Lincoln Theater
1104 W. Lincoln Avenue,
Milwaukee,
WI
53215
1104 W. Lincoln Avenue,
Milwaukee,
WI
53215
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Does anyone know what happened to that Golden Voiced Barton Theater Pipe Organ mentioned above?
The Lincoln was closed for many years before it reopened in 1966 showing adult films under the named “Lincoln Fine Art Theatre.” The vice squad closed them down that spring when they booked a nudist film. To my knowledge, it never reopened after that.
My great grandfather was one of the Kantak Brothers owners. His widow & my grandmother lived upstairs from theater, where I spent many happy days. My grandmother played organ there for the silent films. I was told the building housing the grain store originally sat on Lincoln between 12th & 13th, & was moved to present location, where the theater was added. Another daughter & her husband ran the theater from 1960. I don’t know when it was sold. I’m glad to see this page preserving it’s place in history. I loved spending time in that building. It was very unique. I would love to see it restored someday.
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/3k5ygl
“Lostmemory” (who apparently has quite a good memory) is quite right: both views are of our odd little LINCOLN, and it is odd as DavidH brought out in a message to me, that of all the former theatres about town, this is the only one that retains its metal letters of the original name on the front, as shown in those views. The canopy marquee and vertical sign are gone, but the painted metal letters are still there to this day, but something tells me that the new Mexican ownership will remove them for something in Spanish when money becomes available in the current creeping conversion to a glass front store of some type. The new owner is a Chicago man since 2003, according to the tax assessors' records on-line.
My step-father’s first job in Milwaukee was tightening the floor screws of the seats to the floor. Twice each week he would tighten by hand the loose seats to the floor.
As a kid in the neighborhood in the 1940s, I remember that next to box office there was a mailslot where you could drop in the title of an old movie you would like to see. At that time they had a we-bring-back-the-big-ones policy. In the 40s the Lincoln closed often for periods of time and would reopen with a new policy.