Arsenal Theatre
3101-03 S. Grand Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63118
3101-03 S. Grand Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63118
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: St. Louis Amusement Co.
Functions: Cafe
Previous Names: Grand-Arsenal Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Grand-Arsenal Theatre was located at the southwest corner of South Grand Boulevard and Arsenal Street in St. Louis. It was opened as a nickelodeon in 1909. It was upgraded and reopened on January 29, 1916 with Frank Keenan in “The Coward” & Eddie Foy & his 7 Little Foys in “A Favorite Fool”. By 1926 it was operated by the St. Louis Amusement Co. There was no street address given in the phone book of that era as the name of theatre was its actual location. There was a Kilgen theatre pipe organ installed in the Grand-Arsenal Theatre that according to the Kilgen ledger was previously the same organ that was in the Pershing Theatre in St. Louis. It was opus 3149 and was a 3 manual/13 ranks instrument. It is unclear if the organ was first in the Pershing then the Arsenal or vice versa. Its' whereabouts are unknown.
The Arsenal Theatre was closed on June 10 1932 with George Bancroft in “The World and the Flesh” & Joan Blondell in “The Famous Ferguson Case”. In recent years, by 2009 it has been in use as an ice cream parlor.
Contributed by
James Grebe
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The original name of this venue was the GRAND-ARSENAL.
Had a capacity of 657. Theatre closed in June 1932.
Earliest newspaper ad that I’ve found was in November, 1909.
I believe your presumption about it being on the southwest corner is correct. I found a Grand-Arsenal Theatre listed in a 1911 City Directory as being at 3101 S. Grand Blvd.
The Grand-Arsenal Theatre opened in 1909 at this address… an address in some ads listed as, “You know where it is” because of its descriptive cross-street themed name. The venue closed for a major upgrade that took it from nickelodeon to full fledged theater relaunching as the Arsenal Theater on January 29, 1916 with “The Coward” with Frank Keenan.
The venue converted to sound to remain viable. The Arsenal closed permanently on June 10, 1932 with “The World and the Flesh” and “The Famous Ferguson Case.”