on the 1909 map is a barber. It looks far too small to seat 250 in the small rear extension.
Still cannot add photos.
Assuming it’s the theater on the 1917 Sanborn, the address was 313 Main St, and this was long ago demolished, along with about 2/3 of downtown.
The building was typical of older commercial buildings, being very deep and narrow, but was rather unusual in being four stories tall at the front, then about 25% of the way back dropping to two stories, then for the last 1/3 being only one story. It was of brick construction with a wood and tin facade.
The building first appears on the 1892 map (the lot is vacant in 1885) as a stationery store. By 1909, it is shown as an ‘Electric Theatre’. Aside from the further addition of a one story wooden shed housing a gasoline engine, no great changes seem to have been involved in the conversion to a theater.
The building was gone at least as early as 2007, but probably quite a few years before that.
I think the NRHP listing is wrong. They took the dates on the first map the theater appears on, and the last one, and assumed they had anything to do with opening or closing. It may have remained in operation into the ‘50s.
The theater remains in operation on the 1949 map. By this point, the marquee in the photo has been replaced by a ‘V’ shaped model. The theater is noted as being air conditioned on this map.
The building was rather oddly arranged. The auditorium was not nearly as wide as the front section. On what is the left in the photo, the front extended all the way to the alley, and the northern storefront had a section extending back perhaps 10'. The auditorium past that was much lower, and was set back perhaps 6' from the alley.
When the building was constructed, it replaced a very old church, which then relocated to a large new structure to the south of the theater, and has likewise been torn down.
I added the website when I did the listing. This site has been very glitchy lately. I am also unable to add a photo.
I’m not entirely convinced that the old bottling plant is a remodel of the theater. The shape is different, although the height and width appear to be the same. The back section of the plant looks like it would have involved demolishing at least some of the rear of the theater, and definitely involved the removal of some other buildings on that lot. It would probably have been easier to demolish the older building.
The original Coliseum appears on the 1908 map, having replaced several small buildings serving as the Newcastle Buggy Works. It was a large brick building with a sloping wooden truss roof, shown as 1-2 stories. The SE corner of the building was cut off diagonally. I think the capacity is wrong, since the Grand Theater on the 1914 map has a huge balcony, roughly ‘C’ shaped, running all the way down the walls to the stage. By 1924, the building as an auto dealership appears to have a flat roof (at any rate it is now 2' shorter), but the footprint is identical. The roof is noted as a wooden truss on both the 1924 and 1949 maps, but the bottling plant definitely has a flat roof, so it can’t have been a holdover from the original Coliseum.
The theater appears on the 1914 Sanborn. In 1908, the space was a millinery and dry goods store. The building was one of the oldest on the block, being built sometime before 1886. It was your basic two-story brick commercial building. The 1949 map shows a small triangular marquee on the front. At least through 1924, the theater only occupied the ground floor. The 1949 map does not show a second floor occupant.
The 1908 Sanborn notes a ‘5¢ theatre’ in the basement. The theater is still there on the 1914 map, and the note puts it under 1500, which was then the westernmost of four storefronts.
By the way, at this point Congress St was called Main.
Depending on when it opened, the Hiway was probably just south of the present 9397 S Congress St (Lee Hwy). The 1930 Sanborn shows a 2-story brick/tile theater in what is now the parking lot of the ugly bank at 9397. This lot was empty on the 1923 map. The building was a pretty good size, and there is a small rectangular awning or marquee shown on the front.
Architects were Schenck & Williams. For some reason, I am unable to upload a photo of this.
I don’t know why, but I still cannot add a picture of either theater, although I did add one of something else successfully today.
That’s a lot of information, most of which agrees. I understood it to mean that the opera house (which is the large building at Chester and Tonica) was called the Lyric by no later than 1913. The 1887 map has the opera house labelled as La Forge’s Hall, and all subsequent maps just call it an opera house. It is a very basic box of a building, but could date to 1875. It was certainly not unusual for opera houses to be renamed, just as with theaters.
As far as population goes, I would think that 1,800 might support two small theaters, at least in the early years of the craze. So I might guess: That the opera house was occasionally showing movies under perhaps the ‘Frank’ name, and then right around 1911 we have the Lyric operating in this smaller building.
The owner of the Lyric takes over the opera house lease, and moves to the larger venue, and takes the name with him at some point. The small theater is still in business in 1914, but the Lyric is now the opera house.
Perhaps the small theater closes, and then is reopened in 1917 with a new name.
The ‘Auditorium’ is certainly the township building. Once the website is fixed, I’ll add a picture of this and the Auditorium.
I’m sure the map is more trustworthy. I’ll have to add the Lyric. Unless the maps specifically have them as showing movies, I don’t add opera houses.
Yes, it was called Tippecanoe City, but the post office made them change it because there is a tiny unincorporated town 200 miles away called Tippecanoe. The Sanborn map spells it Chaffe’s a few times (but also Chaffee’s), and the 1905-6 Cahn guide spelled it Chaffee’s.
This theater appears on the Sept. 1914 Sanborn, so the opening date is incorrect. ‘Liberty’ does make sense for a jingoistic wartime renaming, so 1917 could be relevant. The building was constructed sometime before 1887, and on the 1909 map, it’s a harness shop.
By the way, the article calls it Hunt’s theater with a small ’t', meaning just that he owned it. It also says that it was on E Main, which is obviously wrong if it was next to the Mayflower’s later location. It’s hard to tell if the front of the Mayflower building really is the heavily remodeled remains of the two very old structures it replaced. I would have assumed those were demolished.
The bank constructed a new building across the street in 1908 (which is also still there), so the theater could have opened any time after that.
The Gem and New must have fallen in the gap between the 1911 map and the 1923 one.
Building is currently a gourmet grocery.
The address is wrong, and this has not been demolished. The theater was at 7 E Main. The building is a two-story Second Empire style building with a limestone front. It was likely constructed in the 1870s, and appears on the 1887 Sanborn as a bank. It’s the 1st National Bank on the 1905 map, but is ‘Moving Pictures’ on the 1911 map. It is still in operation on what is supposedly the 1947 map. The front page of the map is the 1931 map, with additions in 1937 and 1942, but Ohio’s collection labels it as June 1947.