State Theatre
108 N. Grand Street,
Chariton,
IA
50049
108 N. Grand Street,
Chariton,
IA
50049
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Central States Theatres Corp, Paramount Pictures Inc.
Functions: Office Space
Previous Names: Strand Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Strand Theatre was opened around 1913. It was closed as a silent theatre by 1929. Reopened as the State Theatre in 1936 and was operated by Central States Theatres Corp. It was taken over by Paramount Pictures Inc. and operated through their subsidiary A.H. Blank, but was listed as (Closed) in 1941 & 1943.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
I am almost positive this was originally the Strand, and is located at 108 N Grand St. There is a theater under construction there on the 1913 Sanborn. The NRHP listing calls it the Grand, but I don’t see that name anywhere. The Strand is still listed in 1928, but seems to have closed in 1929.
The reason I believe it must have reopened is that there was a terrazzo entry, with a scar for an outdoor ticket booth. The style did not appear to match such an old building. The State is still listed as closed in 1947. I don’t think it lasted very long. It has been turned into office space.
When I was there in 2010, 108 was a State Farm office, which seems to be gone now. The agent saw me trying to get a shot of the terrazzo, which is partly covered by a cheap little plywood addition, and let me come upstairs, where the projection booth still existed. There were some Columbia Pictures mailing labels stuck to the wall. Sadly, my pictures did not come out. At that point, the front was under a hideous tacky shingle awning that disfigured that entire side of the square. It has now been removed, but it appears that the terrazzo was sadly destroyed by a sidewalk replacement project.
I’ve gone ahead and added a picture of what was likely the Strand/State.
A Grand Theatre at Chariton is mentioned in the December 1, 1917 issue of Moving Picture World: “Chariton, Ia.—The Grand and Temple theaters are to be consolidated and will be renamed the Lincoln theater. Mrs. Victorin Dewey and Becker and Bowen will have the joint ownership of the theater.”
That is the only mention of the Grand I’ve found in the trade journals. It was not listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, which lists only the Temple at Chariton.
The same issue of MPW has an item datelined Chariton saying that “D. Earl Combs has opened his new theater to the public.” A December 22 item says that Mr. Combs' new house was called the Iris. I’ve found no other mentions of the Iris, or of Mr. Combs.
I’ve found the Strand mentioned in two items in Moving Picture World of September 5, 1925. The first says that “W. H. Dewey has sold his interest in the Lincoln and Strand Theatres at Chariton to his partner, E. P. Smith, and will enter other lines of business.” The second says that “E. P. Smith of Chariton, Ia., has sold the Strand and Lincoln Theatres at that place to S. H. Edmiston.”
The November 14, 1927 Film Daily also mentions the Strand: “Chariton, Ia.—The Strand has discontinued pictures temporarily to play stock.”
There used to be an Iris listing here, but it was very vague, and someone claimed it was in a building from 1917, which obviously can’t be right. I suppose this could have had a protracted construction, opened as the Iris, folded soon after, and then perhaps become the Strand? I’m almost positive it was later the State, given the design of the terrazzo, which you can see on the 2013 streetview. It seems the early days had wild competition. The 1925 listings show 9 theaters in Chariton, which seems ludicrous.
If you’re referring to the listings in the 1925 FDY, you’ve misread it. Chariton, Iowa isn’t listed, but Chariton, Illinois had nine theaters. Had the Iowa Chariton been listed it would have been on the same page as the one in Illinois, but the whole state of Indiana is also on that page. The listings were quite perfunctory that year.
There are only two Charitons in the US. Iowa and Missouri. There’s a Sheridan, Illinois, but it’s a tiny village.