4th Avenue Theatre, Anchorage, Alaska, 2005

Opened 1947, architects B. Marcus Priteca and A. A. Porreca, 960 original seating capacity

This Art Deco Streamline Moderne beauty of a theatre, which screened movies for four decades, featured a gold leaf mural of Mt. McKinley (officially renamed Denali in 2016, a local Athabascan people name). The ceiling of the auditorium had a twinkling Big Dipper (a symbol of Alaska) and North Star visible in dim light. In the mid 1980s, the city of Anchorage restored the theatre and used it as a banquet hall and special events venue for the city until it was demolished in 2022, despite being on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982.

Carib Theatre, auditorium, Clearwater, Florida, 1982                                                              Opened 1954, architect James E. Casale, 1,194 original seating capacity

This is the theater that launched my “Please Remain Standing” portfolio and America’s Hometown Movie Theaters: Please Remain Standing book. This project now contains 1,200 theaters in every state in America, and a few European theaters. The Carib housed the largest seating capacity in the city, but what made it truly unique was the colorful Caribbean characters that gracing the towering facade above the theater marquee with the pairing of an Egyptian motif inside the auditorium. Add into this mix a retired veteran theater manager, Clarence “Bud” Trimble, who played a deteriorating sprocket-stripped film of the Star-Spangled Banner before every show, with a loudspeaker announcement to “Please remain standing for our national anthem,” turning on the house lights if a patron did not comply. I am indebted to the Carib, and to the manager for their inspiration that still propels this project.

Carib Theatre, auditorium, Clearwater, Florida, 1982                                                              Opened 1954, architect James E. Casale, 1,194 original seating capacity

At a cost of $400,000, the unusual towering three-dimensional marquee in front of the Carib was built four years after an identical marquee on another Carib Theatre in Miami Beach, although designed by different architects. Screening Three Sailors and a Girl with Jane Powell upon opening, the Clearwater Carib was demolished in 1984 to make way for a larger bank and a parking lot next door. The Carib in Miami Beach was shuttered and gutted in 1979 and demolished in 2015. 

Martin Centre, Douglas, Georgia, 2024                   Opened 1940, 1,357 original seating capacity

The Martin Theatre was a large venue in a town of 10,000 residents when it opened, offering movies as its form of entertainment. By the 1970’s the theatre closed and was donated to the city by the Martin Organization. The Downtown Historic District, which includes the theatre, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. In 1999, the Martin Centre was opened as a performing arts and conference center, seating 750.

Gooding Cinema, Gooding, Idaho, 2023                                                 Opened 1920, architect Hugo H. Clausen, 400 original seating capacity

Originally the Schubert Theatre, it was renamed the Gooding Cinema sometime after 1960 and closed in 2008. Fundraising continues to help restore the historic theatre. While much has been done, it is still in need of many amenities to be functional for this city of less than 4,000. The city, county and cinema were named for the early 20th century US Senator and the seventh governor of Idaho, Frank Robert Gooding. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Strand Theater, Kendallville, Indiana, 2016                 Opened 1890, builder E. B. Spencer, 750 original seating capacity

In 1890 this site was home to the Spencer Opera House with opera, theater, and minstrel shows. It was sold by 1900 and renamed the Boyer Opera House, then closed in WWI and opened in 1919 as a movie theater. In 1928 it was renamed the Strand Theater, with a renovation in the 1940s. In the early 1950s there was a 33-foot CinemaScope screen and stereophonic sound installed, and for the first time, candy and popcorn were sold. The 1959 film Ben Hur was the all-time highest attended movie. Twinned in 1980, the current seating is 400.

Dream Theater, Russell, Kansas, 2022                               Opened 1948, architects Robert O. Boller and Dietz Lusk, Jr., 425 original seating capacity

Originally on this same site was the Mainstreet Theater, which was renamed the Dream Theater in 1935. A fire destroyed the building in 1947, but it was rebuilt with an Art Deco facade and reopened a year later. Closing in 2000, a huge fundraising effort paid its back taxes and raised enough funds to reopen. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 and is now run by community volunteers who also staff the theater. Open Friday through Sunday evenings for movies, it seats 220 patrons. 

Colonial Theatre, Belfast, Maine, 2019                                     Opened 1912, architect Frederick Patterson, 450 original seating capacity

On April 12, 1912, the Titanic set sail, and the Art Deco Colonial Theatre opened. A business facing bankruptcy sold two near life-size elephant replicas to the Colonial Theatre, who lovingly restored the pachyderms, giving one the name of Hawthorne, with his own private perch overseeing High Street. The other elephant stands near the entrance of the second theater, as the Colonial is now twinned. Hawthorne, found his forever home, and although the Colonial closed in 2022, the non-profit Hawthorne Theatre & Arts Collaborative bought the theatre in 2023, and reopened it as of late 2024, now seating 400.

State Theatre, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2018                                                                                                      Opened 1942, architects Charles Howard Crane and Louis Wiltse, 1,773 original seating capacity

Dorothy Lamour starred in The Fleet’s In, the first film screened in this large downtown theatre. The 1970s low attendance prompted a division into four screens in 1977. The year 1987 saw the main floor become a retail space with two cinema screens upstairs. The Michigan Theater down the street stepped in to save the State Theatre in 2014, and by 2017, a complete renovation restored the Art Deco details, reorganizing the space to be four small auditoriums that comprise a “one-of-a-kind cinema space.” A small side entrance leads up to the 600-seat theatre.  

Airway Drive-In, St. Ann, Missouri, 1990                                                                          Opened 1948, 1,000 car capacity

The Airway, with a neon majorette twirling a baton leading patrons into the drive-in, opened with Walt Disney’s Song of the South. Twinned in 1975, the drive-in was closed in 1986 and demolished in 1992. The large sign with the majorette was saved and revamped to advertise the Airway Centre strip mall that replaced the drive-in. The strip mall permanently closed in 2022. Citizens have created a group to save the sign. 

66 Drive-In, Carthage, Missouri, 2022                                                                         Opened 1949, 400 car capacity

This drive-in also had a seating area for 18 walk-in patrons as well as hundreds of cars, but the theater closed in 1985. Reopening in 1998, it now operates seasonally showing double features. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. 

Washoe Theater, Anaconda, Montana, 1992                                                                         Opened 1936, architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca, 1,000 original seating capacity

Although construction began in 1931, the Washoe had to wait to open until 1936 because of the Depression. Of high architectural value and interior beauty, with the original hand-painted silk curtains, etched glass doors, lighting fixtures and molding covered with silver, copper, and eight shades of gold leaf, the Washoe is stunning. Decorative wall and ceiling work still adorn the interior. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The theater sits south of the only two stop lights in town, with seating for 968 guests. 

Midwest Theater, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 2022                                                                                                   Opened 1946, architect Charles Dunwoody Strong, over 900 original seating capacity 

An entertainment mecca that once included a 12-table pool hall in the basement, the theater upstairs opened with Rita Hayworth in Gilda. Closing in 1996, it has reopened, being operated by the Friends of the Midwest Theater and volunteers. Entertainment still includes movies, with the addition of live theater and other performances. With a stunning front façade showcasing Art Moderne classic touches of colorful neon and breathtaking details, the magic continues inside the decoratively painted auditorium. As of 1997, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with current seating for 729.

North Park Theatre, Buffalo, New York, 2024                                                                                                   Opened 1920, architect Henry L. Spann, 1,222 original seating capacity

With soaring auditorium ceilings that include painted cameo scenic ovals, an entry filled with stained glass, a marble floor and a wooden ticket stand in the center, the North Park Theatre is an impressive movie house that pays tribute to early 20th century details that set this neighborhood theatre apart. Still showing movies, this unique theatre lights up Hertel Avenue with bright neon and up lights that make the architectural features glow. An extensive renovation completed in 2014 included digital projection. North Park now seats 850 in this one screen theatre.

Earle Theatre, prom night, Mount Airy, North Carolina, 2014                                                                        Opened 1938, architects Earl Q. Benbow and Percy A. Boone, 600 original seating capacity

A few doors down on the opposite side of Snappy’s Lunch and Floyd’s Barber Shop, sits the Earle. The hometown businesses became famous in the 1960s television series The Andy Griffith Show. And just in case you didn’t know, Mount Airy became “Mayberry” in the TV show, modeled after Griffith’s hometown, with a festival called “Mayberry Days” every Fall. The Earle closed in 1980, was donated to the Surry Arts Council 10 years later, and was refurbished and restored, adding the Old-Time Music and Heritage Hall, now seating 438.

Fargo Theatre, Fargo, North Dakota, 2022                                                                                                       Opened 1926, firm Buechner & Orth, 1,124 seating capacity

Opening as a vaudeville and art house cinema, the first film screened was a Syd Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin’s brother) movie titled Man on the Box. The Fargo was remodeled by architects Liebenberg & Kaplan in 1937 with an interior Art Deco neon flair. Hosting a semi-annual silent movie night accompanied by the mighty 4 manual, 32 rank Wurlitzer pipe organ, the theatre has added concerts, live events and the annual Fargo Film Festival to its schedule. The theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, with a second screen and 870 total seats.

Linda Theater, lobby, Akron, Ohio, 2014                                                                                                                     Opened 1948, builder Ernest Alessio, 500 original seating capacity

The Linda Theater was designed and constructed by Linda Alessio’s father, a contractor who, after an expensive architectural bid, designed the theatre himself and named it after his youngest child. His son, 21-year-old Lino Alessio, helped to build it, and it was managed by his 19-year-old brother Reno. Linda later worked at the theatre in the concession stand. In continuous operation for over 70 years, there is a mural on the side that depicts the last 100 years of the neighborhood history. With new seats and a renovation in 2014, the current seating capacity is now 400. 

Poncan Theatre, Ponca City, Oklahoma, 2021                                                                                                                                                    Opened 1927, architects Carl Boller and Robert O. Boller, 1,200 original seating capacity

The grand opening screened a short reel of Our Gang actors in Harvard VS. Yale and a Paramount film, Shanghai Bound, two vaudeville acts, and a concert on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Uniformed ushers led the way to seating, $1.10 for the lower floor and 50 cents for balcony seats. The atmospheric theatre showed movies, musicals, and plays and held community events such as a pie-eating contest. Remodeled several times over the next 80 years, it was expanded, adding new restrooms, roof, and seats in 2022, and was listed on the Register of Historic Places in 1984, now seating 792. 

Laurelhurst Theater & Pub, Portland, Oregon, 2023                                                                                                                                                    Opened 1923, architect Charles W. Ertz, 650 original seating capacity

The original neon sign lights up the night from this theater, renovated in 1938 and again in 1949. In 1953, Cinerama came to town, requiring an ultra-wide curved screen and remodeling. With the onset of multiplex theaters, the theater split into four separate viewing rooms in the 1980s. New owners in 2000 renovated again and added a pub and pizza menu. The theater now shows second-run films and hosts social events, with seating for 450 guests.

McMenamins Bagdad Theater and Pub, Portland, Oregon, 2023                                                                                                                               Opened 1927, firm Thomas & Mercier, 1,400 original seat capacity

With Middle Eastern décor, the Bagdad was a first-run movie theater that began with vaudeville as well as movies. Partitioned into three theaters in 1975, by 1991, the McMenamin brothers bought and converted it back into one fabulous auditorium, transforming the backstage dressing room area and outside wall into the stunning Backstage bar. A large original vaudeville curtain depicting the Taj Mahal covers the expansive height of the back wall above the early 1900’s inlaid mother-of-pearl bar. The original auditorium is still a first-run theatre with food, seating 700, with the rear bar having more seating and pool tables.

Roxy Theatre, Northampton, Pennsylvania, 2024                                                                                                                                                        Opened 1921, architects E. R. Biting and David Supowitz, 1,000 original seating capacity

Opening for vaudeville as the Lyric Theatre, it was sold in 1933, renamed the Roxy, and renovated in the Art Deco style, reducing the seating to 650. Movies, minstrel shows, Wild West shows, and local productions, including amateur talent shows and enticements of dish and encyclopedia giveaways, were designed to bring in guests. The 1960s saw a decline in attendance, but by 1970, with new owners, a restoration began. In 1988, a 2 manual, 6 rank Wurlitzer organ was installed, the lobby was renovated, and the exterior was restored, with movies as the main attraction, seating 453.

State Theatre, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, 2024                           Opened 1912, architect David Supowitz, 350 original seating capacity

Known as the Lyric when it opened, the Art Deco style theatre soon became an important venue in the community for all sorts of activities: silent movies, orchestra concerts, public meetings, talent shows, plays, and graduations. In the 1930s, sound was added, and the name changed to the State, adorned with inside wall murals painted by the E. Graco Co. of Philadelphia, reminiscent of similar work done by the Works Progress Administration. For over 100 years, the theatre has served the community, restored and revitalized, closing only briefly in 2015 when it went up for sale. Seating capacity is 228.

Coyote Twin Theater, Vermillion, South Dakota, 2022                                                                                                                                                Opened 1941, architect Jack J. Liebenberg, 492 original seating capacity

Operating as the Co-Ed Theatre until 1960, the name was then changed to the Coyote Theater. Renovations in 2017 included the Vermillion Community Mural Project, with lead artists Amber Hansen, Rebecca Froelich, Carolina Penida and guest painters Keith Braveheart and Leila Ghasempor. In 2017, the beautiful 30’ x 50’ mural, designed and painted by these community members, is located on the side of the Coyote Twin. With the theater updated, it now seats 228 in two auditoriums and is an important part of Vermillion, the county seat with a population of 12,000.

Crystal Theatre, Flandreau, South Dakota, 2022                                                                                                                                                   Opened 1914, builder Purl R. Matson, 296 original seating capacity

The theatre began with vaudeville and movies. A marquee was added in 1940, and a major remodel occurred in 1949, closing in 1969. Movies came back in 1971 until the mid 1980s, when the theatre closed once again. A non-profit took over and did maintenance and renovations before reopening in 1997 as a live performing arts center, inviting the local elementary school third graders to read their original poetry on the stage. The theatre continues to be an important part of the community. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, with seating for 220.

Dakota Theatre, Yankton, South Dakota, 2022                                                                                                                                                                 Opened 1902, architect D. W. Rogers, 703 original seating capacity 

Opening as the Yankton Opera House, by 1921 it was renamed Hess Theatre. In 1929, came the addition of an Art Deco façade, a sound system for the movies, and another renaming to the Dakota Theatre. The remodel in 1946 by architect Henry A. Raapke added the triangular marquee. A concession stand, and updated lobby came in the 1960s. The theatre closed in 1987. Within three years, a non-profit group purchased and painstakingly restored and revived the space to its former glory, adapting the auditorium for live performances, with 550 seats. 

Lund Theatre, Viborg, South Dakota, 2022                                                                                                                                                                        Opened 1915, builders Niels Anton Jorgensen and Charles Jorgensen Glood, 240 original seating capacity

Originally called the Wild West Theatre and then Glud Theatre, with silent films and a ‘speak-easy’ in a room behind the screen. In 1928, Danish immigrant Eskild Lund purchased the theatre and then waited 22 years until it was remodeled to give it his last name. The year 1950 saw many additions, including a marquee, a ticket booth, and a lobby with a sitting area. When the owners decided to retire, the community stepped in to run the Lund with all volunteers in a town with a population of around 800. The theatre seating capacity of 225.

Strand Theatre, Britton, South Dakota, 2022                                                                                                                                                                    Opened 1915, 300 original seating capacity

The Strand Theatre has deep roots in this modest community. It served as a movie house for the first 72 years before being renovated to host performing arts as well. The beloved theatre has been updated to seem as fresh as it was when it was built, and most people in this town have a story to relay about how the theatre is part of their personal history. With the screen moved forward to accommodate live performances, the theater now seats 150. 

Palace Theatre, Crossville, Tennessee, 2010                                                                                                                                                                  Opened 1938, architect Eston Smith, 600 original seating capacity

The Art Deco theatre, called the “Jewel of Main Street,” was built using local quarried sandstone from the Crab Orchard Mountains and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The first movie screened when the theatre opened in 1938 was Frank Lloyd’s newly released If I were King, starring Ronald Colman as the historic poet François Villon. During WWII, the Palace supported the war effort by promoting war bond sales and scrap metal drives. 

Texas Theatre, Dallas, Texas, 2021                                                                                                                                                                                     Opened 1931, architect W. Scott Dunne, 920 original seating capacity

With an atmospheric style ceiling, air-conditioning, five cent tickets, and a Barton theatre pipe organ, the Texas Theatre was a popular venue and community center. In 1963, it became known as the place where Lee Harvey Oswald was taken into custody for the assassination of President Kennedy. An extensive remodeling in 1965 gave it a stucco Mid-Century Modern style. Closed in 1989, the theatre was restored and reopened in 2010, and as of 2021, it has a second screen up in the remodeled balcony. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, it seats 835 guests.

Villa Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2001                                                                                                                                                                 Opened 1949, architect Alton B. Paulson, 1,300 original seating capacity

The Villa opened screening Prince of Foxes on a 26 X 20-foot screen, one of the largest in the west. Auditorium murals of women working in agriculture and of men fishing graced the walls. Originally built without a concession stand, a planting box of native flagstone complimented the entry space montage of Utah scenery made of copper-colored metals. The original screen, stage and proscenium were kept intact behind the Cinemiracle 100-foot screen added in 1960, with a lobby concession stand added in 1996. Closing with Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2003, it later became a rug showroom. 

Byrd Theatre, Richmond, Virginia, 2013                                                                                                                                                                           Opened 1928, architect Fred A. Bishop, 1,400 original seating capacity

Named after the founder of Richmond, Colonel William Byrd, II, the Byrd was the first theatre in Virginia to have a sound system. Admission was 50 cents for evening shows and 25 cents for matinees, with children admitted for 10 cents. A natural underground spring in the basement pumps water for use by the building’s air conditioning system. In 1978, it was designated as a state landmark, and in 1979, it was named a National Historic Landmark. The Byrd is still showing movies, with a 1,394 seat capacity.

Fox Theatre, Centralia, Washington, 2023                                                                                                                                                                          Opened 1930, architects Benjamin Marcus Priteca, Robert C. Reamer and Frank Wynkoop, 1,200 original seating capacity

The Fox opened with Buster Keaton starring in Doughboys. As the center of small city life, everyone, including loggers, miners, and intellectuals gathered at the Fox. The famous modern dance pioneer Merce Cunningham grew up in Centralia and said the Cascade Mountains and the Fox were the things he remembered most. It closed in 1998 and was sold to a non-profit group which began restoration. Purchased by the city of Centralia in 2007, renovations continue.  When it finally reopens, the theater will seat 737 patrons, restored and beautiful once again. 

Temple Theatre, Viroqua, Wisconsin, 2022                                                                                                                                                                          Opened 1922, architects Albert E. Parkinson and Bernard Dockendorff, 704 original seating capacity

The La Belle Masonic Lodge Temple Theatre opened with the film Smilin’ Through with Norma Talmadge accompanied by an orchestra, where their original building had burned down two years earlier. In 1935, the theatre sold with renovations, obscuring the original detailing and losing the 3 manual Wurlitzer organ to a church. Closing in 1985, neglect revealed glimpses of earlier splendor as plaster fell and overlying paint peeled away. The Temple was reopened in 2002, with the original organ retrieved and refurbished. In the process of restoration, the original hand-painted Proscenium Curtain from the 1920s was found rolled up in the ceiling above the stage. The Temple was listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places in 2000, with a 552 seating capacity.

Lincoln Theatre, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2022                                                                                                                                                                      Opened 1927, architect Mel C. Glatz, 1,221 original seating capacity

A 2 manual, 6 rank Smith pipe organ graced this theatre when it opened. Remodeled as Art Moderne-meets-Streamline style in 1955, Henry Fonda was the star of the film Mister Roberts shown at the reopening, with images from The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind flanking the upper outside walls. Closing in 1982, after a short time it reopened as the Lincoln $ Saver theatre until 2019, when it was renovated and converted into a live music hall holding 1,250 mostly standing patrons, since many seats were pulled to terrace the space into standing-room tiers. 

Wyoming 2 Theatre, Torrington, Wyoming, 2022                                                                                                                                                             Opened 1927, builders Joseph and Harry MacDonald, 700 original seating capacity

This theatre took three years to be built before showing the first film in 1927. Later renovated and twinned, it was sold to a new owner in 2021 and is the only movie theatre in Goshen County. The current owner allowed the Goshen Paranormal Society researchers to visit the theatre multiple times to identify unexplainable noises and activities such as a post-WWI radio show playing on the theatre’s voice box. Their findings are on the YouTube channel entitled “Haunting on Main Street.” Torrington Cinemas is the current name of the theatre, which has seating for 373.