Times Theatre
1115 S. Meridian Street,
Anderson,
IN
46016
1115 S. Meridian Street,
Anderson,
IN
46016
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In early 1927 bankers Neel McCullough and Fred Mustard were operating the Riviera, Starland and Granada theaters through their M&M Realty Company. In March 1927 M&M sold the three theaters for $250,000 to Col. Fred Levy, Lee Goldberg, and Sam and Harry Switow (dba Anderson Realty Company). McCullough, Levy, Goldberg and the Switows incorporated Anderson Theatrical Enterprises Corporation in March 1927 and began operating the Riviera, Starland and Granada on March 20, 1927. In October 1927 Anderson Theatres Corporation, owned by Levy, Goldberg and Leo Keiler, all of Louisville, KY, acquired the Riviera, Starland and Granada and affiliated with Principal Theatres Corporation, forming the West Coast circuit’s first group of Eastern theaters. In January 1930 Publix took possession of the Riviera, Starland, and Granada, leasing them from Principal. Publix assumed active management on January 11, 1930, though the deal was effective six days earlier. The Starland, which was not equipped for sound, closed March 2, 1930, after showing Art Accord in “Fighters of the Saddle” and the final chapter of “Pirates of Panama.”
March 19th, 1942 reopening as Times.
Grand opening ad posted.
This item from the February 12, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World concerns a change of ownership at the Starland Theatre:
A closer reading of the Madison County Historical Society page I linked to in my previous comment reveals that the Starland Theatre became the Times Theatre on March 29, 1942.
koosmal: The Times and Riviera Theatres were on the same block, but were not the same theater. The Times has not been demolished, but the Riviera has. The Times Theatre was in the building next to the alley, as shown in the current Street View. The theater on the corner in the photo Don Lewis linked to in the first comment was the Riviera. You can see a bit of the Times' marquee up the block in that photo.
This photo from Indiana Memory shows the three houses from a slightly different angle, with a slightly better view of the facade of the Times.
The Times Theatre opened on Christmas Day, 1913, as the Starland Theatre. The opening of the Starland was noted in the January 24, 1914, issue of The Moving Picture World. This page from the Madison County Historical Society gives the address of the Starland Theatre as 1115 S. Meridian, and the address of the Riviera as 1135 S. Meridian.
The caption of this photo from Indiana Memory indicates that the name Starland was moved at some point to the former Grand Opera House, which had been converted to a vaudeville house called the Granada Theatre in 1924. I tdoesn’t give a date for the renaming to Starland, but it must have been when the original Starland became the Times.
I believe this theater was also called ther Riveria. I can almost make out the letters on the building in the photo. Part of the roof collasped in I believe 1979. The theater was open but fortunately no one was hurt. At the time it was owned by Spiro-Mallers Theaters. I was manager of the Paramount when this happened. At first I thought it was a fire, as a cloud of dust billowed out of the theater followed by the audience. I talked to the projectionist the same evening(I remember it was Sunday) he said he saw a lot of particles and drops of water through the beam of light from the projector, and hit the house lights, stopped the movie. It was thought that water accumulation on the roof caused the cave in. I went into the theater and looked at the damage, I would estimate that about a 12' wide section came down across the width of the auditorium, you could see the sky. It never reopened.
PLEASE CHANGE ADDRESS TO:
MERIDIAN STREET & WEST 12TH STREET
Meridian Plaza puts it way off and not accross the street from the Paramount.
Open 1945-1955?
Owned by Alliance Amusement Company of Chicago. They owned theaters in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and the state of Wasington.
More info and photos?
From 1957 a view of the Times and Paramount Theaters in Anderson.