Elroy Theatre (I)
140 Main Street,
Elroy,
WI
35929
140 Main Street,
Elroy,
WI
35929
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Opera House, Majestic Theatre Juneau Theatre, Star Theatre
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The Opera House was opened around 1911. The Majestic Theatre opened in 1914 and was renamed the Elroy Theatre by 1932. By 1933 it was renamed Juneau Theatre and by 1934 it had been renamed Star Theatre. It then went back to the Elroy Theatre name.
The “first” Elroy Theatre closed for the final time on December 19, 1937 with a one-day showing of Warner Baxter in “Vogues Of 1938” with no extra short subjects.
A newer and current Elroy Theatre would later open its doors three days later (which has its own page on Cinema Treasures).
Some original managers throughout its 23-year run include A.A. Suszycki who also once operated the Gail Theatre in Mauston, and A.L. Wood of Viroqua.
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
It was renamed the Elroy Theatre in 1934.
The October 2, 1933 issue of Film Daily reveals another aka for this house: “Elroy, Wis. — The Majestic has been renamed the Juneau and is now being operated by Edmund Mohns and Donald Wilcox.”
Yet another name was presented in the issue of April 9, 1934: “Elroy, Wis. — The Juneau theater has been renamed the Star and is now being operated by J. Eskin.”
This name might have been used only briefly, though, as the May 28 issue had this item: “ELROY—Star (formerly Juneau), transferred to Elroy Theater, Inc. by A. A. Suczycki.”
An October, 1914 Sanborn map of Elroy shows a “Motion Picture Theatre” on the second floor of a building at the southeast corner of Main and Franklin streets (modern address 140 Main Street.) As it is upstairs, I suspect that it was an existing hall converted to show movies, and was probably the Opera House that was listed in a 1911 Polk directory of Wisconsin businesses. The Opera House was also the only theater listed at Elroy in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
While the Sanborn map proves a theater was at this location in 1914, the 1926 FDY lists the Majestic with 329 seats, and I doubt that this small structure could have held half that many. It might be that the Majestic began in the Opera house in 1914 but later found larger quarters. Or the FDY might have just gotten the capacity wrong.