The Strand Theatre

The Strand Theatre location has been the site of Kendallville's entertainment hub since 1890.

On the former Blockbuster hotel site, the Spencer Opera House opened its doors in September 1890. [1]The Kendallville Standard romantically recounted the site of the opera house during its grand opening. "Its ponderous doors open and admit him, first to the long and spacious entrance and box office apartment, and then to the foyer where footlight gossip reigns supreme. The large well-lighted, heated, and ventilated auditorium, a network of racy, graceful curves, offers welcome to its six hundred folding chairs. Particularly do we wish to call attention to the stage, which is but little less than a marvel of human perfection." [2]

The Spencer Opera House cultivated Kendallville as a local entertainment destination with theatrical appearances of shows like "Edmund Kean."[3] Traveling shows passed through Kendallville while journeying from Chicago to Fort Wayne. This allowed the Spencer Opera House to host musical comedies, minstrel shows, theater acts, and even Shakespeare.[4]

In 1905, the Spencer Opera House was bought by A. J. Boyer and renamed the Boyer Opera House. The opera house continued to welcome various shows and performances. Additionally, trending vaudeville acts appeared at the Boyer Opera House during this time as well. The first motion picture was shown in 1909. The opera house was closed following the onset of World War I. For its reopening on August 1, 1919, the opera house was converted to a movie theater.

In 1928, the Boyer Opera House was sold to Hudson Enterprises, and the Strand Theatre was born. Opening on August 1, 1919, the new owners of the Strand "expanded seating to 953, installed a new screen, and stereo sound system, and offered double features and serials on Saturdays."^[5] With its new state-of-the-art marquee, the Strand Theatre obtained its iconic view.   The Strand introduced candy and popcorn sales in 1952. During the 1950s and 1960s, some of

the most popular films shown at the Strand were "Cleopatra,” "Bridge on the River Kwai,” "Lawrence of Arabia," and the highest attended showing in Strand history, "Ben Hur." [6]

New owners took over the Strand's operations in 1980, which led to a significant remodel of the theater. The Strand's showing capabilities were double when the new owners added a second theater after removing the stage from the opera house days. The two theaters can seat 400 guests each, with floor and balcony seating. The lobby size was increased, office space added, and the outside ticket booth was removed. [7]

In 2013, the Strand hit a crisis point when the theater needed to obtain new digital projection equipment. The discontinuation of reel film movies left the theater requiring new equipment to continue showing movies, costing $110,000 to $120,000. The owners of the Strand could not afford the equipment. A community fundraising campaign led by the East Noble High School History Club drew community support to aid the theater with the "Save the Strand: Keep the Lights On" campaign. [8]The citizens came together and raised enough money to pay for the new digital projectors. The Kendallville Redevelopment Commission formally purchased the equipment with the campaign funds. Since the Kendallville Redevelopment Commission owns the projector equipment, the Strand can be protected and remain in operation even if the business is sold.

Like most movie theaters across the country, the Strand suffered greatly after the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. The theater closed in March 2020 when stay-at-home orders were implemented. The theater temporarily reopened in June 2020 to close again three months later due to a lack of new movies. The Strand sold to carry out concessions and popcorn to try to stay afloat. The Strand continues to struggle as it has reached out to the community once more in the form of a Go Fund Me page, gift certificate sales, and t-shirt sales while the movie industry recovers from business loss during the pandemic. [9]

 [1] “History of the Strand Theatre,” Strand Theatre, Accessed March 5, 2021, https://www.strand- theatre.com/strandhistory/

[2] Spencer Opera House,” Kendallville Standard, September 12, 1890, https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=XOE35tnTnDYC&dat=18900912&printsec=frontpage&hl=en.

[3] “History of the Strand.”

[4] “Historic Downtown Guided Tours Set For 1 to 4p.m. Sat, June 1,” Kendallville News Sun, May 29, 2013, https://www.kpcnews.com/archives/features/kvdowntown/article_88ad58a6-281d-5f4e-a9d5-cd3133613aab.html.

[5] Dennis Narkter, “Strand Theatre Started as an Opera House,” Kendallville News Sun, October 20, 2013, https://www.kpcnews.com/news/latest/newssun/article_9d851a53-2222-5ef1-8e9d-c9cf9386993e.html.

[6] “History of the Strand.”

[7] “History of the Strand.”

[8] Dennis Narkter, “Fond Memories Recalled About the Strand Theatre,” Kendallville News Sun, October 24, 2013, https://www.kpcnews.com/columnists/dennis_nartker/kpcnews/article_c3f8df3f-d5d6-59cf-a13e- 9453266d3ab9.html.

[9] Andy Barrand, “Jan. 20 – Kendallville’s Strand Theatre Fighting Through COVID-19,” Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, January 20, 2021, https://www.fwbusiness.com/news/latest/article_9a26f9bc-a451-539b- 9e3f-484c24fb3cd0.html.