Beautiful Theater Building in Indiana has been Torn Down
Colfax Theater, South Bend Indiana
The Colfax Theater opened its doors on August 4th, 1928, the first theater in St. Joseph County to show sound pictures. Both the South Bend Tribune and the South Bend News Times reported that the Colfax would be the first theater in the world to have only sound pictures. A 100% sound program was accomplished with a Wurlitzer organ that accompanied the newsreels and novelties. The feature films were either Vitaphone or Movietone. It was also reported that the success of the all-sound programs would determine the policies in future Publix-run theaters.
The Colfax Theater reflects the exuberant period of the small picture palaces. The Spanish Baroque structure was built by the H. G. Christman Company for a cost of $500,000 and seated 2,000 patrons (1,600 on the first floor and 400 in the balcony).
On October 4th, 1940, the Colfax, along with the other theaters in South Bend, hosted the world premiere of "Knute Rockne-Al1 American", and greeted the stars of the movie, including Pat O'Brien and Ronald Reagan.
Although the marquee and entrance to the theater have been changed, most of the remainder of the building, both exterior and interior, is intact. Original interior features include gilded, plaster, and classical detail in the lobby, hall, and around the proscenium arch; original chandeliers and wall sconces; brass urn-shaped balusters; and brocade-covered walls in the auditorium.
Out of approximately nine early 20th-century motion picture palaces built in the city of South Bend, only six remain and two of those are small neighborhood theaters (one is currently vacant). The Morris Civic Auditorium, formerly the Palace, is the largest of the four movie palaces extant in the downtown area and it was converted to a civic theater house in 1959. The other three, including the Colfax, are vacant; however, the Colfax retains more of its original building fabric than the other two, especially on the interior, and has suffered the least amount of damage from poor maintenance.
Unfortunately, the theater was demolished in the early 1990s.
Building Description
The Colfax Theater is located mid-block on Colfax between Lafayette Boulevard and Main Street. It is flanked by a commercial structure known as the Christman Block which contains several small businesses on the east and a brick alley and the Elks Lodge on the west.
The irregular plan, two-story brick structure has a main facade of glazed terra-cotta embellished with a variety of decorative motifs, including circles, urns and shields. Dominating the second story is a multi-paned Palladian window surmounted by a running Greek wave pattern and a keystone. Six pilasters extend into piers along the parapet and are topped with urn-like finials. The first story of the theater has been modernized but the vertical marquee and canopy are similar in configuration to the original.
