![]() Holyoke’s other historic downtown theaters suffered similar fates, and today only the long-abandoned Victory Theater is still standing. On-Site fully staffed box office for ticket sales to public events on an exclusive in-house basis. Today, none of the surrounding buildings are standing either, and the site is now a gas station. The Bijou Theatre requires all technical labor to be performed by members of IATSE Local 197, the stagehands’ union, at the discretion of our Technical Director. We're a nostalgic one-screen theater with a small town atmosphere, and we offer free popcorn and soda refills during the movie, giveaways, and more. The Bijou appears to have closed sometime in the 1950s, and was subsequently demolished. We’re Bijou Movie Theater and we’ve been a movie theater here in Mount Vernon, IA, since 1975. Here in Holyoke, the decline was only exacerbated by the loss of the city’s industrial base, which caused a significant drop in population. The first half of the 20th century was the heyday of downtown movie theaters, but in later years they were increasingly replaced by large multi-screen theaters in the suburbs, which offered greater options as well as ample parking. Ashmun purchased the property, located at 269-275 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport. One sign under the marquee promises “Big Shows at Small Prices”, while another sign indicates that the theater offered “Entire New Show Every Sun. The Bijou Theatre is the oldest building in America that opened as a movie and live performance space and is still operating as a movie theater and live entertainment venue. These films were both released in the spring of 1941, more than five months before the first photo was taken, suggesting that the Bijou was, at least by this point, a second-run theater. Both stores display the seemingly-ubiquitous Coca-Cola signs of the 1940s, and the theater marquee advertises for a double feature of The Devil and Miss Jones, starring Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, and Charles Coburn and Thieves Fall Out, starring Eddie Albert, Joan Leslie, Jane Darwell, and Alan Hale, Sr. ![]() The first photo shows the entrance to the theater, with a “candy shoppe” in the storefront on the left and a shoe shine business on the right. At the time, he was working with the Farm Security Administration, a New Deal agency that, among other projects, hired photographers to document life in America during the Great Depression. The original caption of the first photo was “Theatre in workers’ section at Holyoke, Massachusetts”, and it was taken by John Collier, Jr., a prominent photographer and anthropologist. Located on Main Street in the Flats neighborhood, it primarily catered to the city’s large population of factory workers, and it had one screen, with a seating capacity of nearly 1,300. The Bijou Theater was one of several early 20th century theaters in Holyoke, and was built around 1913. Image taken by John Collier, Jr., courtesy of the Library of Congress, FSA/OWI collection. Real estate values in that area have gone ballistic.The Bijou Theater on Main Street in Holyoke, in October 1941. ![]() I’m sure if any such operation were to try and open from scratch at such a locale today, the surrounding yuppie parents would block it to no end. Music concerts are common, and East Tennesseans flock to the theater to see some of the top names. I was always amazed that the Bijou stood the test of time, with a Chicago public grade school located essentially kitty corner & across the street. The Bijou Theatre hosts a variety of performances each year. Until the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum opened up across the street. ![]() The Royal London Wax Museum down the street was more our interest. Ransom and occupied by Jacob DeKam as a plumbing establishment, and will erect at once on the site a theater devoted exclusively to. Even though we grew up in the area, we never set foot in this place. Though the theatre may specialize in gay porn, I believe the accompanying book/DVD store caters to a hetero adult clientele as well. Might have just been the media trying to link the theatre to other seedy activities. Though I’m not sure if this was ever proven to be true, or just speculation due to the bomber’s supposed criminal ties. There was also an apparent failed bombing in the early `90’s that I mentioned over on the Aardvark CT page.Īccording to news reports at the the time, the would be bomber accidentally blew himself up while alledgedly enroute to the Bijou. There were giant mugs shots from the `70’s in the gallery window. The architecture is great with the box seats you would expect from an older theatre. that had an exhibit based on the owner of the Bijou. If you can catch a show here in this small historic venue, take the opportunity. The Art House will inhabit the former Bijou Theater Building on 13th and Ferry in Eugene. A few years back there was an art gallery further North on Wells St.
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