Englert Theatre facts for kids
The Englert Theatre in Iowa City, Iowa, is a historic playhouse that has been around for over 100 years! It started as a place for live shows called vaudeville and is now a busy community arts center. It has 725 seats and hosts many different events all year long.
The Englert Theatre is owned and run by a non-profit group called Englert Civic Theatre. It's so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. It's a special part of the Iowa City Downtown Historic District.
The theater is a hub for all kinds of fun events. You can catch live music, comedy shows, dance performances, plays, and even movie screenings here. It also hosts talks, community gatherings, and special celebrations like awards nights.
Englert Theatre displays its original 1912 face along Washington Street, enhanced later by alterations to its dark canopy, and signage seen outside its third level.
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| Address | 221 Washington Street |
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| Location | Iowa City, Iowa |
| Owner | Englert Civic Theatre |
| Type | Performing arts center |
| Capacity | 725 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1912 |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Website | |
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Englert Theatre
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Architect | Vorse, Kraitsch, & Kraitsch, Wiley & Son |
| Architectural style | Renaissance, Tudor Revival |
| Part of | Iowa City Downtown Historic District (ID100006609) |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000911 |
| Added to NRHP | August 30, 2001 |
Contents
History of the Englert Theatre
The Englert Theatre first opened its doors on September 26, 1912. The very first show featured a local eight-piece orchestra. At that time, the theater could seat 1,079 people. It was the only theater of its kind in Iowa City.
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The first performance was a play called The Only Son. Less than two years later, this play was even made into a movie!
Building the Theater
The Englert Theatre was built by Will and Etta Chopek Englert. It cost about $60,000 to build, which would be like $1.5 million today! The Englerts were well-known in Iowa City. They owned other businesses, like an ice company and a cafe.
The land where the theater stands used to be a stable for horses and a hotel. After the theater was built, the Englerts even lived in an apartment on the second and third floors of the building!
First "Talkie" Movie
The Englert Theatre was the first place in Iowa City to show a "talkie" movie. This was a film with sound! On June 9, 1928, they showed The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson. This movie was a big deal because it was one of the first films ever made with sound.
Before talkies, movies like The Covered Wagon (1923) had live orchestras playing music along with the film. Sometimes, up to 60 musicians would play!
Helping the Community
In 1939, the Englert Theatre helped the local high school. They donated many of their old stage props and decorations. This helped the school with their own plays and performances.
Famous Performances
When the Englert Theatre was a commercial playhouse, many famous performers came to its stage. Stars like Ethel Barrymore, Ed Wynn, Lynn Fontanne, and even Sarah Bernhardt performed there.
After the theater became a non-profit in 2004, it continued to host amazing acts. It has welcomed groups like The Second City comedy troupe, comedian Paula Poundstone, and folk musician Greg Brown. The Englert is also the main place for the Landlocked Film Festival. Today, the theater hosts live events about 225 nights every year!
Challenges and Rebuilding
In 1926, a fire badly damaged the inside of the Englert Theatre. But Etta Chopek Englert Hanlon, who owned the theater after her husband Will passed away, decided to rebuild it.
The rebuilding cost $125,000, which would be about $1.6 million today. During this rebuilding, some changes were made. For example, eight special box seating areas on the side walls were removed.
The Englert continued to show movies until 1999. At one point, the building was even divided into two smaller theaters. Later, it was put up for sale, and there was a chance it might become a nightclub.
But the community rallied together to "Save the Englert"! People raised money to buy and fix up the theater. Thanks to their efforts, the Englert was restored to its original single auditorium. It looks and operates much like it did when it first opened, ready for many more years of shows!
Other Early Movie Houses
The very first film shown in Iowa City wasn't even in a building! It was in a tent set up on Dubuque Street. In 1903, people paid ten cents to watch a 12-minute movie called The Great Train Robbery.
The Englerts also built another movie theater called the Garden Theatre, which opened in 1915. It only showed movies and didn't have a big stage for live acts. This theater later became the Varsity Theatre and then the Astro Theatre, before closing in 1991.
In 1946, there were five full-time movie theaters in downtown Iowa City, including the Englert. The first movie theater outside of downtown was a drive-in theater, which opened around 1949. Later, in 1983, a three-screen movie theater opened in the Old Capitol Mall downtown.
Images for kids
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The future Englert Theatre site prior to a fire about 1905 was occupied by a livery stable.
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Foster, Graham & Schaffer livery stable appears about 1907 or 1908 on part of the future Englert Theatre site.
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A river view of an Englert relative's year-around "replica" home on the site to Will and Etta Chopek Englert's "summer cottage" on their Brighton Beach along Iowa River across from City Park.
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The spacious interior of an Englert relative's private home on the Englert's Brighton Beach site.
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Will and Etta Chopek Englert with her sister Emma Chopek Unrath (left) pose during a picnic under a rock outcrop about 1909.
See also
- Coldren Opera House, which eventually closed following competition from the Englert Theatre
- Movie palaces list
