Wild Carrot at Shaw Theatre

I remember my parents taking me to the Shaw Theatre when I was a kid. Around 1951 through 1955-ish. In fact I remember my mother throwing me over her shoulder and walking home with me at night. Down to Blaine Avenue. 4100 ish. Wouldn’t drive through the neighborhood now. As I can recall the theater was built all the way up to the sidewalk. There was just a brick wall all along 39th St. Per the photo, it looks as though the theater has been razed? Although the open space doesn’t make sense. Not enough room and the existing retail couldn’t have faced 39th St. when the theater was there.

The entire building is still standing, it is now the Salama Supermarket.

I lived across the street from the Shaw Theatre from 1943 to 1958 we only moved because I my folks had another baby and 3 rooms were to small. Big move down to 41 hundred Shaw. To be honest I don’t remember it being built out to the sidewalk, it had more room from the bottom of the steps to the street. There was also a newsstand where a boy sold papers everyday on the corner of 39th and Shaw. the show was open every night with 2 double features, news reel and a couple of cartoons, Saturday afternoon was a children’s matinee. Usually had a guest on stage a yo yo person or something of that nature. Cartoons, then the cliff hanger and then the movie. Sunday the movies changed and was open all day. It was a wonderful show where the usher wore a uniform and actually walked up and down to check on things. My cousin at the time sold popcorn and candy there for a few years.. I agree with Chris it is the same building today just without the walk up steps. It was a magical place living across the street from it was the best because on a hot summer night it had an air conditioner our flat didn’t..

This theatre is presently under restoration as an events space called “Wild Carrot.” It is slated to open spring of 2018. The interior appears to be a gut rehab, assuming there was anything left, but it will once again be a theatre of sorts.

Their website is below.

https://www.wildcarrotstl.com/home

It is indeed an odd name, but it’s a neighborhood of small groceries, and garden stores. And a quite large and old botanical garden and an even larger walking park whose mutual founder gave the street (and half of everything nearby) its name. It’s a very planty neighborhood, by any measure. And increasingly hip in a sort of granola way. Nice place, actually. And coming up.

In the renderings it still shows the Shaw name on the marquee, but the website is Wild Carrot. I’m not quite sure what to think, but I’m glad to see what they’re doing by any name. I wish I knew what it had looked like when it was a movie house. At 1140 and with a two story lobby it would have been just big enough to be potentially interesting. Odds are against it, but you never know. Anyway, I wish them luck.