Douglass Theatre

4201 Finney Avenue,
St. Louis, MO 63113

Unfavorite No one has favorited this theater yet

Additional Info

Previous Names: Jest-A-Mere Theatre

Nearby Theaters

Douglass Theatre

The Douglass Theatre, at 4201 Finney Avenue, was opened in November 1918 by Charles Pitman as the Jest-A-Mere Theatre. One of the theatres for the Black population in a time of segregation, the theatre was purchased in 1927 by Thomas James and was renamed the Douglass Theatre, after the Abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

When the theatre opened, newspaper coverage said: “Entirely built by Colored labor, completion of big building is a triumph for the race; continuous fight made by unions to force Colored men off the job”.

Seating capacity listed as 850 at opening; reduced to 700 in 1934; reduced to 650 in 1950 (per Film Daily Year Book).

Located in St. Louis' Ville neighborhood, the Douglass Theatre apparently, per newspaper advertistments, was last open in April 1962.

Contributed by Jerry Alexander

Recent comments (view all 1 comments)

Chris1982
Chris1982 on September 1, 2014 at 12:19 am

Jerry Alexander, there was another theatre on Finney at Pendleton called the Venus Theatre. It was listed as open prior to 1926 and closed in 1934. Do you have any information on the Venus Theatre?

You must login before making a comment.

New Comment

Subscribe Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.