The history of some early 20th-century small movie houses or theaters in Holyoke shows mobility, relocating to new locations. The Grand, Bijou, and Wonderland are several examples. Today, we add the Star Theater to that list.
The Star Theater opened in Holyoke on December 7, 1903. This small storefront theater initially operated in the Roswell P. Crafts building, better known as the Caledonia Building, at 193 High Street. The venue advertised itself as a High Class Vaudeville House that presented 4 shows daily. The admission price was 10¢.
During early 1904, the theater heavily advertised its shows and performers, including comedians, dancers, jugglers, sword swallowers, and stage plays. George Buhl was the theater pianist.
On February 1, 1904, a major tragedy was avoided after a performer lighting a match sparked a fire. Part of it landed on nearby drapery. About 100 patrons were in the theater, a large crowd for a cold winter's night. Fortunately, the performer pulled down the curtain and put out the fire, with minimal damage and no injuries. That day, C. H. Herbert, the theater manager, could not be found at his boarding house, nor did he leave word about his whereabouts.
During that week, the stage manager took charge and split the evening's admissions with the performers and staff, without accounting for other operating expenses.
The theater sought a new manager and hired Mr. Davies, a veteran theater manager, to take over operations the following week. The Holyoke License Commission approved the change in management.
In April 1904, the theater closed, and J. J. Eagan rented the space to The Grand Central Tea Store.
The Star Theater was closed for four years before reopening as a movie house in 1907. The Eastern Amusement Company owned the business, and the first ads for the movie house were seen in September 1908. The theater operated for two years at 344 High Street at the southeast corner of Division Street. In February 1909, M. P. Conway purchased the building and opened a music store in the Star Theater space.
By 1910, the Star Theater had moved to its final location at 147 High Street in the Crafts Block. Several proprietors owned the theater until 1916, and more news articles covered ownership changes than the films it showed. At times, the theater was closed for renovations or showed films sporadically.
In 1912, unpaid bills led to a sheriff's auction, and the theater was sold to new owners. The theater had 4 owners in 1912. In 1913, renovations increased the theater's seating capacity to 400.
The last advertisement I found was dated September 3, 1919, following another management change. Ads began appearing on February 2, 1920, advertising the space for rent as a store. The Star Theater's run was now over.
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
1895 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Holyoke, Massachusetts
1911 Richards Atlas of Holyoke, Massachusetts
