A history of Winfield’s movie theater

[Editor’s note: This is part one of a three-part series on the history of the Winfield movie theater]

If buildings could talk, the building at 111 N. Locust (main) Street in Winfield would have quite a history to tell. Since its construction in 1914 it has had as many (maybe more) owners and housed more unique businesses than most of the buildings still standing on main street. Housing a movie theater is a colorful part of its past. However, it didn’t house the first movie theater. The entrepreneurs who brought movies to town, and later built “a good theater,” were brothers Ralph and Clyde Pratt. They formed the Electric Theater Company in 1911 and brought motion pictures to Winfield. They declared, “The superior character of the pictures presented is making the Electric Theater a place where all can spend an evening of real pleasure with no danger of unwholesome parts or anything of low order.”

The first location for their enterprise was a “storeroom” building they leased near the Lindly building and was also owned by the Lindlys. The Pratts had it remodeled, and it became the home of Winfield’s first motion picture theater. It was equipped with a dynamo for generating electricity for the picture machine, lights, and fans. Opera chairs added to the comfort of the venue. Later it was “veneered with brick.” According to the Pratt brothers, “No finer pictures can be seen anywhere than the ones that will be put on here.” According to information gleaned from The Beacon and the One Hundredth Anniversary book, the Lindly building is still located at 102 N. Locust. It was built in 1901. It housed a bank and several offices through the years, including a dentist, a lawyer, and a real estate office. Currently it is occupied by Rebecca Bender Photography and Ink Ascension.

This location worked well in the winter, but the Pratts needed something else for summer, so they built an airdome with an open roof and canvas sides. It opened in June of 1912, seated 300 and could show two films at the same time. A quote in the Beacon described the airdome as “a real pleasure resort in town.” It was especially popular when the fair was in town. According to patrons the airdome was large, roomy, cool, and comfortable. Admission was 5 and 10 cents. The Assassination of Lincoln was an example of a popular show at that time.

The June 19th, 1913 Beacon stated, “The airdome had the largest crowd ever seen there. Every seat was filled, and people were standing in the aisles along the sides to watch a showing of Black Chancellor. They had three showing that night to accommodate the crowd.”

Before “talking pictures” arrived piano music accompanied the movies. Talented musicians were able to set the tempo of the music to the mood of the movie, adding drama and excitement to the show. Color films were developed in 1908 when an eight-minute British film, A Visit to the Seaside, was filmed using the Kinemacolor process. The color system was patented by Edward Raymond Turner. It wasn’t until the ‘50s that color films started to become common. No date as to when color movies came to Winfield was found. The first talking picture, Monkey Business, starring the Marx Brothers was shown in the Pratt Theater in 1931.

To keep abreast of the times and assure patrons were getting the best theaters had to offer, many improvements were made to the venue through the years. In July of 1913 the Pratts installed a Wurlitzer Automatic Flute piano in the theater at a cost of $1,350. One patron was heard to proclaim, “It’s worth more than the price of admission just to hear the musical numbers.” This sentiment was shared by many other patrons.

The picture shows benches in the airdrome, but apparently it was refurbished sometime after the original opening. In 1914 an article in the Beacon stated the airdome was “In elegant shape with new seats and expensive gold thread screen. The slope of the ground and the height of the screen will enable everyone to see plainly.” Cleopatra was shown in the refurbished airdome and declared a “world’s wonder” according to the Beacon. The huge audience in attendance were loud in their praise. One patron exclaimed, “You get more for your money at the airdome than you can get elsewhere for three times the price of admission.”

Both the Electric Theater and the airdome were used while the new theater was being built. An article in the May 29th, 1913, Beacon stated “Sheridan’s Bride will be shown in the airdome providing the weather permits. In the Electric if it rains. It was also noted, “no matter how warm the weather, it is never noticed in the airdome.” Bedford’s Hope, shown in the airdome in July of 1913, was advertised as “having one of the finest fire scenes ever shown on a motion picture screen.”

After using the airdome for three years the Pratt brothers decided to give Winfield a “good theater.” They asked the Commercial Club for a donation of $2,000. The Commercial Club voted unanimously to support the project. In turn the Pratt brothers promised to build “one of the finest opera houses in this part of the state and it would stand as an honored monument to them for years to come.” In 1914 they built a large and modern Electric theater at a cost of about $12,000. It was named the Pratt Theater, later renamed the Uptown Theater, and finally the Winfield Theater. This is the building that still stands and later became the Community Building.

The new theater opened in March of 1915 to a crowd of 700. People from around southeast Iowa filled the streets of Winfield to have a look at the magnificent new building. They weren’t disappointed. The theater was outfitted with the newest equipment to insure the best in movie viewing. The venture was beautiful to behold, with the best of materials used to decorate the interior. The Girl I Left Behind Me was the movie shown on opening night. There was no explanation as to how the large crowd was accommodated, perhaps several showings of the movie were held.

For a complete description of the new theater go to the April 1, 1915, issue of the Beacon. This can be found in the digital archive at the Winfield Public Library. Librarian Jacque will be happy to help you find the site. There is no doubt, from the two-column description printed there, it was not only the finest building in Winfield, but, as the Pratt brothers had promised, “one of the finest opera houses in this part of the state.”

The inside of the current building has undergone many changes, an addition was built on the south side and the entry has been enclosed. However, the building’s outside looks remarkably like the original photos. Located on North Locust (main) Street it is easy to spot with five windows gracing the top floor of the building.