Grand Theatre
127 S. 9th Street,
Lexington,
MO
64067
127 S. 9th Street,
Lexington,
MO
64067
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Additional Info
Functions: Factory
Previous Names: Geyers Theatre
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
Appearing on Sanborn maps as early as 1885, this large opera house was built in 1879 on a slope, and was thus one story in front and two in the rear. By 1889 a 2-story addition had been added, containing the box office in front, and dressing rooms to the rear. All structures were brick. Although the 1900 map lists it as the ‘New Grand Opera House’, it is clearly the same building as before, although a large metal-clad wooden fly tower has appeared at the rear. There was a large stage at the rear, and a deep U-shaped balcony with narrow wings extending up to the stage.
The 1910 map lists it as ‘Geyers Theatre’, possibly Geyer’s was intended. A large wooden awning has appeared on the front, covering both the theater and office. By around 1915 it was in use as a movie theatre, as the 1918 map, it is noted, with no name, as ‘Moving Pictures’. Stage and scenery are still listed, so live shows were still offered at this point.
At some point, the building was converted to a factory, possibly in 1939 when the Dunhill company began making dress shirts. It now appears vacant, and the office/dressing room section was replaced around 1940-50 by a dealership. Some of the façade of the original building may survive, although the brickwork appears to be of a later style.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
The January 1, 1910 issue ofThe New York Dramatic Mirror mentions the Geyer Grand Theatre in Lexington, Missouri. Charles Geyer was listed as the manager. The Geyer Grand was listed in the 1910-1911 Cahn guide as a 740-seat, ground floor house. It had been listed in the 1909-1910 guide as the New Grand Theatre.
A letter from the Lexington Historical Association in response to the Historic Missouri Theatres Questionnaire (a very large pdf but quite useful,) and dated June 10, 1998, has this paragraph about the Grand:
The house had become Wright’s Grand Theatre by 1913, as that is how it is listed in the 1913-1914 Cahn Guide. As the Grand is not one of the two movie houses listed at Lexington in the 1914-1915 edition of The American Motion Picture Directory it was likely still a live theater at that time. However, by 1917 (and possibly by late 1915) it had begun showing movies, as this item appeared in the September 1, 1917 issue of The Moving Picture World: