Tokay Theatre
727 Robert Bush Drive West,
South Bend,
WA
98586
727 Robert Bush Drive West,
South Bend,
WA
98586
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The Tokay Theatre was launched in January of 1924 to compete in the silent era Grand Opera House in South Bendd which had opened in 1907 and added films to its offerings in the 1910’s. The Tokay Theatre had advantages over the Grand Opera House having been designed as a motion picture house by experienced theater architect George B. Purvis for operator George Reizner and was equipped new Powers 6B projectors at its opening. Hope Marie Clark provided accompaniment to the silent films.
The Tokay Theatre outlasted the Grand Opera House which didn’t transition to sound closing in 1927. In its 20-year leasing period, the Tokay Theatre had four operators - Reizner, the Leher Brothers, Joseph Johnson and A.G. Basil. In 1944, the Tokay Theatre closed and its seats sold to the Willapa Players theatrical troupe. It was sold in December 1948 to be converted into a city hall, a swimming pool and bowling alley. In 1954, accumulated snow would topple the roof of the long-vacant structure which appears to have been demolished.
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dallasmovietheaters
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The address of the Tokay Theatre was approximately 725 Robert Bush Drive West. The theater building is gone, but the modernistic building on the far left corner of the intersection in the vintage photo is still standing. The building directly across the street from the theater’s site is numbered 724.
Boxoffice, Dec. 25, 1948: “SOUTH BEND, WASH. – The old Tokay Theatre building here has been sold to Harley Webber, who said he would completely remodel and renovate the building to accommodate a new city hall and a recreational center to include a bowling alley and swimming pool. The building was erected about 1920 by the late George Reizner and, since his death, has been operated by A. G. Basil.”