There’s been a theater on the northeast corner of Lake and 15th for about 110 years now. The first was a one story wooden structure that was originally going to be called the Cort. In 1911, while the building was still under construction the city inspector said the walls would not do. The place was used as a political wigwam for the 7th ward before it was brought up to code and opened as the Royal Theater. In 1913 the Royal was advertising two reel photo-plays accompanied by a five piece orchestra. The management took special pride in dances given on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. The Royal burned to the ground in January 1924 and by April, the Rosebud Theater bloomed on the same corner. Designed by Ekman, Holm & Company, this little place boasted an adjacent fountain, plate lunch, confectionery and bakery all under the same management, all under the same roof. Hard to say what happened next. The Rosebud may have changed its name to the Reno and then closed up for a couple years.
In 1937, Bill Frank and Oscar Woempner, operators of about a dozen area theaters, hired architect Perry E. Crosier to enlarge the building. and gave it a Streamline Moderne facade. Crosier, who also redesigned the Volk Brothers’ Nile theater a couple miles away added the tall, neon lit corner tower. In 1955 the Avalon became the Avalon “Fine Arts” Theater because the name Avalon fell off the marquee. The name change led to a move toward adult content. In 1958, And God Created Woman had a good long run through the hot summer months. Sophisticated art films quickly gave way to Russ Meyer movies, nudist colony pictures and porn. The theater occasionally had second run Hollywood features and horror . In 1965 the Avalon decided Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace would make a good Christmas attraction . The neighborhood cheered when the Avalon finally closed in 1985. The following year, In the Heart of the Beast, a puppet and mask theater company began using the building for elaborate, large scale puppet performances. In the Heart of the Beast raised over a million dollars to purchase the building in 1990. Seven years later they hired Vincent James Associates to do thorough renovation and restoration.
Saturday Matinee 1947 and today.