Roxy Theater - Missoula, MT
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T0SHEA
N 46° 51.870 W 113° 59.850
12T E 271544 N 5194469
The Roxy operated as a privately owned theatre from September 26, 1937 to 1994, when it was nearly destroyed by fire. In 2002, the International Wildlife Film Festival purchased the building and resumed operations as the home of the festival.
Waymark Code: WMKPHW
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 05/11/2014
Views: 2
Neighboring business owners welcomed the Roxy Theater by purchasing more than a page of newspaper advertisements recognizing “the latest addition to Missoula’s South Side Business District!” Missoula suffered less than most Montana communities during the Great Depression—it was one of the few towns to see its population increase—but construction of a new building was still reason to rejoice.
Oscar and Joan Paisley spent $35,000 (worth approximately $415,000 in 2007) on the reinforced-concrete building, whose Art Deco style celebrated the possibilities of the modern age. Designed with special attention to acoustics, the 1937 theater boasted air conditioning, the latest sound equipment, and seats “trimmed with chromium.” The Paisleys, who also owned theaters in Hamilton, Stevensville, and St. Ignatius, named their new venture for the famous Roxy Theater in New York.
The 630-seat Roxy featured second-run movies (two to three months after their original release) for half the price of first-run houses. Adults paid a quarter and children only a dime to lose themselves in the romance and excitement of a Hollywood spectacular and forget the Depression’s sometimes grim realities.
From the NRHP Plaque
Year Theater Opened: 1937
Ticket Price (local currency): 7.00 (listed in local currency)
Number of Screen(s): 1
Concessions Available: yes
Web site: [Web Link]
Matinee Price (local currency): Not Listed
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Please try to include yourself or gps in the picture.
Tell of your experience at the theater, if it is still a theater. If it is no longer a theater tell of an experience from the past at the theater, if this can be done.
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