The Bijou Theater owners faced their share of obstacles in running the Bijou successfully after the early 1930s.
The owners took out large mortgages to build the original theater and, a year later, they demolished and replaced it, taking on additional loans. The theater thrived during the 1920s and into the early 1930s. In the latter part of that span, the Great Depression was in full swing, and workers lost jobs or worked fewer hours. Families focused on meeting their basic needs in challenging economic times.
Between 1930 and 1933, theater attendance nationwide dropped by 40%. The Bijou also suffered as theaters in the Maple and Suffolk Street area became very popular and were granted contracts for first-run movies.
The Crown Amusement Company took over the Bijou Theater in 1932. The theater operated under a lease arrangement with the Holyoke Theater Company. The operators lowered admission prices and continued serving the community. For example, fundraising shows benefited the Holyoke Family Welfare Society. Additionally, the theater invited children residing at Brightside to attend various performances as guests.
In March 1933, the owners defended themselves in court against copyright-violation claims from motion picture studios, including MGM and Educational Film Exchanges.
In August 1933, Hadley Falls Trust Company foreclosed on the heavily mortgaged properties. No one bid at the auction, so the bank bid in and took ownership of the theater.
The bank soon sold the theater to the Western Massachusetts Theater Group, which ran it for the next 20 years. The company continued to offer an assortment of movies to entertain its audiences. In the early 1950s, the theater held half-hour talent shows with cash prizes for the winner, decided by the contestant who drew the largest audience applause.
In 1952, Western Mass. Theater Group put the theater up for sale. While awaiting a buyer, the theater continued running shows irregularly into 1955. From 1953, the theater was open only 2 days per week. In April 1955, the theater was renamed the Bijou-Art Theater and began showing foreign films. This was unsuccessful, and the theater closed permanently two months later.
Springfield Wrecking Company was awarded the contract to demolish the three-story Bijou Theater. Demolition commenced in September 1958. The contract required completion by November 15, 1958. Local merchants had long waited for parking, and a city-owned lot with parking meters filled the site.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript -Telegram; publication dates and pages shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
