Cole Memorial Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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A.L. Cole Memorial Building
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The A.L. Cole Memorial Building from the southeast
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 4285 Tower Square, Pequot Lakes, Minnesota |
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| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1937 |
| Architect | P.C. Bettenburg |
| MPS | Federal Relief Construction in Minnesota, 1933–1941 |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000530 |
| Designated | May 26, 2004 |
The Cole Memorial Building is a special old building in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. It was built in 1937. The building got money from the New Deal, a government plan that helped people during the Great Depression. This plan created jobs and helped the town's economy.
The building had a big auditorium that could hold 400 people. It was used for many local events. From 1941 to 1967, it became a movie theater called the Lakes Theater. The money earned from the movies helped improve the community.
In 2004, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. It was recognized for its role in entertainment, local government, and community life. The building showed how much good the New Deal funding did for a long time.
Today, the Cole Memorial Building is home to a senior center. It also has a museum run by the Pequot Lakes Historical Society.
Contents
What the Building Looks Like
The Cole Memorial Building is about 40 feet wide and 90 feet long. It has a full basement, a main floor, and two small attic spaces. The walls are made of strong concrete with a stucco finish. The pointed parts of the roof, called gables, have vertical wood siding.
Outside the Building
At the south end, there's a covered entrance with a porch. Above the front door, there are two small windows. Four tiny windows near the top of the main gable let light into the attic. For many years, a small room for showing movies, called a projection booth, sat on top of the porch roof. It's not there anymore.
The sides of the building have six sections. Most of these sections have pairs of windows on the main floor. These windows have six small panes on the top and six on the bottom. Below them, in the basement, are windows made of glass blocks.
Inside the Building
When you enter, a small lobby leads to a staircase going down to the basement. There's a coatroom on one side and an office on the other. A small storage room next to the office used to have a ladder to the projection booth.
The main floor was mostly a large open space for the auditorium. There was a stage about 23 by 25 feet. Stairs and dressing rooms were on each side of the stage. The stage was removed in 1967 when the building became a senior center.
The basement originally had a hallway. This hallway led to a dining room, a kitchen, a furnace room, and separate locker rooms for boys and girls. These locker rooms had toilets and showers.
Right behind the building, there's a small pump house. This little building is also part of the historic site.
How It Was Built
The park where the Cole Memorial Building stands was given as a gift in 1935. Fay Cole Andrus donated it to honor her father, A. L. Cole. He was one of the town's founders.
A few months later, a local business group suggested building a recreation hall there. They wanted to use money from a federal program that helped people find jobs. An architect from Minneapolis, P. C. Bettenburg, drew up the plans. These plans were sent to the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
The WPA Program
The WPA was a program started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was created to help people find jobs during the Great Depression. The WPA paid workers to build public projects like roads, parks, and buildings.
For the Cole Memorial Building, the WPA paid the workers. Most of these workers were unemployed local men. The local government paid for the building materials. These materials were bought from local stores, which also helped the town's economy.
Building Begins
Construction started on April 3, 1937. About 24 full-time workers built the hall in three months. The completed Cole Memorial Building was officially opened on July 1. The next year, the town asked for more WPA money to make the park even nicer.
How It Was Used
The Cole Memorial Building quickly became a very important place. It offered much-needed space for many different activities. The auditorium could hold up to 400 people. This was almost everyone in the village at the time!
Early Activities
The local school used the hall for plays, speech contests, and graduation ceremonies. The village council and local township board held their meetings there. Groups like the Boy Scouts, 4-H, and American Legion also met in the building.
Traveling performers and speakers used the stage. Community parties and fairs were held on the grounds outside. By 1939, the town even hired someone to manage all the activities. These included craft nights, game nights, an archery club, and community discussions.
Becoming a Movie Theater
However, the money from renting the hall wasn't enough to cover its upkeep. So, the Pequot Commercial Club suggested turning it into a movie theater. This would bring in more steady money.
The club took over managing the building in November 1939. They started showing free movies the next year. In 1941, the hall was changed into a proper movie theater. It got new movie projectors and comfy chairs that sloped down towards the screen.
The first movie shown in the new theater was One Foot in Heaven on December 9, 1941. The next week, they showed The Maltese Falcon. Over the years, the newest Hollywood movies came to Pequot Lakes, just like in big cities.
Profits for the Community
Even though tickets were cheap (12¢ or less for kids, 35¢ or less for adults), the movie theater made a lot of money. This was especially true with more tourists visiting in the summer.
The Commercial Club used the money to keep the building in good shape. They also used the profits to improve the community. By 1953, the theater had made $25,000 in profits. This money helped build a new medical clinic, pave streets, support the fire department, and help local schools. Community groups could still meet in the hall for free.
Later Years
Eventually, more and more people got televisions. This caused fewer people to go to the movies. Also, new places like the high school auditorium became available for events.
The last movie was shown in the hall in August 1967. A seniors club had started meeting in the building the year before. They decided to turn it into a senior center. The sloped floor of the auditorium was removed. The stage area was changed into a kitchen and restrooms.
The Museum Opens
The basement of the building wasn't used much for many years. But in 1997, the Pequot Lakes Historical Society started a local history museum there. The museum focuses on the 1930s and 1940s. It has displays about military service. It also shows what a local classroom, kitchen, bedroom, and general store looked like back then. There's even a display about the building's time as a movie theater, with old projection equipment and seats.
Recent Changes
The park around the building used to be much bigger. It had a baseball field to the north, but that part was sold in 1983. In 2007, the historical society and the city got a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society. This money helped them fix up the main floor of the building.
They restored the hardwood floors and put in new windows. The inside walls were painted, the kitchen was improved, and an elevator was installed. The building is still used for events today.
See also
