Malek Theatre

Malek Theatre, also known as The Malek, is a historic movie theatre in downtown Independence, Iowa. It was created as the successor to the Grand Theatre, which occupied part of the Hotel Gedney block until the hotel and attached theatre were destroyed by fire on March 3, 1945. Local businessman Bohumil "Bob" C. Malek subsequently commissioned a new theatre on the site. Reference material describes the venue as opening in 1946, while the National Register-related account identifies the building as constructed in 1947; the differing dates are retained rather than treated as a single certain founding year. The theatre was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm Wetherell & Harrison. Its design was intended to provide a modern, fireproof entertainment venue, using a steel-truss roof and materials including Lannon stone, structural glass or Glastone, Vitrolite, and glass block. The front elevation is distinguished by a stepped central tower, smooth surfaces, curved walls, and glass-block detailing. The building measures approximately 60 by 140 feet and rises about 42 feet, according to the cited historical material. Inside, the venue preserved a substantial amount of its original Art Deco character. Features included coved ceilings illuminated by neon, curved walls, bent neon fixtures, stylized floral decoration, and decorative metal light fittings. California artist Merle Reed hand-painted interior designs in 1945, and many of those paintings had been restored or repainted by 2009. The theatre also included two small private-viewing rooms with doors and thick glass intended to limit sound transmission. One was known as a crying room, allowing parents with young children to watch a film without disturbing the main audience. The original auditorium seated approximately 862 people. In the 1980s, management pursued a conversion into a two-screen venue in an effort to improve attendance. Sources variously date the work to 1982 or describe the operating decision as occurring in 1985; the conversion divided the auditorium into two approximately 300-seat theatres. The investment did not restore the venue's long-term viability, and the twinned theatre closed soon afterward. The dividing wall was removed in 2002, returning the interior to a more unified configuration. Malek Theatre was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Its significance rests on the unusually high integrity of both its exterior and interior Art Deco features and on its status as one of only two Art Deco buildings identified in Independence. By January 2014, the theatre was reported to remain closed, with its exterior experiencing gradual deterioration from petty vandalism and the northeastern Iowa climate. The available material does not establish a later reopening, current ownership, or a definitive legal operating status.

Malek Theatre occupies a site associated with Independence's former Hotel Gedney block, which included the Grand Theatre during the community's horse-racing era. The hotel block and attached theatre were destroyed by fire on March 3, 1945. Rather than abandon the location, local businessman Bohumil "Bob" C. Malek decided to construct a replacement venue bearing his name. The replacement was designed by Wetherell & Harrison, a Des Moines architectural firm. Source material gives an opening date of 1946 and a construction date of 1947, so the precise transition between completion and public opening is uncertain. The building was conceived as a modern, fire-resistant cinema. It used a steel-truss roof and was described in contemporary material as completely fireproof. The exterior combined Lannon stone, Vitrolite or Glastone, structural glass, and glass block. A stepped tower at the front, curved wall surfaces, and smooth finishes gave the building a strong Art Deco identity. The interior was designed as an immersive moviegoing environment. The main auditorium originally held about 862 patrons. Coved ceilings, neon illumination, curved walls, decorative metal fixtures, and stylized floral motifs formed a coordinated Art Deco scheme. Merle Reed, an artist from California, painted interior designs in 1945. The building also offered two enclosed rooms for private viewing. Their doors and thick glass were intended to prevent sound from entering or leaving the rooms; one became known as the crying room because parents could use it when a child became disruptive. As cinema exhibition changed, the theatre's operators attempted to adapt the building. In the early to mid-1980s, the auditorium was divided into two smaller screens, each described in the source material as seating approximately 300 people. One account dates the physical split to 1982, while another associates the management decision with 1985. The conversion was intended to improve patronage by permitting more flexible film scheduling, but the twinned theatre closed not long afterward. In 2002, the dividing wall was removed. By 2009, the interior remained largely original. A number of the historic paintings had been restored or repainted, and plans called for replacement of tall columns at the sides of the stage using blueprints obtained from Wetherell Ericsson Architects in Des Moines. That same year, the theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation emphasized the high integrity of its design, workmanship, materials, feeling, association, location, and setting. It also identified Malek Theatre as an excellent example of an Art Deco theatre and one of only two Art Deco buildings in Independence, the other being the Buchanan County Courthouse. The latest supplied reference places the theatre in a closed condition in January 2014. Its exterior was reportedly suffering from petty vandalism and exposure to the northeastern Iowa climate. The available references do not document a subsequent reopening, a current operator, a sale, or a confirmed conversion to another use.

• 2014

  Reported closure and deterioration

  [1]Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The theatre was reported to remain closed, with exterior deterioration attributed to vandalism and weather.

• 2009

  National Register listing

  [1]Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Malek Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its intact Art Deco architecture.

• 2002

  Dividing wall removed

  [1]Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The wall separating the two cinema spaces was removed.

• 1982

  Auditorium divided into two screens

  [1]Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  One account dates the physical division of the original auditorium into a twin cinema to 1982.

• 1947

  Building identified as constructed

  [1]Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The National Register-related account identifies the Art Deco theatre building as having been built in 1947.

• 1946

  Reported public opening

  [1]Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Historical material identifies 1946 as the opening year of the new Malek Theatre.

• 1945

  Grand Theatre destroyed by fire

  [1]Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Grand Theatre and the connected Hotel Gedney block burned on March 3, creating the circumstances for a replacement cinema.

• 1945

  Interior artwork created

  [1]Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  California artist Merle Reed hand-painted decorative interior designs for the planned theatre.

A locally significant historic cinema and architectural landmark rather than a contemporary multi-market entertainment brand.

• Cinema exhibition

  Original movie auditorium

  The original Malek Theatre was built around a single auditorium of approximately 862 seats. It served as the venue's principal film-exhibition space and was designed with a highly coordinated Art Deco interior, including coved ceilings, neon lighting, curved walls, decorative metal fixtures, and painted ornament. The auditorium was later divided during the venue's twin-screen conversion.

• Cinema exhibition · 1982

  Twin-screen cinema

  During the 1980s, the original auditorium was divided into two smaller theatres, each reported to seat about 300 patrons. The change was intended to improve patronage and provide more flexible programming. The converted venue closed soon after the investment, and the dividing wall was removed in 2002.

• Cinema amenity

  Private viewing rooms

  The theatre included two enclosed rooms for private viewing. Doors and thick glass were used to reduce sound transfer. One room became known as the crying room, offering parents a place to watch a film with a fussy child without disrupting the main auditorium.

• 1985

  Conversion to a twin-screen theatreStrategy

  Background

  Management believed that dividing the approximately 862-seat auditorium would improve patronage by creating a two-screen cinema with smaller, more flexible viewing rooms.

  Action taken

  The auditorium was split into two theatres of roughly 300 seats each. Source material also dates the physical split to 1982, making the exact decision and construction chronology uncertain.

  Aftermath

  The converted theatre closed soon after the investment. The dividing wall was eventually removed in 2002.

  Source

1. 1Malek Theatreen.wikipedia.org