Huntington Theater

The Huntington Theater opened in 1904 with “The Little Minister” staring Maude Adams. It was renovated in 1940 to an Art Moderne/Deco style and embrace moving pictures. In 2007 it was transformed into a theater and supper club. That closed in 2015. The marquee was removed in April 2019 after a truck ran into it. Renovation began again in 2020.

The Huntington Theater was the ninety-sixth theater planned by the architect Col. J.W. Wood of Detroit and was one of the few theaters that had central heating to reduce fire risk. The larger space and ability to hold larger productions (and then eventually motion pictures) was a major reason the Opera house on Market Street closed. In 1916, former president William Howard Taft spoke at the theater regarding the Adamson Law (first federal law that regulated work day hours in private companies).

In 1940s, the renovation allowed for a 1,400 seat theater and took on a more Art Deco theme. It continued as a movie theater until June 1999, when the movie theater Huntington7, forced the doors to close. It then became a theater with lower ticket prices and showing classic movies and later a church. In 2007 renovations began to transform it into The New Huntington and Supper Club. Due to lack of attendance, it closed in 2015. The owners of Antiquology purchased the building and started renovations in 2020 and in 2021 Design Collaborative (Fort Wayne) joined the effort.

The Huntington County Interim Report, 2^nd Edition, labels the architecture style as Art Moderne. Art Deco/Moderne was popular from 1925 to 1940 in Indiana, to show authority and culture. The 1940s renovation was very focused on shape, sleek design with horizontal lines. The round windows and smooth tile helped to enhance this Art Moderne look as can be seen in the pictures, but alas not the building as it stands today. The Huntington Theater building is location number 30 on the National Register of Historic Places registration form for the Huntington Courthouse Square Historic District which was approved in 1992.

1. Huntington County Interim Report 2^nd Edition, Indiana 1982. This book can be located at the Huntington City-Township Public Library. hctpl.info.
2. “Art Deco & Art Moderne Styles,”, IN.gov, accessed July 15, 2021, https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic-preservation/learn-about-topics/buildings-and-bridges/architectural-styles/art-deco-and-art-moderne-styles/
3. “Historic Architecture Tour,” Huntington Alert, Inc., accessed July 15, 2021. https://huntingtonalert.wordpress.com/historic-architecture-tour/
4. “Najuch and Froomkin find success in downtown Huntington,” The Chamber Scene. Feb 2011.
5. “Taft Arrives for Speech at Huntington Theater,” The Huntington Herald [Huntington IN] 25 Oct 1916
6. “Huntington Theater in a High Class,” Evening Herald [Huntington, IN] 25 Oct 1911.
7. “Historic Huntington Project,” Facebook, accessed July 15, 2021, https://www.facebook.com/HistoricHuntington/.
8. National Register Digital Places. National Registry of Historic Places. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/85461645-f775-4cf8-a822-d8525b7cf0ba