The First Nickelodeon Historical Marker

This historical marker recognizes St. Louis' first nickelodeon, which opened at this location in 1907. The nickelodeon was owned and operated by the son of two German immigrants and Spanish-American War veteran Fred Wehrenberg alongside his wife Gertrude. At five cents a ticket, patrons could watch a 35-minute feature. This semi-automated theater was the beginning of the Wehrenberg Theatre chain, which would go on to become one of the United States' largest theater chains and the oldest family-owned and operated theater chain in the country. As of 2016, the Wehrenberg Theatre chain was acquired by Marcus Theaters. Today, evidence of the city's first nickelodeon can be found in the faded lettering which reads "Wehrenberg's" on the east side of the building.

The late 19th century saw the development of the projector, which allowed movie theaters to flourish. At the 1895 Cotton States Exposition, inventors C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armant presented their version of the projector which they dubbed the Phantoscope. The rights to the Phantoscope were purchased by the Edison Company, which advertised it as Edison's latest invention -- "The Vitascope." Before the projector, movie theaters relied on Edison's Kinetescope, which only allowed one person to view a movie at once. Projectors made it possible for an audience of people to view a movie at the same time. The Vitascope and other similar projectors led to the creation of nickelodeons. The term "nickelodeon" is a portmanteau of the Greek word for theater (odeon) and the 5 cent coin - the cost of admission for these early movie theaters. The first nickelodeon in the United States opened in Pittsburgh in 1905 by English immigrant and "vaudeville magnate" Harry Davis. Nickelodeons became increasingly popular during the early 20th century and spread throughout the country.

The first nickelodeon in St. Louis, Missouri was opened by Fred Wehrenberg, the son of two German immigrants. Fred was born in St. Louis on June 23rd, 1880. In 1898, at age 18, he served in the Spanish-American War and two years later he married his wife and future business partner Gertrude Foster, with whom he had one child. By 1907, Fred was supporting his family by working as a blacksmith and running a grocery store/saloon. During this period, he and Gertrude decided to rent a nearby storefront which was previously a bakery and convert it into a nickelodeon, which they called Chreokee Theater. The nickelodeon had humble beginnings, using old kitchen chairs to seat a maximum capacity of 89 people. Gertrude would accompany the silent films on the piano, playing "Hearts and Flowers" during love scenes and "Light Calvary" during action scenes. This business benefitted the Wehrenberg's other business as people could go next door to their saloon during intermissions.

Fred and Gertrude eventually opened an airdome on Cherokee Street and Jefferson Avenue - this was an "open-air [theater] surrounded by board fences and with benches for seating." During the winter, they would put a canvas-top over the airdome and provide heating with a pot-bellied stove. With the nickelodeon and airdome businesses doing well, Fred and Gertrude opened the first theater designed specifically for movies in 1910 on Cherokee Street. They called it the "Best Tent Theater" and it seated 224 people. The Wehrenbergs went on to expand their movie theater business by opening more theaters in St. Louis, including The Cinderella which was located at 2735 Cherokee Street and was where they kept their offices. Fred became heavily involved in the motion picture business, serving as the president of the Motion Picture Theater Owners of America and of the Motion Picture Theater Owners of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri, and Southern Illinois. The Wehrenberg Theatre chain became one of the United States' largest move theater circuits and the country's oldest family-owned and operated movie theater chains. After Fred's death from Pneumonia in 1949, his daughter Lilian's husband Paul Krueger began operating the business. Paul was a forward-thinking business man who had seen the success of drive-in movie theaters and opened one of St. Louis' first drive-ins called Ronnie's. Ronnie's was named after Paul and Lilian's son Ronald, who was president of Wehrenberg Theatres as of 1976. The chain continued to be run and owned by the family until it was acquired by Marcus Theaters in 2016.

Fictional Films Dominate, Library of Congress. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-motion-pictures/fictional-films-dominate/.

Shift to Projectors and the Vitascope, Library of Congress. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-motion-pictures/shift-to-projectors-and-the-vitoscope/.

Early Motion Picture Productions, Library of Congress. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/history-of-edison-motion-pictures/early-motion-picture-productions/.

The First Nickelodeon, Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=124468.

Frederick "Fred" Wehrenberg 1880–1949: LifeStory, Ancestry Library. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/story.

"Movie Owner Dies." St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis) May 7th, 1949. .5.

"3 Generations of Movie Theatres in Saint Louis." St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis) June 27th, 1976. .144.

Corrigan, Dan. Family-Owned For 110 Years, Wehrenberg Theatres Sold, South County Times. December 2nd, 2016. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.timesnewspapers.com/southcountytimes/features/family-owned-for-110-years-wehrenberg-theatres-sold/article_67e05a8b-4eb4-5dbe-b1a7-0d20d87a4af5.html.

Boulton, Guy. Marcus Theatres completes acquisition, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. December 16th, 2016. Accessed December 22nd, 2022. https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2016/12/16/marcus-theatres-buys/95531746/.