4th Street Theatre
110 N. 4th Street,
Moberly,
MO
65270
110 N. 4th Street,
Moberly,
MO
65270
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Once operated by Fox Midwest Theatres, and was once known as the Fox 4th Street Theatre.
The 4th Street Theatre restoration is doing very well. The back and side stage curtains were installed this past week and the front curtains will be hung in another week or two. We have the seats for the balcony ready to set and are working on the main floor seats. We had a very successful classic movie party that brought in over $2,000 which will help pay for an electronic screen and rear view projector. We used the new ticket booth and it was a great hit. We plan on having more movie parties as people really enjoy them. The movie we showed this time using a borrowed projector we McLintock with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. There are several things that need to be finished such as the carpet, some cabinets, stage lights and other small finishing items but we are on the way to completing the restoration early spring. We are letting the theatre be used for small events and we give a lot of tours. All this brings lots of attention to the project. We continue to stay completely out of debt and continue working.
Latest Update: UPDATE ON 4TH STREET THEATRE JULY 2014 (UPDATE by Carolee Hazlet)
We now have an occupancy agreement from the city so we can have events in the 4th Street Theatre. We have met all the specification requirements so we can now hold events there even though we are not completely done with the restoration. We have had many requests to have an event there so having the agreement will help a lot.
Several groups have already held small events there by bringing in their own chairs, sound equipment and other things needed.
The DECA girls held a very successful talent show, the Annual State Teachers meeting was held there and Miss Railroad Days contest was held there as well as many tours have been to groups attending family or class reunions. We are always pleased to give tours to any individual or group that is interested so please contact us. Even though the restoration is not quite complete people are really enjoying the historic old theatre.
We continue to fund raise as we have some very costly items to get such as the carp stage curtains, Sound equipment and stage lighting, then there are quite a few smaller things like the brass hand rails, memo board for the refreshment stand. We now have the balcony seats but have to get the seats for the front of the auditorium yet. The side wall molding’s and the large ceiling chandeliers are being worked on now and we have to get those installed before we do the other aforementioned things as big equipment has to be take inside to install those.
One of our fundraisers was “The Follies” for Railroad Days”. It was a tribute to the Krazy Kats and was quite successful raising about $1,700. We are now in the process of planning a Classic Movie Party on Oct. 14 to raise money for the permanent movie screen and projector. The cost of this will be $10,000. We are planning on having classic movie nights after the restoration is completed.
We have been invited to “Sister” with the Morecambe Winter Garden Old Theatre in Britain. The Board of Directors have approved the partnership so this will be exciting to be able to promote the 4th Street Theatre abroad as well as in the US. We will work together which will give us many advantages in the theatre world.
More and more people are showing interest in the completion of the restoration and we are getting there. Hopefully the next update will be to announce the date of the Grand Opening
To download a digital edition of “Marquee” Vol. 46 No. 1 featuring the 4th Street follow this link:
http://www.historictheatres.org/product/2014-marquee-vol-46-1/
An update on the 4th St. Theatre. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is wonderful. The things left to do are the stage lighting and curtains, the carpet, seats and finishing restoring the terra cotta on the inside walls and laying the sidewalk and entry way stars plus several small things. We continue to fund raise so we can finish the restoration this year. We will then have a grand opening. Thank you for the comment from JAlex about the Marquee magazine. THS did a magnificent job on it and we are spreading it around so if anyone wants a copy do get in touch with me. My e-mail is I will give another update soon.
Extensive coverage of the theatre’s history and current restoration is featured in Marquee, the quarterly publication of the Theatre Historical Society. The organization’s website is historictheatres.org.
I hope that the fight over political correctness will be lost in favor of historic truth—the old black only entrance is still intact, and ought to be preserved.
The outside is really lovely. I hope I hear about it when the renovation is complete so I can visit it! Good luck, folks!
The 4th St. was the better of the 2 theaters in Moberly when I lived and taught in Madison. But the State always had the better movies. This was during the late 70’s.
pictures are Great.
What a great Marquee in the 1945 photo,the new photos are good too.
From 2010 photos of the 4th Street Theatre in Moberly. [Please click on thumbnails for larger view].
An update on Moberly’s 4th Street Theatre restoration…
We have raised over $700,000 so far and have about $250,000 to go. We have paid for everything as we have done it so we stay out of debt. Now ready to install the HVAC system. Have the plumbing and electric infrasture in also all the frame work plus much more. We are planning a volunteer work day in July. Have had several fundraisers this spring. One, a Cemetery Walk went well and a Vaudeville Variety Show went very well. We need ideas for fundraisers or funding sources so please share with us. Many ulumni groups are wanting to hold their reunions at the theatre as soon as we can let them and I hope that is soon. Carolee, PD
Here is a 1981 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/m34t27
Television is not going away, folks. From the Mexico (MO) Evening Ledger in May 1954:
MOBERLY â€" The 4th Street Theater will close Wednesday, May 5, for the summer months, according to Ralph Wallace, manager of both the Grand and 4th Street houses. Mr. Wallace said the Columbia television station had caused, he hopes temporarily, a decreased attendance since the first of the year. However, he thinks the theater will reopen next fall.
Actually B&B didn’t cover over any of the terra cotta work or changed much except put curved walls on each side of the stage to tighten up the area for the large screen. These will be taken down
for the restoration to open the area again.
Fundraising is continuing but contractors will start in Dec. 2004 on phase one.
See our website at www.4thstreettheater.org
Carolee
I saw many movies in this theatre in the 1970’s. Movies such as Jaws, The Great Gatsby, King Kong, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars, and many, many more. I’d see anything that was showing even though I was between 8 – 12 years old. I can remember there were two sets of bathrooms because in early days they were segregated for blacks and whites. The seats were very old even back then, the material was very dark red, thick, and almost course. I still remember the feel of those seats, something you’ll never see or feel like that again. I saw so many movies there that I knew by memory which seats creaked or sunk in.