Colonial Theatre

Joe Vogel on September 27, 2013 at 4:11 pm

winonakid: If you check the local sources from the spring of 1912, you might find a notice that the Princess was moving to a new location. The March, 1912, issue of Motography said “A new motion picture theater is being erected at Winona by Messrs. Roesner and Mott.” Then the May issue had this item: “The Princess motion picture theater of Winona is nearing completion and will be opened to the public early in the month.”

The April issue of the same publication has an item about the Dream Theatre: “Beyerstedt Brothers have opened the new Dream Theater at the corner of Third and Main streets, Winona. Daylight pictures will be shown.” You might be able to find a local article about that event as well.

1912 was a busy time for theaters in Winona. Another projected movie house was mentioned in the February issue of Motography: “An up-to-date moving-picture theater, the fourth in the place, will be opened at Winona by J. F. Glubka… and David Janikowski….” Assuming that this project was carried to completion, the event must have been noted in the local press.

Joe Vogel on September 27, 2013 at 2:31 pm

The Colonial Theatre must have suffered some delays in construction. The October 7, 1911, issue of The Billboard ran this item:

“Roesner and Mott, owners of the Princess Theatre at Winona, Minn., are building a $35,000 vaudeville house in that city, and expect to have the theatre finished by January 1. They will continue to run the Princess, which is a picture house.”

Other sources I’ve seen say that the Princess Theatre opened in 1912, but here it was already operating in 1911. Possibly it was moved to a new location in 1912.