After combing more than 150 pages from the Deco/Streamline section, I only have one bit of news. This cute little building in Hibbing, MN is gone now:

Moving on to the Theatres section. Lots of changes out there: I’m only showing some of the most dramatic of them. So many neon sign converted to LED rope and manually-changed letter readerboards replaced with electronic display boards. And so many vacant buildings in worsening shape but also many fixed up, gutted, and turned into community events centers or other retail uses.

The Strand Theatre in Atmore, AL looked like this in my 2020 photo:

Well, I guess you could say it was “restored” earlier this year but the plastic signs are so cheesy. But it’s a good thing for the community and all since it had been closed since 2013:

The Hook Theatre in Eutaw, AL in 2020…:

… has also been rehabbed. It’s now known as the Renaissance Theatre Multiplex Center and it sounds like it’s more of a performance/community space than a movie theatre:

The Crest Theatre in Los Banos, CA housed a church for many years…:

… has been repainted and will soon be reopening as a sports bar:

The Royal Theatre in Hogansville, GA closed in the late 1960s and housed City Hall for decades. Last year, restoration as a theatre began:

The neon on the marquee at the Clarion Theatre in Clarion, IA…

… has been replaced with LED rope:

The Princess Theatre in Beardstown, IL had been closed since around 1966. It was demolished in 2020:

The Hub Theatre in Rochelle, IL:

now houses Kennay Farms Distilling (the plastic sign shows a guy holding a barrel):

The Huntington Theatre in Huntington, IN…:

… is getting a major overhaul. The sign and marquee were removed and I think they are converting the building to a live performance venue. I tried my best to find any images of what it will look like when done or if the sign and marquee will return but I couldn’t find anything:

The Capitol Theatre in Princeton, KY is also being restored:

This theatre in Royal Oak, MI was demolished last year:

From Kasson, MN — this is pretty much what’s going on all over the country: bye-bye classy neon letters and readerboards:

…. hello plastic letters and electronic display boards. Well, at least in this case, they kept the glass blocks, ticket booth, etc.:

The Falls Theatre in Little Falls, MN closed in 2020 (as with so many theatres, closing for COVID was very often the last gasp):

Not so for this one! After some restoration and repainting the marquee, it reopened a couple of months ago:

Some more good news! The Rodgers Theatre in Poplar Bluff, MO had been in bad shape for many years, although it remains open. Here’s a photo that I took in 2010:

The projecting marquee has been hit by trucks many times. Google StreetView from October shows the new tower and repaired marquee. To protect it, there are signs prohibiting trucks from making right turns at that intersection:

The Trail Theatre in St. Joseph, MO had been closed since 2001. Restoration began back in 2011. And, miracle of miracles, after the signs were removed in July, it reopened. Here’s a photo from their FB page. Yes, that seafoam-colored facade is all original vitrolite:

Let’s end on that happy note. I still have about 60 more pages of theatres to go through. I’m sure there will be another mix of good and bad news in the next post.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

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