Powhatan Theatre

dallasmovietheaters on November 4, 2024 at 11:09 am

You can leave the Charles Van Bibber entry above. My own research would suggest a slightly different take with the builder, the address, the status of the venue, and some of the basic facts reworked. So in case you want a slightly different take, here goes:

William B. Powhatan opened on Sutton in the summer of 1909 as the Powhatan Airdome. Then in 1910, operator/owner William B. Powhatan was arrested for not paying the $20 monthly license to run a nickelodeon. And I’m sure he’d be surprised to see that Franchon & Marco gets credit here for building this theater since they didn’t but they also didn’t have to pay his bail, either.

Powhatan built a hardtop theater next door to the Airdome in 1913 becoming the Powhatan Theater & Airdome. This 1913 configuration was at 3111-3115 Sutton Boulevard. (It’s very possible that the 1909-1912 Airdome address was 3107 Sutton leading to the confusion of the address above and the directory note.) The St. Louis Meramec Railroad Company operated an electrical rail service that ran from downtown St. Louis to the Sutton Loop. It ran right past the Powhatan Theater and Airdome. The Manchester Line gaveth - as the Powhatan was able to get live vaudeville performers from St. Louis thanks to the convenient rail service that ran all night - and it tooketh away when Mr. Powhatan left his glass lantern song slides on the trolley one day likely having picked them up in St. Louis at the distributor’s office before losing them. Oh well!

The property was actually owned by William B. Powhatan (one “t”) all the way to October of 1949 but he leased to various operators; so one must challenge the notion that Franchon & Marco “built” the theater as they took on the venue much later. In fact, Spyros Skouras took on the venue in on October 23, 1925 passing it through to St. Louis Amusement and it became a de facto Paramount / Publix house until its bankruptcy protection in the 1930s. St. Louis Amusement wired the Powhatan Theatre & Airdome with Western Electric and Vitaphone sound to keep the venue(s) viable in December 16, 1928. Its first sound film after a week’s long closure was “Caught in the Fog.”

In January of 1933, the Paramount/Publix Corporation was forced into receivership and entered into bankruptcy in 1934. The Powhatan went back to independent operation. In 1937, it becomes part of the Roxy Theatre Corporation with the Roxy, Avalon, Columbia, and Whiteway. Under Roxy operation, it uses the two “t” Powhattan for much of the decade without any reason so should be “also known as” the Powhattan Theatre and Airdome (sic) just to make researching a bit easier.

For a period of time the address listed above for this entry - 3107 Sutton - was home to the M&M Confectionery that served as the de facto concession stand for the Powhatan Theatre and Airdome. The Powhattan ran into labor issues with Roxy Theatre Corp’s Bess Schulter shutting the venue down in 1940 due to a Union dispute on September 24. The confectionery survive the closure and would become home to a tavern that’s pictured in photos. The Powhattan reopened about seven months later on Easter Sunday of 1941.

The theater passed to Fachon & Marco (there they are) with a new manager in February of 1943. The Powhattan was again temporarily shut down effectively in September of 1945 by the local union for the Powhattan Theater’s manager refusal to allow union inspectors in. It reopened on May 30, 1946 back officially as a St. Louis Amusement Corp. property.

In 1949, the Powhatan property was was sold outright by the Powhatan family to St. Louis Amusement on October 30, 1949 apparently as land speculation. In fact, hey closed it permanently a month later likely when the deal was closed on November 27, 1949 with “It’s a Great Feeling.” I’m not sure the neighborhood agreed about the feeling. The Powhatan was listed as “CLOSED!” for two weeks before being removed from newspaper listings altogether.

An April 27, 1956 fire almost ended the property. A second arson fire just three days later then took care of the hardtop theater. The corner lot to the middle of the block were cleared and became a National Food Grocery Store a year later (picture of that in photos to clarify). As noted, the 3107 Sutton property pictured above was at one time a confectionery and later in the 1940s became a tavern in the 1940s lasting into the 1950s and possibly beyond. But that’s the only connection to the theatre - sorry - as it was a tavern in the late 1940s and 1950s when the theatre was still standing.

This venue’s 37-year career as an Airdome/Theater combo appears to stand as a record number of years for a Theatre/Airdome combination in the city and its 41 seasons also a record for overall airdoming operation in St. Louis. We salute you Powhatan/Powhattan (sic) Theatre & Airdome!

DougHouser on February 24, 2012 at 8:08 pm

Someone needs to edit the Powhatan Theater text to show that the building was not demolished. The correct address is 3107 Sutton just as it was listed in the 1912 Maplewood business directory. The 3111 address may have been the location of the Air Dome though I’ve not yet found that address used in my research.

fujiwest on December 28, 2006 at 7:25 am

I’m wondering if anyone remembered an Indian bust located somewhere in the theater? I have an Indian bust that my dad said came from an old theater in St. Louis. After my dad aquired it, he had it displayed in Carson Pontiac’s showroom on Manchester Rd.

JAlex on January 26, 2006 at 12:13 pm

Theatre met its ultimate demise with two “suspicious” fires in April 1956. As noted above, theatre had sat unused since 1949.

JAlex on September 11, 2004 at 8:11 am

Further research finds closing date of theatre to be November 27, 1949.