Strand Theatre
12 Michigan Avenue E,
Battle Creek,
MI
49015
12 Michigan Avenue E,
Battle Creek,
MI
49015
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Previously operated by: W.S. Butterfield Theaters Inc.
Previous Names: Battle Creek Civic Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Strand Theatre was opened on August 14, 1915 with Nat Goodwin in “The Master Hand”. It was equipped with a Kimball 2 manual 8 ranks organ which was opened by organist Gertrude Merchant. The organ was later removed to a high school in Philadelphia, PA. It was closed on March 29, 1953 with Johnny Mack Brown in “Montana Desperardo” & Lash La Rue in “Ghost Town Renegades”.
It was converted into a church. In 1971 renovations were begun and it reopened in February 1973 as the Battle Creek Civic Theatre which closed in 1989. It was demolished later in 1989.
Contributed by
Bryan
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
A Kimball organ was installed in this theatre in 1915.
A biography of vaudevillian Joe Frisco says that the Strand Theatre in Battle Creek opened on August 14, 1915.
From Battle Creek a postcard view of Michigan Avenue along with the Strand and Rex Theatre signs.
From the Images of America Book “Battle Creek”: “In 1946 the Battle Creek Civic Theatre began performing, at first in an empty hangar converted into an auditorium at Kellogg Airfield, and later wherever a facility was available. In February of 1973, after two years of renovation, the old Strand Movie Theater on East Michigan Avenue was reopened as the Battle Creek Civic Theatre. It was demolished in 1989.”
The Strand Theatre launched on August 14, 1915 with Nat Goodwin in the film, “The Master Hand” supported by Gertrude Merchant at the console of the Kimball pipe organ. The theatre was in the Kolb Building on a 15-year leasing agreement.
The Strand was sold to the Legitimate Theatre Circuit and then to Butterfield in its transition to sound. And art policy was tried and it ended its cinematic life with discount priced second-run double features. The Strand closed on March 29, 1953 with a double feature of Montanna Desperado and Ghost Town Renegades. It served as a long-running church and then the home to the Civic Center Theatre from 1973 to 1989.