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Town Theater

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c. 1939. 36–38 W. Main St.

Motion picture theaters of the mid-1930s and later were the commercial type that added a new note of liveliness and modernity to a downtown area, and this is certainly the case with this theater. The facade of the building is clothed in cut limestone, providing a neutral surface that functions as a backdrop for two striking elements: the marquee, with the neon sign reading “Town” raised above it, and a circular tower with banded neon and the name of the theater, also in neon. The tower and the marquee project out far enough so that they can be seen quite far down the street.

Writing Credits

Author: 
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim
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Data

What's Nearby

Allamakee County Courthouse
Octagon House
First Allamakee County Courthouse (now Allamakee County Historical Museum)
Cottage
O. J. Hager House

Citation

David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim, "Town Theater", [Waukon, Iowa], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-ME378.

Print Source

Buildings of Iowa, David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 149-149.

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