Lyric Theatre
213 W. Superior Street,
Duluth,
MN
55802
213 W. Superior Street,
Duluth,
MN
55802
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Finkelstein & Ruben, Publix Theaters Corporation
Architects: Ephraim C. Giliuson, John J. Wangenstein
Firms: Wangenstein & Giliuson
Styles: French Renaissance
Previous Names: New Grand Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The New Grand Theatre opened on August 20, 1914. In 1922, it was re-named Lyric Theatre, and presented Pantages vaudeville in the 1920’s when it was operated by the Finkelstein & Ruben chain. The Lyric Theatre is listed in Film Daily Yearbooks from at least 1941 through to 1955 and was closed in 1959 with Fred MacMurray in “The Shaggy Dog”. It was demolished around 1976.
Contributed by
Kirk J. Besse
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
The Lyric block was demolished for the Holiday Inn mall
This article from Zenith City Online has a photo of the Lyric Theatre and a brief history of it. At the bottom of the article are links to four PDF files with scans of articles about the theater that were published in 1914.
The house opened as the New Grand Theatre on August 20, 1914. It was designed in the French Renaissance style by local architects John J. Wangenstein and Ephraim C. Giliuson. The New Grand was operated as a vaudeville house, originally by Marcus Loew, who had taken over parts of the Sullivan & Considine circuit. Apparently the Grand had originally been slated to be a Sullivan & Considine house.
In 1922, the Grand Theatre merged with the Lyric Theatre, a house across the street, and the Lyric name was moved to the Grand. The article gives the address of the Grand/Lyric as 213 W. Superior, so I would surmise that the 214 we currently have listed for it was actually the address of the original Lyric. The article doesn’t say what became of the original Lyric’s building, but I would imagine that it was closed when the operation moved across the street.
The article says that the Grand/Lyric Theatre was demolished in 1976, but doesn’t say when it closed.
Architects Wangenstein & Giliuson also designed the Zelda Theatre which opened in the next block of Superior Street the same year as the New Grand.
Also, the Minnesota Digital Library provides this photo of the Lyric Theatre. The movie Golden Gloves was released in August, 1940, according to IMDb.
The description of this photo of the New Grand Theatre, ca.1914, says that, as the Lyric, the house showed movies into the 1970s.
However, the Lyric might have been open only intermittently during its later years. In this 1963 photo, signage indicates that the theater was closed. The marquee advertised the Nor Shor Theatre.
The Minnesota Digital Library also has this photo depicting the original Lyric Theatre, which was at 114-116 W. Superior Street.
It closed in 1959. Last film was a moveover of “The Shaggy Dog”. Photos of the demolition can be found on the Duluth News Tribune"s “Attic” page
6/16/59 and two 1976 photos added of the Lyric Theatre prior to demolition of the block. Via Gary Androsky.