Strand Theatre
315 Strand Street,
St. Helens,
OR
97051
315 Strand Street,
St. Helens,
OR
97051
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Columbia Theatre
Nearby Theaters
In 1911 one could walk the paved Strand Street along the Columbia River, and go to a movie at the south end. This was according to Sanborn Maps, which had listed at #25 an unnamed “Motion Pictures”, which may have been the first Columbia Theatre in St. Helens.
The St. Helens Mist reported on February 3, 1916, that H.O. Strom was opening the Strand Theatre, formerly the Columbia. This theatre on Strand Street was located across from the St. Helens Lumber Company shipping wharf and about 20 shops built on pilings over the Columbia River. When Mr. Strom’s daughter was born in June of 1916, the Daily Mist reported he flashed the news on the screen and a photograph of the Strand Theatre appeared in the Mist September 15, 1916.
The Mist reported the Strand Theatre was burned by fire September 6, 1917, in a building owned by W.B. Dillard, where he had his office. Mr. Strom’s losses were $800 while Mr. Dillard reported damages of $1,200, with no insurance. The Strand Theatre program was transferred to Strom’s Houlton Theatre and when the Liberty theatre opened the following March it was reported the Liberty Theatre was taking the place of the Strand Theatre, which burned sometime ago. The 1916 and 1921 maps show more buildings along Strand Street with the former theatre home to cigars and billiards.
The approximate location today would be at the end of Strand Street, near the 1912 H. Morgus building.
Contributed by
Ron Pierce
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Need some clarification of the overview. When the Strand burnt it’s “program was transferred to Strom’s Houlton Theatre”. When the Liberty opened it was reported to taking the place of the Strand. The Houlton is not on CT nor can I find any reference to it.
Uploaded an ad From the St. Helens Mist from June 1917. Gem also appears.
The Houlton Theatre was in a district a bit over a mile west of downtown St. Helens. Houlton, once called Milton, was adjacent to the railroad tracks while St. Helens proper was along the riverfront. The Houlton Theatre was operating by January, 1917, and still open in January 1919, but was never listed in the FDY, nor was it in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.