Theaters

East Dubuque Local Area History Project

	by K.K. 4/12/00
	The theater was important in Dubuque in the early days before television. The Five Flags Theater has been renamed and remodeled many times. It began as the Antheum then became the City Hotel, Peosta House, Dubuque Opera House, Bartell Opera House, Coates Opera House, and the Bijou. It burned down April 7, 1910. They rebuilt it and named it The Majestic Theater. Stars such as Eddie Cantor, Ethyl Barrymore, and Jenny Lind appeared at this theater. It was renamed the Orpheum, and when movies became popular, it was no longer used and was falling apart. It was almost torn down in 1970. Some local people saved it, and it was remodeled in 1975 and called The Five Flags Theater. A civic center was built next to it. It is the home of the Dubuque Symphony, and other productions are also held there.

	The Grand Opera House is the oldest surviving theater in Dubuque. It was built between 1889 and 1890, at a cost of 65,000 dollars. The Grand Opera House first opened August 14, 1890, and It was the largest theater built in the city with 1,100 seats and a huge stage. The Grand closed in 1930 for three months due to remodeling. Ethel Barrymore, George M. Cohan, and Lillian Russel performed at The Grand Opera House. One of the Grand’s most popular works was “Ben Hur.” For awhile, it was used as a movie theater. The Grand Opera house is now a theater again, and is the Home of Barn Community Theater.

	The People’s Theater opened on August 31, 1857. It was located on the second floor of the Odd Fellows building at Bluff and 8th Street across from the present Telegraph Herald where the parking ramp is located now. It was designed by Sam Gulich at the cost of 5,000 dollars. They performed Shakespearean plays, as well as other productions including “The Dubuque Fireman” and “Heiress of Julien Avenue.”

	The Odeon Theater was a German theater in Dubuque. It was located in the Town Clock building. It was used later as a post office, concert hall, and a dry goods store.

	The Princess Theater was built in 1908 on top of the Cave Cigar Store and Clay’s Barbershop. It was built by William Bradley. It was a two-story building at the cost of 30,000 dollars. The Princess Theater was opened in 1909 and had entertainment starting at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.. The Princess Theater was the first theater to have an orchestra to perform during silent films. The name of the theater was changed to the Avon theater in 1928. The Avon Theater was demolished on April 1, 1957 to build a J.C. Penney store.

	The Shakespeare Hall was one of the earliest theaters in Dubuque. It was located in the upstairs of Shakespeare Coffee House. It was owned by Charles Corkery. It was located near Main and Second Streets.

	The Strand Theater was originally the Main Street Baptist Church. It was changed into a theater in 1919. In 1976, the Dubinsky Brothers took over ownership. In 1980, a fire demolished the building. They sold the theater and the new owners wanted to turn in to a night club. The project didn’t work out, so they turned it into the Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church.

	Bibliography Lyon, Randolph W.,Dubuque:the Encyclopedia,Dubuque Iowa: Union-Hoermann Press, 1991 Photo Courtesy of Center for Dubuque History. Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa.