Laclede Theatre
3116 Laclede Avenue,
St. Louis,
MO
63108
3116 Laclede Avenue,
St. Louis,
MO
63108
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The Laclede Theatre was opened on March 23, 1940 with Paul Robeson in “Big Fella” & Elsa Maxwell in “Hotel for Women”. It was operated as an independent theatre for African-American patrons. It was located in the Mill Creek section of the city just blocks from the Grand White Way where all the movie palaces were located.
The theatre was rather plain with nothing notable in design, but it served the area for 34 years until the Mill Creek Redevelopment completely leveled the area for what was supposed to be now and modern housing. It became offices instead and St. Louis University now occupies more than half of the area.
No trace of the Laclede Theatre to be found at all. The Laclede Theatre closed on June 22, 1959 with Susan Hayward in “I Want to Live” & Robert Ryan in “God’s Little Acre”.
Contributed by
Charles Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
Laclede Theatre built by Alex Pappas. Architect of record was O. W. Stiegemeyer. House approximately 500 seats.
Opening date was March 23, 1940.
Theatre, from the beginning, was for the African-American trade.
Closing date was June 23, 1959.
This was part of the Goldman-Plikos Circuit in the early sixties.
March 23, 1940 opening ad with Paul Robeson in “Big Fella” and Elsa Maxwell in “Hotel for Women" is in photos. In 1958, the St. Louis Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority bought out 2,355 structures in the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood leaving just 125. It used condemnation suits to get the others out.
The first building acquired was the Baptist Church just across the street and the demolition project began Feb. 16, 1959 on Laclede Avenue. Despite incredible noise and traffic issues, the Laclede Theatre survived a bit longer before its date with the wrecking ball. Its closing film was June 22, 1959 with “I Want to Live” and “God’s Little Acre.”