| ||||||||||
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... |
Kyle Hadley clears mystery with history of The Star Old photo was of the Strand Theater in Jamestown and the Star in Russell Springs. The Star building, built for A.V. Luttrell in 1949, is approaching its 60th year since construction started in May, 1949. It continues today with outstanding live performances Click on headline for complete story with photographs By Kyle Hadley In June 25, 2008 you posted a photo #27520 of the Strand theater and Star Theater. Here's some information on the photos. Hope it helps. The top is the old Strand Theater, which was located on the square in Jamestown and the Star was built to replace it. This is the oldest photo of the Star that I have found. It was taken before the Star opened probably in Fall 1949 because the Star opened on in 1950. Construction of Star began in May, 1949 Construction of the Star theater began in May 1949 by A.V. Lutrell, who owned The Strand Theatre in Russell Springs. W.F. Walston of Catlettsburg, KY, was the architect and Alvin Gaskin was the general contrtractor. The Star originally opened its doors to the public on Tuesday evening, February 28, 1950 at 6:00pm with the show Mrs. Mike starring Dick Powell and Evelyn Keys, and showed films for nearly three decades before finally closing its doors. First building in Russell County with air conditioning It was the biggest and most lavish place in the county to be at the time. It had the newst technological advancements and is believed to be the first building in Russell County with air conditiong. The 50 X 85 foot auditoruim had a bowl shaped floor and 510 blue and yellow cushioned chairs. It was acoustically treated for sound proofing. The walls were covered with burgundy and silver damask. The theater featured a small lobby which opened into the standee. The concession bar was located under the arch in the lobby. When the Star opened, the sewer system on Main Street in Russell Springs wasn't finished, so it was advertised that they would be open to the public as soon as it was finished.The theater featured a brand new Motiograph projection system and a Starke Cycloramic Screen which guaranteed a perfect view from any seat. When Drive-In's became the rage, The Star fell out of popularity and eventually closed its doors. After it closed it served as a furniture store, clothing store, restaurant and disco before setting empty for a number of years. In 1984, group formed to reopen The Star.In 1984 a group of Russell Countians with the goal of promoting arts in the county formed the Russell County Arts Council. The Council was made of the Ruscotown Players, the acting group; a volunteer choir; The Russell County Community Choir, and The Russell County Guild of Artists and Craftmens, which focused on the visual arts. In 1994, "Anybody for Tea" was reopening performance. In December 1988 the Russell County Arts Council was able to purchase the theater due to a donation from Dr. Rodger Grider. After several years of fundraising and renovation the Star re-opened its doors to the public with a second in July 1994 with the one-act play Anybody for Tea. The Star appears to still be under construction in the picture because the poster boxes on the front of the theater don't look finished. About the author: Kyle Hadley, is a Lindsey Wilson College Secondary Education Biology Major and a Russell County Arts Council Member at Large. For more The Star To ring The Star for information and reservations: (270) 866-STAR (7827) This story was posted on 2009-04-24 07:49:11
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know.
More articles from topic Movies:
Jonathan Moore reports in, at long last, from Los Angeles, CA Feedback: Wants information on Columbian Theatre Doctoral dissertation establishes new film subgenre Columbian Theatre is closing; leaves hope move is temporary Hit comedy Tropic Thunder starts Friday at Columbian Star Wars: The Clone Wars starts Friday at Columbian Theatre Stepbrothers comedy starts Friday at Columbian The Dark Knight is coming to The Columbian Incredible Hulk starts Friday, July 11, 2008 at Columbian Wall-E starts Friday at the Columbian Theatre View even more articles in topic Movies |
|
||||||||
| ||||||||||
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
|