Tuesday, December 1, 2015

KentuckyTheater Building - Then and Now


 The building that we remember being the Kentucky Theater was build in October 1944.  It has previous burnt in December of 1943.  

Mr. C. W. Grady owned the lot where the theater was and he rebuilt it.  It would be a beautiful modern facility for the town of Marion and Crittenden County.  The large neon sign that hung above the entrance was the largest sign of it's kind in Marion.  The seating capacity would be for 484 people, and on Saturday nights it would be standing room only.  It was well lighted with new cushioned seats for comfort while watching the latest movies.

This is a good photo of the Theater as most of us remember it.  Picture was shared by Tommy Woodward.

We enjoyed this wonderful home town theater until it closed it's swinging glass doors in 1978.   The allure of going to a bigger town to see a movie, and movies you could get on tape and watch at home, may have been a big factor in our little theater having to close it's doors.

The building went on sale in Dec. 1980 and local resident Larry Or purchased the building in May of 1982.  He soon started renovating the old building and made it into his CPA PSA Offices.
This is the building as it looks today.  There is nothing that is left to even remind us that this was once the beloved Kentucky Theater where many of us grew up going to the movies on a Saturday afternoon.

No comments: