In the picture now used as the main photo, the old Superba/Colonial/Baby Grand is visible as the Circle Pizza building.
The Odd Fellows Hall was built sometime before 1892 (probably not very long at all, given the architecture). The hall was on the third floor but the ground floor was home to a huge variety of businesses before its conversion, including briefly the Indiana Union Traction Co. (an interurban line) streetcar depot.
The correct address was 1526. This theater was in an old two story brick building which was built sometime before 1892. The Feb. 1910 map shows it as the Record Printing Co. It was probably a very basic conversion. The location of the building was just east of the mid-block alley, and at least as long ago as 2008 was a vacant lot. It’s now yet more surface parking for the few remaining businesses downtown. Should be changed to demolished.
Address is wrong. Correct address was 302-306 S Anderson. There’s currently an abandoned gas station on the lot.
The building was a very large 3 story brick building with a peaked roof. Storefronts flanked the entry. The balcony was quite deep, with a concave front. The 1916 Sanborn still shows the name as the Kramer Grand Opera House.
The 1905 Cahn guide lists the Grand as a ‘New Theatre’, and gives the manager as J.A. Kramer. Charles Kramer (perhaps no relation) is the stage carpenter.
Address is wrong, and this has not been demolished. The syntax in this entry is a bit weird, but I assume the building ‘dated back to’ 1882. It certainly appears on the 1892 map. The correct address is 112, and the building was there as of the 2018 streetview, when it was vacant. It had indeed originally been a store, and the masons met on the second floor for some time.
For the temporary location, the 1930 maps are not digitized, and there does not seem to be an armory currently. I did find a newspaper article saying a new armory was constructed in 1928. It seems to have been replaced in the ‘50s.
Needs to be listed as demolished. The current structure is a chintzy cinderblock thing from maybe the ‘80s at oldest. The 1915 Sanborn shows a capacity of 960. The auditorium was pretty large, and the balcony was very deep, the opening forming almost a perfect circle.
I added a picture of the current 117. This was an opera house, built sometime before 1885. On the early maps, it is referred to as a ‘public hall’. By 1914, it is referred to as an opera house, and the extension has been added to the rear. The opera house was on the second floor, with stores below. It is still an opera house on the 1931 map. The building was most recently a thrift store, but appears to be vacant.
Note that on the 1931 map, the first to show addresses, this building was 104-106 E 2nd. 117 W 2nd was a huge one story brick building which looks vaguely industrial. Its address is now 214 W 2nd.
Nothing specifically labeled as a movie theater appears on any map, so I’m pretty confident the opera house was it.
Scammon’s decline was very rapid. Check out the census figures. This was a big coal mining area, and there were good sized towns all over the place. Seems that post 1920, the whole area collapsed. Most only have foundations left downtown. Scammon still has 3-4 old buildings.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jul 6, 2020 at 12:21 pm
Note that the address is a best guess for something on the fourth lot south of 4th Street on the east side of Main. The theater structure would have been just to the north of the concrete foundation visible just to the south of the house.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jul 6, 2020 at 12:19 pm
Note that the address is a best guess for something on the third lot north of 2nd street on the east side of Main.
Thanks! Greenwood is so tiny I think the map was only 2-3 sheets, and this was the only theater operating in 1916. I assume that any remodel of the front was restricted to the ground floor.
The building was constructed sometime before 1885, and had been a billiard room with a hall on the third floor. Sometime after it closed, it received an attractive white glazed tile facade, and is today a law office.
The Alhambra appears on the 1909 Sanborn with a capacity of 2,300. The balcony was a massive squared-off ‘U’, and extended all the way to the back wall. The stage seems to be a square centered on the back wall. By 1916 the building is a furniture store. This is either demolished, or the bottom floor was given a revolting dryvit remodel and is the current bank. The proper address was 205 W Sycamore.
In the picture now used as the main photo, the old Superba/Colonial/Baby Grand is visible as the Circle Pizza building.
The Odd Fellows Hall was built sometime before 1892 (probably not very long at all, given the architecture). The hall was on the third floor but the ground floor was home to a huge variety of businesses before its conversion, including briefly the Indiana Union Traction Co. (an interurban line) streetcar depot.
The correct address was 1526. This theater was in an old two story brick building which was built sometime before 1892. The Feb. 1910 map shows it as the Record Printing Co. It was probably a very basic conversion. The location of the building was just east of the mid-block alley, and at least as long ago as 2008 was a vacant lot. It’s now yet more surface parking for the few remaining businesses downtown. Should be changed to demolished.
Address is wrong. Correct address was 302-306 S Anderson. There’s currently an abandoned gas station on the lot.
The building was a very large 3 story brick building with a peaked roof. Storefronts flanked the entry. The balcony was quite deep, with a concave front. The 1916 Sanborn still shows the name as the Kramer Grand Opera House.
The 1905 Cahn guide lists the Grand as a ‘New Theatre’, and gives the manager as J.A. Kramer. Charles Kramer (perhaps no relation) is the stage carpenter.
Address is wrong, and this has not been demolished. The syntax in this entry is a bit weird, but I assume the building ‘dated back to’ 1882. It certainly appears on the 1892 map. The correct address is 112, and the building was there as of the 2018 streetview, when it was vacant. It had indeed originally been a store, and the masons met on the second floor for some time.
For the temporary location, the 1930 maps are not digitized, and there does not seem to be an armory currently. I did find a newspaper article saying a new armory was constructed in 1928. It seems to have been replaced in the ‘50s.
Just to clarify, the prior theater was not owned by the Paoikos family until 1926.
To assist in any further research, the 1915 map shows the address to be 39-41.
This is under the wrong theater.
Needs to be listed as demolished. The current structure is a chintzy cinderblock thing from maybe the ‘80s at oldest. The 1915 Sanborn shows a capacity of 960. The auditorium was pretty large, and the balcony was very deep, the opening forming almost a perfect circle.
Surprising that there is no information at all about a theater that is still open.
I added a picture of the current 117. This was an opera house, built sometime before 1885. On the early maps, it is referred to as a ‘public hall’. By 1914, it is referred to as an opera house, and the extension has been added to the rear. The opera house was on the second floor, with stores below. It is still an opera house on the 1931 map. The building was most recently a thrift store, but appears to be vacant.
Note that on the 1931 map, the first to show addresses, this building was 104-106 E 2nd. 117 W 2nd was a huge one story brick building which looks vaguely industrial. Its address is now 214 W 2nd.
Nothing specifically labeled as a movie theater appears on any map, so I’m pretty confident the opera house was it.
By the way, the address is a guess counting up from the south, and assuming the storefronts in the theater building had their own addresses.
Scammon’s decline was very rapid. Check out the census figures. This was a big coal mining area, and there were good sized towns all over the place. Seems that post 1920, the whole area collapsed. Most only have foundations left downtown. Scammon still has 3-4 old buildings.
Note that the address is a best guess for something on the fourth lot south of 4th Street on the east side of Main. The theater structure would have been just to the north of the concrete foundation visible just to the south of the house.
Note that the address is a best guess for something on the third lot north of 2nd street on the east side of Main.
Thanks for finding a name for this!
That would explain the new facade, which definitely looks early ‘20s.
Thanks! Greenwood is so tiny I think the map was only 2-3 sheets, and this was the only theater operating in 1916. I assume that any remodel of the front was restricted to the ground floor.
Just to help with dating, the 1902 map shows small wooden shops on this lot.
The address was originally 11, then the 1909 map shows it as 107, then the 1916 map has 111.
As I understand Joe Vogel’s research, this can’t have been the Fairview. The theater on E Sycamore was still operating at this point.
This theater was open by at least 1916, but the 1909 map shows a small repair shop on the lot.
The building was constructed sometime before 1885, and had been a billiard room with a hall on the third floor. Sometime after it closed, it received an attractive white glazed tile facade, and is today a law office.
By 1905, the Cahn guide calls it the Sipe Theatre. It disagrees slightly on capacity, giving it as 1,100. G.W. Sipe was the manager.
The Alhambra appears on the 1909 Sanborn with a capacity of 2,300. The balcony was a massive squared-off ‘U’, and extended all the way to the back wall. The stage seems to be a square centered on the back wall. By 1916 the building is a furniture store. This is either demolished, or the bottom floor was given a revolting dryvit remodel and is the current bank. The proper address was 205 W Sycamore.