The Braumart Theatre
Here are some 'Before' pictures of the Braumart. Click on pictures to enlarge.
History of The Braumart
- Braumart Theatre to be Built (February 18th, 1924)
- Theatre Plans Sent (May 21st, 1924)
- Award Contract for Playhouse (September 2nd, 1924)
- New Theatre to Have Big Organ (January 28th, 1925)
- New Theatre Opens in April (February 9th, 1925)
- Braumart Organ is Received Here (March 23rd, 1925)
- New Projector Put On Display (March 27th, 1925)
- New Braumart Theatre To Be Opened Tomorrow Night (April 20th, 1925)
- National Anthem Opens Braumart (April 22nd, 1925)
- Millinery Shop Is Opened Today (April 25th, 1925)
- Wurlitzer Will Be Given Real Test (April 25th, 1925)
- Work Started On Store Building (May 22nd, 1925)
Iron Mountain News - February 18th, 1924
BRAUMART THEATRE
East B Street
Iron Mountain
THEATRE BULDING HERE TO COST $250,000
Big Project Announced By
M.D. Thomas; Construction
Work Will Start in Spring
New Colonial Theatre Company
Building to Be Located on “B”
Street; Will Contain Offices
and Stores
Construction of a combined theatre, office and store building costing approximately a quarter of a million dollars will be started here in the spring by the Colonial Theatre Company; it was announced today by M.D. Thomas, manager. The project has been under consideration for several months and it has now been definitely decided to go forward with it, Mr. Thomas said.
The Colonial Theatre Company, composed of A.E. Brauns and Mr. Thomas, owns and operates the Colonial and Bijou theatres in Iron Mountain and the Garrick, Bijou and Orpheum at Fond Du Lac, Wis.
Located on B Street
The new building will be located on East B Street between the Cordy building and Anegon’s candy kitchen. This property was purchased about a year and a half ago by the theatre company at what was considered to be a very reasonable price and since that time has grown considerably in value.
The property is unoccupied with the exception of a small part upon which stands the Central hotel, conducted by C.J. Recla. The hotel will be razed to make way for the new structure and this work will be started in the near future.
Capacity of 1,200
No name has as yet been selected for the new theatre. It will have a seating capacity of 1,200, making it perhaps the largest in the Upper Peninsula. The Colonial theatre seats 900. As far as beauty of design and equipment are concerned the theatre will surpass any north of Green Bay. It will be devoted solely to the exhibition of moving pictures.
The building is expected to be the most imposing in Iron Mountain and the architectural design has been placed in the hands of a well known Detroit firm which does similar work for the Ford Motor company.
The structure will be two stories in height and of brick fireproof construction. It will have a full basement that will be finished and leased for business purposes. A central heating plant will serve the entire building.
The property has a frontage on B Street of 96 feet and a depth of 130 feet. The Anegon candy kitchen, however, extends back only part of this depth and the unoccupied ground in the rear, 29x60 feet, is included in the theatre purchase, making the total width in the rear 125 feet. This space of 125x60 feet will be devoted to the theatre proper.
Stores In Front
The front part of the main floor of the building will be divided into two or three stores with a depth of 70 feet and allowing a width of about 20 feet for the theatre lobby. The lobby will be in the form of a vamp that will extend back 70 feet to the auditorium. It will run north and south and parallel to it will be the stores. The auditorium will run east and west.
It is planned to model the lobby after those in the large cities. In the front will be the box office and the runway back of that will be fittingly decorated and equipped.
Although plans are not definite as yet, the seats in the auditorium will probably face west. The auditorium will also have a mezzanine floor upon which will be located the projection booth.
No provision will be made for showing other than motion pictures at the theatre. Road show companies will be played at the Colonial theatre. Special feature pictures will also be presented at the Colonial where a one show a night and reserved seat policy may be put into effect. No plans have been made regarding the Bijou theatre after the new show house is opened. It may be closed or kept open, depending entirely upon conditions at that time.
The contract for the construction of the building will be awarded within 60 days, Mr. Thomas declared. It is expected that the total investment will approximate $250,000 and arrangements for financing the undertaking have been completed.
Ready By Fall
Construction work will began as soon as the weather is favorable and the hope is held that the theatre will be ready for use by fall. The store fronts will be the most modern in the city, it is claimed, and special attention will be paid to obtain the utmost in natural light on the interior. Although applications have already been made to lease the stores, no contracts have yet been made, according to Mr. Thomas. It is expected that there will be lively demand for the stores and no doubt leases will be signed during the next several weeks.
The second floor of the building will be arranged to suit tenants. It may be turned either into office rooms or fixed up suitable for lodge requirements. The suggestion has also been made that it include a large dance hall but it is doubtful if this will be carried into effect.
“Increased patronage at the Colonial theatre and population growth has enabled us to go forward with this new project,” Mr. Thomas declared. “We expect to give Iron Mountain a theatre of exceptional beauty for a city of this size. It will be modern in every respect and operated upon a popular policy. We appreciate very much the patronage that has been accorded the Colonial and Bijou theatres and in return want to give the city a theatre that it can well be proud of.
“We believe that the new building will be a valuable addition to the business district of Iron Mountain. It is a move forward in the development here and marks part of the transition in the character of our business district.”
Stops Other Plans
Reports have been current for some time that the Colonial company would go forward with the building project this year but Mr. Thomas’s statement today is the first definite announcement on the subject. It has been known that other theatre companies and individuals were prospecting the field here with the idea of building a theatre but in the face of the Colonial company’s decision and the size of the project it is thought whatever plans or proposals may have existed otherwise will be abandoned.
The new theatre will make the Colonial company one of the largest of its kind in this territory, and equaling in size the Delft Theatres Inc., which operates in Escanaba, Iron River, Munising and Marquette ant at one time considered entering the field here.
Iron Mountain News - May 21st, 1924
THEATRE PLANS
SENT BUILDERS
Delay Encountered In Obtaining
Use of Part Of Alley
Plans and specifications for the new theatre building to be erected on East B Street by the Colonial Theatre Company have been forwarded to contractors desiring to bid for the work, it was declared today by Martin Thomas, manager of the theatre company.
The project has been delayed to some extent by the time necessary to secure use of five feet of the blind alley in the rear of the property. The council granted the request of the company, vacating spent today at the company’s log- required alterations in the plans as the building will be extended five feet.
Despite the delay in starting work it is hoped to have the theatre ready for occupancy sometime in September, Mr. Thomas said. The building will also include two or three stores and office quarters on the second floor. The auditorium will be located in the rear at right angles with the entrance which will be on B street. When completed it is expected to be the best theatre in the Upper Peninsula.
Iron Mountain News - September 2nd, 1924
AWARD CONTRACT
FOR PLAYHOUSE
Work on New Theatre
Scheduled to Start
Tomorrow
The contract for the new theatre to be built on B street by the Colonial theatre company has been awarded to the Foster Construction company, of Milwaukee, and work on the building will be started tomorrow, according to an announcement made today by M.D. Thomas, manager of the theatre company.
It is hoped, Mr. Thomas said, to have the building enclosed before cold weather arrives. It is expected that it will be ready for occupancy the first of the year or shortly thereafter.
Several changes have been made in the plans as given out by Mr. Thomas last spring. Instead of the auditorium being in the rear of the building and parallel lengthwise with the street, it will run north and south. The auditorium will be 73x90 feet. In front of it and in the center will be the foyer, 25x30 feet, and on each side a shop 25x40 feet. In addition, another store, 26x120 feet, will be included in the same building, which will have a total area of 96x120 feet.
The cost of the entire project, including the theatre equipment, is estimated by Mr. Thomas at $200,000, or $50,000 less than when the plans were originally drawn. Considerable time has been spent, however, in awarding contracts in order to secure the best possible price for a fireproof building. This contract has been awarded on a basis that will be more economical than was originally expected.
The auditorium will not have a balcony, as was first planned, but will seat 1,200 persons, or 300 more than the Colonial theatre. The stage will be 15x40 feet.
Iron Mountain News - January 28th, 1925
NEW THEATRE TO
HAVE BIG ORGAN
Expensive Instrument Is
Purchased From Wurlitzer Company
Contracts for purchase and installation of a Wurlitzer-Hope-Jones electrically operated pipe organ were let yesterday to the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., of Chicago, by the management of the new theatre being erected on East B Street.
The organ [is] of the same make as the ones in the Chicago theatre, Chicago, and the New State theatre in Minneapolis, and represents a considerable investment.
Electrically controlled and operated, the system permits use of two manuals, embracing saxophones, traps and a complete assortment of “effects”. According to Frank H. Marshall, representing the Wurlitzer Co., the organ will be equivalent to a 35-piece orchestra.
It is the latest type Mahogany horseshoe console, Mr. Marshall said, and will be “tailor made” for the new theatre here, with acoustics, size of the house, the chamber and other details being taken into consideration.
The organ, it was said, will eclipse any in use north of Milwaukee and will be the equal of any in theatres of similar size in the country.
The contract calls for delivery March 1 and for installation by March 15. A corps of workmen form New York will arrive here about the first of March to install the organ, Mr. Marshall said.
Iron Mountain News - February 9th, 1925
NEW THEATRE
OPENS IN APRIL
Select Name of Braumart
for Playhouse; Will Seat 1,000
With the grand opening of the new Braumart theatre tentatively set for April 4, workmen are today bending all their efforts toward speeding the work on the $200,000 building so that the plans of its owners can be realized.
Plaster work will begin on Wednesday of this week and as soon as that is completed a floor will be laid. The temporary scaffolding is to be torn away tomorrow and the coating of the walls started.
Announcement has been made of the selection of a name for the theatre. It is to be formally christened the Braumart, derived from the names of the two principal owners, A.E. Brauns and Martin D. Thomas, on the opening night.
As soon as the plastering is completed and the floor laid, decorators will begin their work of beautifying the interior of the structure. The theatre will hold approximately 1000 persons and is to be modern in every way the plans reveal. Two stores and a number of offices will also be housed in the building.
Iron Mountain News - March 23, 1925
BRAUMART ORGAN
IS RECEIVED HERE
Instrument in New Theatre
Finest North Of Milwaukee
When the new Braumart theatre is opened next month it will have a part of its equipment a Wurlitzer-Hope-Jones Unit orchestra, one of the finest instruments of its kind that is manufactured today.
The organ which, when installed, will be without question the best north of Milwaukee, has been received here, and the console, or keyboard, is on display in the window of the McLogan-Pearce Music company.
Installation of the instrument has already been started and is to be completed by the time that the theatre is ready for opening. In conjunction with the organ the concert orchestra now playing at the Colonial will be transferred to the Braumart and the two will alternate in playing the pictures.
Latest Achievement
The Wurlitzer organ is conceded to be the latest achievement in instruments of this kind. Among the instruments and effects produced by it are the contra viol, tuba horn, clarinet, flute, viol, piccolo, tambourine, sleigh bells, xylophone, triangle, bass, cello, bass drum, kettle drum, snare drum, cymbals, bird, auto horn, fire gong, steamboat whistle, horse hoofs, tom tom, Chinese block, electric door bell, the human voice and all the other combinations usual to the ordinary type of organ.
The console contains the keyboards; stop tablets and combination buttons which are made to open and close the electric circuits that, in turn, control the maze of pipes and expression devices through the relay board, the union board and the switch board.
Combination Selection
The union board enables the organist to select any combination or set of pipes in the organ from either of the two keyboards and by such combination to quadruple the expressive capacity of the instrument. The keyboards have two touches. One touch forces the keys down a certain distance and with this finger pressure the organist brings into play part of the organ. Then, by pressing down the keys still further, an entirely different expression is brought into action, according as the organist may arrange the stops. This is the famous double touch or second touch that makes a two manual instrument as facile as a four manual in the ease and dexterity with which the player may control the expressive mechanism.
The Relay Board
The relay board is both electrical and pneumatic. By depressing the keys, the small pneumatic bellows in the relay board are brought into actions which, in turn, actuate magnets under each pipe, thus opening valves admitting air.
The amount of wiring in an organ is shown by the fact that the instrument being installed in the Braumart contains more than 100 miles of wire.
The organ pipes and sound producing units will be concealed in chambers built behind two huge grills, one on each side of the proscenium opening in the Braumart. Egress of sound from the organ will be by graduated shutters opened out in different degrees at the will of the organist.
The pipes in the instrument range in size from those not larger than a small flute to others as large in diameter as a telephone pole.
Iron Mountain News - March 27th, 1925
NEW PROJECTOR
PUT ON DISPLAY
Latest Type Machine
In Braumart Theatre
Equipment
One of the two motion picture projection machines to be installed in the new Braumart theatre has been placed on display in a window of the Parent clothing company and is attracting much attention.
The machine is the latest model Simplex, manufactured by the Precision Machine Company, of New York. This make of projector is used by nearly all the larger theatres in the country and is also in use at the Colonial and Bijou theatres.
The Braumart projectors are equipped with the newly developed reflecting type of arc lamps. The machines are entirely automatic, two motors being needed to operate each.
Electric current will be supplied to the projectors by either of two motor generator sets which will change the ordinary city line voltage into the 55-volt direct current required.
Several spotlights will also be installed in the theatre, including one in the booth and others concealed in the ceiling above the orchestra pit. One of the lights is also on display at the Parent store.
The theatre screen will consist of a linen sheet with a thin surface of white rubber, the advantage of this type being that pictures are as distinct when viewing from the side as form the center..
The booth at the theatre is the first of the new “Denver” type to be installed in Michigan and is the last word in safety and convenience.
Iron Mountain News - April 20th, 1925
New Braumart Theatre To
Be Opened Tomorrow Night;
Special Program Prepared
Finest Amusement House
North of Milwaukee Will
Be Turned Over To Public
After being in the course of construction for several months, the new Braumart – the Upper Peninsula’s theatre deluxe – will be formally opened tomorrow evening.
The curtain will rise on the first show at 7 o’clock, dedicating the Braumart to its daily task of entertainment.
The Braumart will rank as the finest amusement house north of Milwaukee, embodying as it does the most modern type of construction and the various and op-to-the-minute improvements in the technique of motion picture projection.
Although having no balcony, the main floor of the big auditorium will seat 1,000 persons. Four aisle ways provide easy access to the seats, which are deeply cushioned and adjusted so as to give the utmost comfort. The aisles are heavily carpeted and entrance to them is gained through French doors leading off from the long foyer, which is arc shaped.
Inset at several places in the wall dividing the foyer from the auditorium are groups of three arched windows fitted with stained glass that reflect in various tints the soft glow of the indirect lighting system.
Exceptional Decorations
The true beauty of the theatre is fully appreciated in the auditorium. Decorations are in practically all of the well known tints and shades and a tapestry effect has been executed in the panels on the side walls. Pilasters along the walls are all highly decorated and each bears the well known sign of the theatre – the mast of comedy and the mask of drama.
Heating engineers declare that the Braumart has a perfect system for supplying a comfortable degree of heat although the ventilation system will be constantly driving in a great amount of fresh air drawn from the outside. Radiators are recessed in the side walls, above the heads of the audience, and are concealed by grill work.
In the angles formed by the two walls as they shape inward to the proscenium arch at the front of the theatre are two large grills, one on each side of the stage. A false work gives them the appearance of boxes but they conceal the large chambers in which the organ equipment is installed.
Special Screen
The proscenium arch represents an exceptional example of interior decorating. It opens upon the stage, which is only a few feet wide as the theatre will be devoted entirely to motion picture programs. A special screen with a thin white rubber surface has been installed. The screen is of a type that will receive the picture rays in such a manner that no counteracting and distracting rays will be given off.
At each side of the stage and located about 10 feet above the floor is a large chamber containing the organ equipment. The instrument purchased for the Braumart is a Wurlitzer-Hope-Jones and is the largest and most completely equipped in the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin.
The equipment includes hundreds of pipes and a variety of orchestra instruments, all electrically controlled from a keyboard in the orchestra pit. These chambers are covered by the grill work previously mentioned and large shutters in back of the grill automatically regulate the amount of sound that reaches the audience.
Fresh Air Driven In
The ventilation system of the theatre is unusual and very effectively installed. Instead of the customary process of extracting impure air by means of suction fans, a big fan located in the basement drives fresh air into the theatre under high pressure and this forces the bad air out through the vents. The fresh air is distributed through a series of ventilators in the top of the proscenium arch and is so well adapted that a waft of cigarette smoke in the rear of the theatre is instantly caught up and whirled away.
As the Braumart will feature its orchestra and organ concealed lights have been placed in the ceiling so as to flood the orchestra pit for special numbers that are given.
The projection booth is located on the second floor of the building and access to it is gained only by using the stairway that leads to the offices in the front of the structure. There is no direct stairway form the theatre proper to the booth. Everything in the booth is electrically controlled and emergency apparatus has been installed so that aif there is an interruption of the power supply on one line it can be transferred to another.
Automatic Light Regulators
The equipment includes two Simplex projection machines both of which can be controlled at three stations in the booth. The machines are even equipped with individual motors that automatically regulate the adjustment of the carbon arcs. In old style lamp houses the light was given directly to the screen through a series of lenses. The lamp houses on these machines, however, incorporate a new process of reflecting the light, thus doing away with bluish and brownish spots upon the screen.
In addition, there is a spotlight machine and other equipment to make the projection perfect. The operator is even relieved of the task of rewinding the reels, electricity also performing this job.
The booth is absolutely fireproof and the portholes in front are guarded by automatic steel trap gates that will drop when the temperature reaches a degree sufficient to melt a short strip of metal fuse attached to each projector.
Has Offices and Stores
In addition to the theatre, the Braumart building includes a group of well lighted offices and two stores. Reservations for the offices, construction of which have is [sic] not completed, have already been made and they will be occupied by the Fuller Brush company, Union Oil company, J.I. Corn Real Estate company and E.J. Dundon, attorney.
The stores will be occupied by the Riley and Lundell haberdashery and the Stronge & Warner Millinery Company.
The name Braumart was derived form a combination of the names of the owners, A.E. Brauns and Martin D. Thomas. It is a part of the chain of theatres included in the Colonial theatre group, which takes in the Colonial and Bijou theatres here and four houses located in Fond du Lac, Wis.
Noted Organist Coming
A special and unique opening program has been prepared for the Braumart. Among the attractions will be Ambrose Larson, noted nationally as an organ player. Larson played the organ for the opening of the famous Capitol theatre in Chicago and stopped every performance during the first week. He has been engaged for two weeks here.
The program will open with an overture, then a film announcement and dedication. This will be followed by Larson’s solo numbers on the organ. Then will come the latest “Our Gang” comedy release, “Mysterious Mystery,” which was reviewed last week in the Chicago Tribune by Mae Tinee, who urged her followers to be sure and see the picture. The feature film offering will be “Charlie’s Aunt”, a late comedy release.
To close the program a novelty in “three dimension” projection has been prepared. It is known as plastigrams. The effect will be the same as produced when gazing at a picture through the old time stereopticans that were a part of every household. To execute the illusion, specially prepared colored lenses will be distributed to each person in the audience.
The box office will open tomorrow evening at 6 o’clock, the doors will open at 6:30 and the first show will start a half hour later. A second show will also be given at 9 o’clock. The regular schedule of the theatre will include a daily matinee starting at 2:30 o’clock. This will begin Wednesday.
Iron Mountain News - April 22nd, 1925
NATIONAL ANTHEM
OPENS BRAUMART
2,000 Persons Attend
Premiere of New
Theatre Last Night
The strains of The Star Spangled Banner coming from both orchestra and organ lasts night marked the formal opening of the new Braumart theatre.
Two thousand persons witnessed the opening shows and all were struck by the beauty and richness of the new playhouse. A special program for the occasion added considerably to the favorable impression created upon the audience.
Doors of the theatre were opened at 6:30 o’clock but an hour before that time there was a long queue of persons lined up to the box office, which opened at 6 o’clock. The house, which seats 1,000 persons, was completely filled 10 minutes before the starting of the first show, which was at 7 o’clock.
But those who came inside the theatre early had plenty to occupy their attention until the curtain parted over the screen. Rich draperies on the organ lofts, the beautiful trappings of the stage and the decorations and fittings of the auditorium kept the audience well occupied.
Larson Stars
Following the national anthem the program continued with a special number by the Braumart concert orchestra. This was followed by a “trip through the mighty Wurlitzer”, an organ log – a combination of organ and stereopticon slides – that put the big instrument through all its paces. Ambrose Larson, noted organist who has been secured for a limited engagement at the Braumart, presided at the keyboard and was greeted with rounds of applause at the conclusion of the number. Then came [the] dedicatory announcement by the Brauns & Thomas company, owners of the Braumart. When this had finished lenses were distributed through the audience for the presentation of the plastigram pictures which give three dimension effects – height, width and depth. So realistic were the pictures that there were those in the audience who “ducked” when an actor poked a long stick in their direction, or pointed a gun at them as he walked forward. An “Our Gang” comedy and a feature film concluded the program.
So great was the demand for admittance that a number of persons were turned away at the second show, which started shortly after 9 o’clock. It was by far the most auspicious event of its kind ever seen in Iron Mountain. And the audience conceded that there are few theatres in the country in towns of like size that can compare with the Braumart.
Iron Mountain News - April 25, 1925
MILLINERY SHOP
IS OPENED TODAY
Stronge & Warner Co.
Has Place in Braumart Building
The new Stronge & Warner millinery shop in the Braumart theatre building was opened today.
The shop will carry a complete line of millinery. It is in charge of Mrs. J.M. Record and her associate, Miss Lucille Applegate.
The interior of the shop is finished in French gray, the fixtures being touched off with a strip of red. Walls are of a dull brown.
A large show window provides ample room for the display and also floods the shop with light.
Iron Mountain News - April 25th, 1925
EXPECT MANY AT
LARSEN RECITAL
Wurlitzer Will Be Given
Real Test Tomorrow Afternoon
The big Wurlitzer organ in the new Braumart theatre will get a real initiation tomorrow at the recital to be given by Ambrose Larsen, noted nation wide as an organist.
Larsen is just concluding a two weeks’ engagement here and the concert, which will start at 1:15, is expected to be largely attended because of the following that he has already built up by his work at the organ.
The organ, the finest in the upper peninsula and the northern part of Wisconsin, combines instruments, all of which will be worked in at the recital.
The program follows:
Light Cavalry Overture………………..Suppe
Prelude in C Minor……….........…...Rachmaninoff
To Spring…………………….....…………..Grieg
Largo………………………........…………..Handel
Humoreske…………………….....……....Dvorak
Elegie………………………..........……….Massenet
Andantino……………………......………..Lemars
Rustle of Spring…………….....…………Sinding
The Rosary……………………….....……..Nevin
Somewhere a Voice Is Calling…….Tate
Tannhauser March……………....……..Wagner
Iron Mountain News - May 22nd, 1925
WORK STARTED ON
STORE BUILDING
Owners of Braumart Theatre
Erect Structure Next Door
Construction work has been started on a two-story building to be erected by the Brauns & Thomas Company, owners of the new Braumart theatre, in the vacant lot next to the theatre building on East B Street.
The lot is 25x120 feet and the building will be the same size. The contract has been given to the Foster Construction company, which also erected the Braumart, and completion has been promised in 90 days.
The cost of the building will be approximately $25,000. Construction will be of the same type as that in the theatre. The structure will have a brown brick front while the side and back walls will be of white brick.
The building will have a full basement and the first floor will [be] designed for store purposes. Offices will be built on the second floor and will have the same stairway entrance as those on the second floor of the theatre building. This entrance is at the west side of the theatre building and gives access to a hall which will be connected with a hall in the store building. There will be room for seven offices in the new building.
A central heating plant will serve both structures.
Iron Mountain News - October 6th, 1925
BRAUMART SHOE
SHOP IS READY
Formal Opening of Establishment
Will Be Held Tomorrow
The Braumart shoe shop, one of the most attractive in the Upper Peninsula, will be formally opened tomorrow.
The shop is located in the new addition of the Braumart theatre building and occupies quarters that have been attractively designed and laid out.
Fixtures are of mahogany and of the most modern style. Equipment includes 24 upholstered seats for customers and eight fitting stools to match. There are also several display tables. Men’s and boys’ shoes will be carried on one side of the shop and the other half will be devoted exclusively to women’s footwear.
An exceptionally large stock will be carried, more than 3,000 pairs now being on the shelves. Both staple and fancy footwear will be shown and hosiery, rubbers and accessories will also be shown. Only standard makes of shoes are being carried and boxes will be individually labeled with the name of the shop.
The store is owned by R.J. Reynolds, formerly of Watertown, S.D. Mr. Reynolds is an experienced shoe expert, having been a salesman for a number of years. He also conducted a store at Rochester, N.Y.
His investment here is about $20,000, it was stated.
Two experienced clerks, Dan Constantini and Wilfred Collette, of Iron Mountain, are on the staff of the shop.
