Avenue Theatre
2436 Weller Avenue,
Baton Rouge,
LA
70805
2436 Weller Avenue,
Baton Rouge,
LA
70805
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Joseph A. Barcelona Enterprises opened the Avenue Theatre in September of 1938. The operator of the Tivoli and Istrouma theaters equipped this house with Super Simplex projection. Robert H. Goodman’s architectural plan was a streamline moderne concept using Superock panels to speed up construction.
Barcelona would add the Regina Theatre in 1942 before subleasing - effective on January 3, 1943 - the Avenue, Tivoli, and Istrouma theaters to Jefferson J. Rebstock and Roy E. Pfeiffer of Rebstock-Pfeiffer Theaters. Those theaters would not make it to the end of the subleasing’s 10-year agreements.
RKO, Loew’s, Paramount and 20th-Fox filed separate percentage fraud suits in Federal Court against Rebstock-Pfeiffer which were likely settled out of court. But (or, perhaps, because of that) Rebstock-Pfeiffer would soon split. They ended their subleasing agreement with Barcelona effective February 4, 1951 and the Avenue and Tivoli were returned to Barcelona Enterprises. Pfeiffer bought out the Istrouma Theatre for $85k.
Barcelona continued operation of the Avenue Theatre for less than two months. He closed the Avenue and reopened the Tivoli in March of 1951. The Avenue became the Calvary Assembly of God church in 1952. It has since been demolished.