Court Theatre
102 S. Cedar Street,
Auburn,
IN
46706
102 S. Cedar Street,
Auburn,
IN
46706
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Here is an item from the May 6, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World: “New Court Theater Company.
“Auburn, Ind.—The Court Theater Company has filed articles of incorporation and will operate, after remodeling, the Auburn opera house of this city. The summer months will see the installation of a new motion picture house in the theater.”
The 1907 Cahn guide lists the theater as Henry’s Opera House, which was also the name of its replacement, which opened nearby in 1917. The 1907 guide gives no seating capacity, but Gus Hill’s 1914 directory gives it as 800. This first iteration of Henry’s Opera House was probably built after 1892, the year when a previous opera house in Auburn was reported destroyed by fire.
Even after the new Henry Opera House opened, the Court Theatre continued to make use of its large stage. In 1957, the house even hosted a weekly radio show, as noted in this item from the October 19 issue of Cash Box: “AUBURN, IND.—Hoosier Hayride Enterprises of Auburn, Indiana, announced last week that a new series of country music stage shows to be known as the ‘Hoosier Hayride’ will be seen in the Tri-State area of Northern Indiana, Southern Michigan and Western Ohio beginning Oct. 26th and continuing each Saturday night thereafter.
“The shows will be staged directly from the Court Theater in Auburn, located just north of Fort Wayne.”
The show moved to the Wayne Theatre in Fort Wayne the following year.
I believe the current Google street view we show depicts the interior of the DeKalb County Courthouse, which is across the street from the theater’s site. If we give Google the exact address of the theater, 102 S. Cedar Street, it might reset the street view.
We still wouldn’t get a close view, as Google’s camera car didn’t go down Cedar Street, but we should be able to get a view down the block from Seventh Street of the Commercial Club Building, which once housed the entrance to the theater in its northernmost bay.
This theatre still remains, or at least the lobby building does. It is on the corner of South Cedar Street and East 8th Street.
It appears that the Alvin Strauss atmospheric version of the Court Theatre opnened 9 Dec 1928.
I have whats left of the Court Theater. The seats which I have made into a home theater and a tribute to the Court Theater of Auburn Indiana. The seats were used in a non denominational church untill 1992 when I bought them from the preacher. I have been looking everywhere without luck to find a photo of the lobby, the snack bar, and the balcony of the Court. If anyone knows of a photo of these I would love to see them.
H.E. Hart was the owner of the Court in the late 1940s.
This theatre originally opened in 1916 and was given an atmospheric remodel in either late 1920’s or early 1930’s by Alvin M Strauss.It closed in 1963 and was later demolished.
Theatre had a blue ceiling with twinkling stars so the style is atmospheric,verified by the interior photo above.