Tower Theatre
Oklahoma City, OK Photo courtesy Mark Hackett
Check out the Tower Theatre in Oklahoma City. Its vertical lettering and sweeping marquee give Northwest 23rd Street quite an Art Deco landmark. Designed by W. Scott Dunne, the theater opened in 1937, offering neighborhood moviegoers a stylish place to spend an evening.
The Tower closed in 1989 but escaped the demolition that claimed many older movie houses. Its distinctive exterior remained a familiar sight, waiting for another chance to draw a crowd. With a building like this, the attraction starts well before you reach the ticket booth. 08-17
UPDATE: Following extensive restoration, the Tower reopened as a live entertainment venue. The historic tower and neon marquee remain part of the Uptown 23rd streetscape, giving concertgoers and roadside visitors something worth looking up at after dark. 06-26
Fox Theatre
Fort Madison, IA Photo courtesy Don Gardner
This Fox Theatre in Fort Madison features the classic Fox lettering on both its marquee and front façade. It's the kind of theater that instantly catches your eye as you drive through downtown.
The building originally opened as the Strand Theatre in 1919 before becoming part of the Fox theater chain in the early 1930s. A major remodeling in 1951 gave the theater its distinctive porcelain enamel façade and the neon marquee that still defines the building today. For generations, it served as the place to catch everything from Saturday matinees to the latest Hollywood releases.
While many small-town movie houses have disappeared over the years, this one remains a reminder of an era when nearly every downtown had a grand theater with a glowing marquee welcoming moviegoers each night. 08-17
UPDATE: The Fox Theatre continues to operate as Fort Madison's hometown movie theater. Following restoration and modernization, the historic marquee and façade remain intact while the interior has been updated with digital projection and sound, allowing the nearly century-old theater to continue entertaining new generations of movie fans. 06-26
King Theatre
Belle Plaine, IA Photo courtesy Don Gardner
From the looks of things, the King Theatre may or may not still be showing movies.
The theater opened in 1930 after local entrepreneurs Milton and Sara Mansfield consolidated Belle Plaine's earlier movie houses into one modern venue. In addition to its 450-seat auditorium and stage, the building was designed with apartments on the upper floors, making it a true mixed-use downtown landmark.
For generations, the King Theatre has welcomed audiences through changing times, surviving the arrival of television, multiplexes, and home video while many other small-town theaters disappeared. The vintage marquee and storefront remain an important part of Belle Plaine's Main Street. 08-17
UPDATE: The King Theatre is still showing movies and has entered a new chapter under local ownership. Since 2023, the building has undergone an ongoing restoration that has upgraded the projection system while preserving the theater's historic character, ensuring this hometown movie house will continue entertaining audiences for years to come. 06-26
New Strand Theatre
West Liberty, IA Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The New Strand Theatre (as opposed to the Old Strand) is located in a historic building in downtown West Liberty.
The building originally opened in 1910 as the West Liberty Opera House before motion pictures arrived in 1924. Like many opera houses of the era, it was designed to serve the entire community, hosting vaudeville performances, concerts, dances, meetings, and even sporting events before becoming a full-time movie theater.
More than a century later, the building continues to serve the same purpose it always has—bringing people together. The historic façade and marquee remain a familiar sight downtown, reminding visitors of a time when nearly every small town had its own neighborhood theater. 08-17
UPDATE: The New Strand Theatre remains open and continues to show movies while hosting community events. Recent fundraising efforts helped upgrade the theater's projection equipment, allowing this longtime hometown theater to continue entertaining audiences while preserving its historic character. 06-26
The Fargo Theatre has been drawing audiences downtown since 1926. Its towering vertical marquee makes Broadway hard to pass through without looking up, especially when those familiar letters glow after dark.
Originally presenting vaudeville and movies, the theater also houses a Mighty Wurlitzer organ used for special performances and silent films. There’s something fitting about watching an old movie with the music coming from beneath the stage. A major restoration completed in 1999 helped prepare the historic surroundings for another generation of audiences. 08-17
UPDATE: The nonprofit Fargo Theatre celebrated its centennial in 2026 and continues hosting films, concerts and the Fargo Film Festival. Between the marquee outside and the Wurlitzer inside, this downtown landmark offers more than one reason to stop. 06-26
Capitol Theatre
Burlington, IA Photo courtesy Don Gardner
This Deco light at the Capitol Theatre in Burlington looked like it could use a little restoration when this photo was taken.
The theater opened in 1937 as Burlington's first movie house designed specifically for sound films. Designed by the Iowa architectural firm of Wetherell & Harrison, it quickly became a downtown landmark with its Art Deco styling, neon marquee, and vertical tower sign welcoming moviegoers for generations.
Like many single-screen theaters, the Capitol eventually closed as audiences shifted to multiplexes. For years its marquee sat dark, leaving many to wonder if this downtown landmark would ever come back to life. 08-17
UPDATE: Fortunately, it did. Following an extensive restoration, the Capitol Theatre reopened in 2012 as a community performing arts venue. Today the beautifully restored Art Deco landmark once again hosts concerts, films, theatrical productions, and other events, proving that another classic downtown theater has been given a second act. 06-26
Washita Theatre
Chickasha, OK Photo courtesy Tony Craig
The Washita Theatre brings rounded corners, porcelain enamel panels and Art Deco styling to Chickasha Avenue. Designed by Jack Corgan, it opened in 1941 and welcomed hometown moviegoers for sixty years before showing its final film in 2001.
The rounded corner tower gives the building a distinctive profile, making the façade worth a closer look even when nothing is playing. Fortunately, the Washita found another audience instead of meeting the wrecking ball. This old movie house still had some entertainment left in it. 08-17
UPDATE: Restored and reopened in 2009 as the home of Chickasha Community Theatre, the Washita now hosts live plays, musicals and other performances. The entertainment has changed, but audiences still gather behind the familiar theater front. 06-26
Tower Theatre
Check out the Tower Theatre in Oklahoma City. Its vertical lettering and sweeping marquee give Northwest 23rd Street quite an Art Deco landmark. Designed by W. Scott Dunne, the theater opened in 1937, offering neighborhood moviegoers a stylish place to spend an evening.
King Theatre
New Strand Theatre
Fargo Theatre
Capitol Theatre
Washita Theatre
