Neenah Theater, 114 East Wisconsin Avenue
The Neenah Theater officially opened December 26th, 1902 under the Neenah Auditorium Company. Prior to 1902, the only theaters available to the public were in Appleton or Oshkosh. At the time, a trip to Appleton or Oshkosh from Neenah was quite a trek. Neenah's citizens wanted an entertainment venue located nearby to enjoy an entertaining performance. The theater was used by clubs such as the Neenah Club and Wisconsin Dramatic Society for meetings and practices. For years the Neenah Theater played an array of live performances. In 1912, the Neenah Theater competed with the newly constructed Doty Theater, which was located on Commercial Street. In the 1920s, the theater began playing silent films, which were accompanied by the theater's organ. This continued up until the theater was bought in 1941 by Ben Marcus of Marcus Corporation. While the theater was owned by Marcus, it screened blockbuster films such as the Yellow Submarine and the House of Dark Shadows. The theater continued to play movies into the 1980s and 1990s, but the growth of large commercial movie theaters in Appleton was a burden on the Neenah Theater. In 1997, after going out of business, the theater was purchased by Future Neenah in an attempt to turn the building into a community arts and entertainment center. The attempt was unsuccessful, however, and the theater was officially torn down in 1998 and replaced with the third Neenah Center office tower.
Sources:
"Future Neenah." Future Neenah. Future Neenah, n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
Cahn, Julius. "Julius Cahn's Official Theatrical Guide." Google Books. Empire Theatre
Building, n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
Neenah Theater. N.d. Cinema Tour. Web. 30 May 2015
Ads courtesy of the Neenah Public Library - from Neenah Daily News newspapers on microfiche
LaCount, John. "Neenah Theater." In Neenah, WI. Cinema Treasures, n.d. Web. 30 May 2016.
Sneath, Chirstine. "From the THS Archives: Neenah, Wisconsin Opera House and Theatre." Theatre Historical Society of America. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2016.
Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, "Doty Theater", "Neenah", "Winnebago", "Wisconsin", "68881".
"Future Neenah." Future Neenah. Future Neenah, n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
Cahn, Julius. "Julius Cahn's Official Theatrical Guide." Google Books. Empire Theatre
Building, n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
Neenah Theater. N.d. Cinema Tour. Web. 30 May 2015
Ads courtesy of the Neenah Public Library - from Neenah Daily News newspapers on microfiche
LaCount, John. "Neenah Theater." In Neenah, WI. Cinema Treasures, n.d. Web. 30 May 2016.
Sneath, Chirstine. "From the THS Archives: Neenah, Wisconsin Opera House and Theatre." Theatre Historical Society of America. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2016.
Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, "Doty Theater", "Neenah", "Winnebago", "Wisconsin", "68881".