Moon Theater facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Moon Theater |
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|---|---|
| Alternative names | Town Theater, Cooper Theater |
| General information | |
| Type | Movie theater |
| Location | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Address | 1410 Douglas |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 41°15′29″N 95°56′02″W / 41.258°N 95.934°W |
| Opened | August 30, 1918 |
| Closed | June 1974 |
| Demolished | 1976 |
| Owner | World Realty Co. |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Harry Lawrie of Mendelssohn, Fisher and Lawrie |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 1,600 |
The Moon Theater was a cool old movie theater in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska. It was located at 1410 Douglas Street. This theater could hold 1,600 people! It was built where Omaha's very first movie theater, called the Parlor, used to be. Over the years, the Moon Theater changed its name. It became the Town Theater and then the Cooper Theater. The building was torn down in 1976.
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A Look Back at the Moon Theater
The Moon Theater was built in 1918. It was made for a company called World Realty Company. The theater was right next to another theater, the Rialto Theater. The Moon Theater was part of a group of theaters owned by the company. These included the Sun Theater and the Muse Theater. Later, the World Theater also joined them.
Unique Design and Features
The Moon Theater had a special design. It was built in a Moorish style. This means it looked like buildings from North Africa or the Middle East. Harry Lawrie, an architect from Omaha, designed it. The building was made of brick and steel. Its outside was decorated with terra cotta, white tile, and marble.
A huge sign hung over the entrance. It was thirty feet tall! This sign showed a crescent moon, which fit the theater's name. Inside, there were pretty painted pictures. These pictures showed famous places and scenes from U.S. National Parks. Before it opened, the theater's sign announced, "Moon Rises Next Sat Eve, Sessue Hayakawa in Gray Horizons."
Fun Promotions and Changes
The Moon Theater often had exciting promotions. For example, to promote a movie called The Great Air Robbery, a special car was driven through Omaha's streets. This Essex Motors car looked like a 600-pound airplane bomber! It was driven right up to the theater's entrance.
In 1929, the Moon Theater changed. It started showing live stage shows instead of just movies. By 1933, it changed its name to the Town Theater. It then showed both live stage shows and movies. Its first show as the Town Theater was called Talk o' the Town.
Becoming the Cooper Theater
The theater changed again in 1958. It was updated for a special movie system called Cinerama. This system used three projectors to show a super-wide picture. The Cooper Foundation helped with this update. The theater then opened as the Cooper Theater.
The first movie shown there was South Pacific. It played for a record 78 weeks! This was the longest time any movie had ever played in that area. Later, the Cinerama equipment was moved to another theater. The last movie shown at the Cooper Theater was Serpico in June 1974. The theater was torn down in early 1976. Today, the Union Pacific Headquarters building stands where the theater used to be.
See also
