Columbia Theatre

The Grand Opera House launched at this location on September 13, 1885 after the previous opera house burned down in November of 1884. When a new space was built for opera in 1896, this location became the Hopkins Grand Opera House.

In 1897, the Columbia Theatre Company picked up a 99-year lease on the Hopkins Opera House and refreshed the theatre re-launching as the Columbia Theatre with vaudeville. The theatre would mix in short films before becoming a full-time movie theatre. The valuation of the location skyrocketed to nearly $3 million in the mid-1920’s and the McCroy chain bought the location to construct a dime store.

The final film at the Columbia Theatre appears to be on May 28, 1925 with the film, “Some Wild Oats” starring Caryl S. Fleming. The building was demolished and replaced with McCroy’s new location opening August 30, 1926. The Columbia nameplate would be reused within a year in St. Louis. A new Columbia Theater was located in The Hill neighborhood launching February 1, 1926.

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