West End Theatre
4819 Delmar Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63107
4819 Delmar Boulevard,
St. Louis,
MO
63107
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Arthur Enterprises Inc., Skouras Theatres, St. Louis Amusement Co.
Architects: Charles Green
Previous Names: Colonial Theatre, Majestic Theatre, Monarch Theatre, West End Lyric Theatre, West End Art Theatre, Midtown Theatre, Midtown Art Theatre, Paris Art Theatre, Expo Art Theatre, Studio Cinema, Studio World, Comet West End Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Colonial Theatre was opened as a stage theatre in 1910 with 1,100-seats. In 1912 it was renamed Majestic Theatre and in December 1912 it became the Monarch Theatre and began screening movies. In November 1914 it was renamed West End Lyric Theatre, still screening movies. It was taken over by the Skouras Brothers circuit in 1919. It was operated by the Arthur Chain (Franchon & Marco) from 1927 and seated 773. It was a neighborhood house located just east of Kings Highway in a small shopping center about 10 blocks east of the more opulent Pageant Theatre. The West End Theatre was a two story theatre with a small balcony. Nothing impressive about this popular neighborhood house.
Following a refresh in 1937 it reopened on September 19, 1937 as an African-American theatre.
It thrived until 1956 and the Arthur chain sold it to a private individual who renamed it the West End Art Theatre. It started playing adult fare and the balcony was made into a second screen. Operating under various names, the theatre lasted until 1964 when a storm caused the back part of the roof to collapse. The theatre was demolished in August 1985 after the city condemned the building.
Contributed by
Charles Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
Theatre opened in 1910 with popular priced vaudeville and known as the Colonial Theatre. Architect was Charles Green. Seating capacity at that time was 990.
This policy was not successful. Went to a stock company policy and the name of the theatre was changed to MAJESTIC. In 1913 theatre was sold at foreclosure to Fred Block by the Colonial Amusement Co. Theatre again renamed to MONARCH.
In 1914, theatre policy changed to movies and name changed once again, this time to WEST END LYRIC. (At the time, the owner had a theatre downtown, the LYRIC.)
In 1917, theatre was taken over by the Skouras Brothers as a first-run (multiple) house.
In 1927 theatre became a 2nd run house.
An extensive remodeling took place in 1937, at which point theatre
became known as the WEST END.
In his Memoirs, famed playwright Tennessee Williams recalled going as a youth to the West End Lyric on Delmar Boulevard, a block away from Westminster Place where his family lived. He wrote of going with a girl named Hazel:
“I believe it was at puberty that I first knew that I had a sexual desire for Hazel and it was in the West End Lyric, the movie house on Delmar Boulevard. Sitting beside her before the movie began, I was suddenly conscious of her bare shoulders and I wanted to touch them and I felt a genital stirring.”
In fact Williams was homosexual and wrote extensively about his gay relationships in that quite excellent autobiography.
In addition to the names I mentioned earlier, theatre also known as the MIDTOWN, the MIDTOWN ART, the PARIS ART and the EXPO ART. These all date from the late-1950s and after.
Still more names: in the 70s theatre known as the Studio Cinema, Studio World. Finally, in the early 80s became the Comet West End, after the Comet on Finney had closed.
An article in the Post-Dispatch on August 5, 1985 told of its being demolished.
To avoid confusion:
An article in the Post-Dispatch on August 5, 1985 told of the demolishment taking place of the Comet West End.
11 names for this theatre. that is a lot.
The Skouras Brothers took over the theatre in 1919. The 1917 date was in error.
Here is a brief item describing the West End Lyric Theatre, from the November 14, 1914, issue of Motion Picture News:
Technically, the venue should be given credit for hitting the rare 14 different operational names. It clearly started as the 1) Colonial Theatre in 1910 relying on live fare.
In 1912, it was renamed as the 2) Majestic Theatre. In December of 1912, it was rebranded as the 3) Monarch Theatre showing films.
In November of 1914, it became the 4) West End Lyric Theatre showing films. It was operated by one of the first St. Louis female exhibitors, Rose Cornelius, who also operated the Lyric, the Royal and the Lyric Skydome. She sold it to St. Louis Amusement which shifted to Skouras Brothers Circuit in 1919. They sold out in 1927 and under new operators Arthur Chain (Franchon & Marco), the W.E. Lyric received sound to remain viable. Fanchon and Marco remodeled both it and the Hi-Pointe to bring more of a streamline moderne look to the venues.
The theater paused for July 17, 1937 refresh coming back September 19, 1937 as the 5) West End Theatre for African American audiences.
The West End Theatre closed in 1953. It reopened in 1954. Operators Thomas “Tommie” and Jimmie James who owned the Comet and the Douglass took on the venue and held a naming contest. It was renamed as the 6) Midtown Theatre remaining with African American audiences effective May 9, 1958 rebooting with “And God Created Woman” with “Witness for the Prosecution.” The Midtown closed September 2, 1963 with “Jason and the Argonauts” and Duel of the Titans" directing audiences to the remaining James' theater, the Comet.
Harry Waid took on the lease continuing it as the 7) Paris Art Theatre for all adult audiences beginning September 13, 1963 with “Nights of Same” and “Five Day Lover.” But in the Summer of 1964, when St. Louis' downtown burley house, the Grand Theatre, was targeted for demolition they agreed to move to the Paris Art Theatre location and fit it with a stage beginning August 27, 1964. But at the 11th hour, the license was revoked and the Grand project was in limbo until Summer of 1965. The building was named the (Coming Soon) Grand Theatre but never opened under that moniker.
The theatre relaunched as the 8) Midtown Art Theatre on June 26, 1965 with Cleopatra and Fanny Hill. James was back in charge but passed away in May of 1967.
The theatre, under yet another new operator, rebranded as the 9) Expo Art Theatre on July 19, 1967 with “A Woman’s Urge” and “Nature Around the World.”
It was rebranded as the 10) Studio Adult Cinema in 1974. It became the 11) Studio Cinema later in 1974 dropping “Adult” and yet still playing adult films. It closed at the end of a leasing agreement on April 29, 1975.
Its next operational name was 12) World Studio Theatre in the Summer of 1975. That name was flopped changing in December of 1975 to 13) Studio World Theatre. Studio World closed March 24, 1977 with “Sextet” and “Rosebud.”
The theatre was the first of two homes for the 14) Comet West End Cinema, a discount house no longer playing adult films but trying to reach urban audiences. That location would move a few blocks away leaving the 70-year old venue empty. The name that I couldn’t find was the 15) West End Art Theatre… but that means little.
The Union Sarah Economic Development Corp. took possession of the theater and its two neighbors. The USEDC demolished the venue in July of 1985 before any operator could give it a 15 (or 16th) operational name and apparently knocked it down with most of the theatre totally intact from seats to concession stand according to the report.