Post Theatre
19 McCamly Street S,
Battle Creek,
MI
49017
19 McCamly Street S,
Battle Creek,
MI
49017
1 person
favorited this theater
The Post Theatre, located on McCamly Street South between Jackson Street and Michigan Avenue, originally opened on March 13, 1902 with the play “When We Were Twenty-One” as a legitimate theatre and vaudeville house. The Post Theatre later turned to movies as part of its programing in 1915. Following refurbishment in September 1936, it became a full-time movie theatre. Tt was closed in 1948. It was demolished in 1955.
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Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
An Estey organ, opus 1788, was installed in this theatre in 1920.
I was there when this thing ended. We (my family) were called to take claim of anything we wanted from the theater because it had been sold. Exploring the empty theater with my young brother was one of the most unique experiences of my life. If anyone wants to hear about this I will gladly post more.
From the early 1900s a postcard view of the Post Theatre in Battle Creek.
The Post Theatre was considerably more than a vaudeville house in its early years. It was Battle Creek’s leading theater. Its ample stage was designed to accommodate the road shows of major productions, and the house continued to present such fare even after becoming a part-time movie theater. It even supported its own stock company for a while, and also presented musical programs such as a 1924 concert by Paul Whiteman’s orchestra which included the first local performance of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
The Post Theatre opened on March 13, 1902, with Nat Goodwin and Maxine Elliot staring in a performance of H. V. Esmond’s play When We Were Twenty-one. The Post was mentioned in movie trade publications at least as early as 1915. Berenice Bryant Lowe’s Tales of Battle Creek says that the Post Theatre showed its last movie in 1948 and was demolished seven years later.
Here is a write-up and picture of the actual theatre from the Willard Library Archives http://dspace.willardlibrary.org/handle/123456789/16123
The photo currently displayed at the top of this page depicts Michigan Avenue in Battle Creek, about a block away from the Post Theatre on McCalmly Street. The sign reading “Post Theatre” was attached to the Post Tavern at the corner of Michigan and McCalmly.
There are three photos of the Post Theatre on this page at Water Winter Wonderland.
Local cereal magnate Charles William “C.W.” Post’s namesake Post Theatre launched on March 14, 1902 with Nat Goodwin and Maxine Elliot in “When We Were 21.” The Post was designed ostensibly as the replacement for Alexander C. Hamblin’s Opera House that had launched in December 31, 1868. The Post Theatre stayed fairly true to that programming mission with predominately live stage programming - though adding motion picture presentations beginning in 1913 and thereafter in gaps with live programming.
W.S. Butterfield Theatres took over the management of the venue in 1928 still mixing live and, now, sound films. That is, until Butterfield closed the post for a refresh in the Summer of 1936. When the Post re-emerged on September 12, 1936, it was now a full-time movie house. On March 6, 1948, the Post Theatre closed temporarily with “The Corpse Came C.O.D” and “Partners of the Plain.” Butterfield would retain the facility for the final 7 plus years of its lease running to 1955 so no competitor could claim the space.
Over those eight years, the theatre remained in a frozen state into the Fall of 1955 when demolition folks toured finding the theatre the same as it was in 1947 but with layers of dust on the seats, stage and pipe organ. They conducted a salvage sale at the site in December of 1955. In January of 1956, the Post Theatre joined the parking lot brigade in its demolition. Capital Lumber & Wrecking of Grand Rapids tried to buckle the wall inward and, instead, it crashed into the street in the venue’s last dramatic moment.