Hudson Theatre
1100 Park Avenue,
St. Louis,
MO
63104
1100 Park Avenue,
St. Louis,
MO
63104
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Located in a converted malthouse. The Hudson Theatre was opened in 1910. It was closed as a silent movie theatre in 1930. On February 21, 1933 it became a playhouse.
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Chris1982
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Should be listed as demolished.
Correct name of the theatre was the HUDSON. It appeared as early as 1911 in the City Directory. The address was 1100 Park.
The Hudson Theater opened in 1910 as a silent movie house and was apparently in a converted malthouse. A neighboring confectionery served as its de facto concession stand. The Hudson closed in 1929 unable to convert to sound. But the theater fulfilled one final function during the Depression beginning on February 21, 1933 when it served as the home for the Dramatic League of St. Louis which staged free plays for the unemployed and for members of the American Unemployed Benefit Association as a service.
Just in the rear of the theater was an dual-level, below-ground opening that has been reported as connecting to the Wainwright Brewing cave running underground some six blocks away and used by the former malthouse. Urban legend purports that the Hudson served as a prohibition-era, banned beverage pickup spot using the tunnel between it and the closed Wainwright brewery - though that is certainly not documented. What was documented in 1919 was reported as a gang violence brawl that led to panic in the Hudson auditorium which led to customers being pressed through the glass entry/exit doors and the manager and staff being pummeled. Not fun.