Senate Theatre seriously damaged by fire

posted by CSWalczak on January 10, 2011 at 8:00 am

ELSBERRY, MO — The nearly century-old Senate Theatre sustained very serious damage as the result of a fire that started in an adjacent store on January 7. The theater opened in 1912 as the Orpheum. Inspections are underway to determine if the structure can be saved.

Sinnett has owned Senate Theatre for 38 years and says he’s never missed a showing. He kept the Senate Theatre true to form, the way it was when it started in 1912 as the Orpheum. But with the entire building damaged by fire so severely, the building’s owner isn’t sure how much can be saved.

And so much is on the line, Elsberry is trying to get the state to designate their main street as a historical district. And the town’s mayor says the theatre is one of their biggest historical and mainstream attractions.

The story, with video is at KSDK.

Theaters in this post

• Senate Theatre