Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1940)

March 30, 1940 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Page 37 shaped marquee, edged with myriad lights and a neon display'. The interior decorations will be modernistic and new upholstered seats will be installed. A modern circulating heating system, an air conditioning system, new projectors and sound equipment are other important items contained in the plans. Manager Fred Sloan stated that the plans for the new theatre are much more pretentious than those originally proposed by Mr. Pirtle, who has given his enthusiastic approval. B. F. Shafer, owner and operator of the Lyric Theatre in Lacon, 111., has announced complete plans for the construction of a new and modern theatre in the old Rose Opera building. Mr. Shafer has stated that construction will begin May 1. For the past several years, Mr. Shafer has been planning a theatre for Lacon but only recently he decided the time was at hand and the public announcement has been made. The structure is to be called the New Shafer Theatre. Plans for the construction of a modern community theatre in Atlanta's West End by Lucas & Jenkins, operators of a chain of pla3'houses, were announced. Cost of the development is expected to be close to $50,000. Plans call for a seating capacity of 1,300, which is several hundred more seats than in the average community theatre in Atlanta. Of fireproof construction, the theatre will be one storj' and basement with a mezzanine and marquee. Plans are being prepared by Henry H. Jordan, local architect, and the Capitol Construction Company will have charge of the work. Lucas & Jenkins now operate two other theatres in that section of the city. Announcement is made by Nicholas J. Basil, vice-president of Dipson-Basil Theatres, Inc., that architects are working on plans for a modern theatre to replace the present Star Theatre at Tonawanda, N. Y., to cost $75,000. Seating capacity of 1,200 is to be provided, and there will be every convenience for patrons and for the proper showing of pictures. All equipment, it is announced, will be of the latest design. The theatre will be air-conditioned. Work will Exterior of the recently opened Jf estivood Theatre, Cincinnati, featuring a sign installation employing the Wagner Flex-Word Units, new development of Wagner Sign Service. The Westivood was designed and built by F & Y Building Service Company. start when the present lease expires on November 1st. Leo T. Jones, owner and manager of the Star Theatre at Upper Sandusky, together with Edward T. Gibbons, have purchased the Van Buren Building, formerly known as the Cook Building, and plan a modern theatre. Jones has, for a number of years, operated the Star Theatre at Upper Sandusky. The new theatre will be known as the Forest. Work is already under way and it is anticipated that the remodeling will be completed in from six to eight weeks. Present plans include the construction of a fireproof building with the latest improvements in acoustics and heating and ventilating, with the air-conditioning system providing even temperatures at all times. will be called the Zephyr, according to Ben Lasker. Lasker asserted the building and equipment would cost about §150,000. He expects to begin construction in the spring. J. J. Novy of Riverside is architect. The purchase of five lots in Park Hill, Little Rock, Ark., for the erection of a theatre and a building to house four private business firms for occupancy about January 1 of next year was announced by M. S. McCord, secretary of Malco Theatres, Inc. Construction will start probably the latter part of the summer and the buildings will be open for business the first of the year. Mr. McCord did not elaborate on proposed plans for the theatre which will be 50 x 150 feet. It will be entirely, modern, he added. Plans for the construction of a modernistic theatre at Harrisburg and Ventnor avenues, Atlantic City, have been submitted to the City Commission. An announcement that a new $75,000 onestory theatre and store building would be erected in Dallas, Tex. by the Cole estate heirs was issued Wednesday by Fooshee & Cheek, architects. Construction of the building will be started within a few weeks. Its owners will include Jack C. Gillespie, Mrs. Fred Furneaux and William C. Gillespie. The 800-seat theatre and six-store structure will be located on part of the old Oak Grove golf course. The theatre will be leased to an operator whose identity was not made public. West Point Manufacturing Co. has begun the construction of a theatre building at the local unit of the company, Riverview, Ala. The building will represent a cost of approximately $35,000. This is a part of the construction program which the company recently announced, which will represent a cost of $250,000. Some of this work has been completed and some is going forward. It is stated that the theatre will seat approximately 450 people. Construction of a new $25,000 suburban theatre in Oklahoma City will be started immediately. The theatre already has been leased for 10 years to Nelson N. Clabaugh and James Boyle and will include a number of new architectural developments in the southwest, said W. H. Schumacher, architect. The seating floor will reverse the usual process of a floor sloping to the front, and will slope to the back in order to make seats more comfortable. Interior construction will be a series of arches eliminating the high ceiling now required for theatres and provide special lighting effects. Contract for the building, which will be 45 by 90 feet, already has been let to Charles Jkloreau Co. Fire Losses Fire caused damage amounting to §100,000 at the Liberty Theatre, Cumberland, Md., last month. The entire building was gutted, including 1,000 seats valued at $9.50 each, two pianos, floors, walls and ceiling and sound equipment. The Pal Theatre at Palestine, Tex., operated by the Robb and Rowley chain was destroyed by fire last month entailing a loss of $25,000. The building, interior fixtures, projection and sound equipment were totally destroyed. The Strand Theatre in Marshall, Texas, in the building owned by the T. P. Young estate, was completely destroyed by fire recently at a loss of $40,000. The New Theatre at Jonesboro, Ark. was burned recently with a loss of $7,000. C. W. Tipman of Manila, the owner, said that he had shortly before spent $1,500 in remodeling and new equipment. Plans have been drawn for a 1,400 seat theatre for Berwyn, 111. It will be erected by Jacob Lasker and Sons, who bought the 175 by 137 foot site last year, and who already operate six film houses in Chicago and suburbs. The firm has two Berwyn theatres. The new playhouse The Main Theatre on .\rmitage Ave., Chicago, was recently swept by fire. The damage was estimated at $20,000. A loss of $7,500 to equipment and fixtures was sustained when the Dunbar Theatre in Cincinnati was swept by fire. Estimates of the damage done to the Seminole Theatre, Homestead, Fla., when fire gutted it recently, vary from $35,000 to $50,000. J. W. English is the owner. Fire completely destroyed the Dixie Theatre. Metter, Ga. recently. The house, owned by W. T. Wright, had been recently completely renovated and re-equipped. The Strand Theatre, Gardiner, Maine, was completely gutted in a disastrous fire this month which caused a loss estimated at from $15,000 to $20,000. The theatre with a seating capacity of 250 was owned by the Russell Amusement Co. of Gardiner. The Collegiate Theatre at Wake Forest, N. C, was completely destroyed recently following an early morning explosion. Ed Joyner, the owner of the building, said that it was valued at $7,500, while C. C. Whitaker, the lessee, stated that he had suffered a loss of $5,000 worth of equipment including 300 seats installed only last September. Ticket Service! • Headquarters for machine and roll MOTION PICTURE TICKETS Hiohest Quality Right Prices KELLER-ANSELL TICKET CO. Suite 60S, 723 7th Ave., N. Y. C. Bryant 9-7532 PERFECT REEL-END SIGNAL Positive in operation All OUTSIDE the Magazine See vour DEALEK Or Write GoldE MFG. CO. 1214 W. Madison St. Chicago, Illinois