330 motion picture, became the most popular form of passive recreation for Bay View residents, starting in 1905 when the neighborhood's first theater, the Comique, opened. Since that time, seven theaters have operated in the neighborhood. All but one of the buildings still stands although only one continues to show films as of this writing. Motion Picture Theaters Bay View's first theater was the Comique which opened at today's 2244­ 2246 South Kinnickinnic Avenue in either 1905 or 1907. Owner John R. Freuler recalled having opened the storefront theater on December 5, 1905 but building inspecti on records show that the store v~as bei ng converted into a II mov i ng picture exhibition parlor ll in March of 1907. The building in which the Comique operated had been constructed in 1903 by J. B. Julien and v~as designed by local architect Nicholas Dornbach. Julien, a plumber, lived and had his shop next door to his 1903 investment property. The Julien family retained ownership of their building at 2244-2246 for some time and a Herbert J. Julien occupied the apartment above the storefront into the 1950's. The Classical Revival structure featured two projecting bay windows on the second story above which pilasters on the attic story framed windows and garlanded plaques. (MI 320-16) An old view of the Comique is displayed on the back cover of Widen and Anderson's Milwaukee Movie Places. The Comique was run by real estate broker John R. Freuler who was induced to start up the theater as a_~ay for an acquaintance to repay him a debt. Typical of its time, the 1itt1e theater was a bare- bon esoperat ion, II ANi cke1 Pict ureShow , II that could accommodate 200 patrons but lacked the amenities associated with the movie palaces of later decades. After Freuler bought out his partner, the 331 theater prospered and what had begun as an embarrassment to Freuler eventually changed his career. Freuler soon got interested in film distribution and opened the Western Film Exchange around 1907. That company grew into a chain of film exchanges which later became the Mutual Film Corporation. By 1916, Freuler also had an interest in a number of film production companies, including the Lone Star Corporation which made the Charles Chaplin Mutual specials. The Comique, which was never listed in the City directories, closed around the time Freuler started the film exchange. The storefront on Kinnickinnic Avenue reverted back into a retail store and had a number of occupants: the English Woolen Mills 1917-early 1920 1 s; David Mandel Dry Goods 1930; Abraham Goldberg Dry Goods and Men's Furnishings 1932-1933. Since 1934, the first floor retail space has been occupied by a liquor store. (Permits; City Directory; Hugh Swofford; Ramsaye, p. 378) Bay View's second theater was also a modest storefront operation at 2159­ 2161 South Kinnickinnic Avenue. This five-cent showhouse was originally called the Union Theater then the Union Electric. The Queen Anne style double storefront with upper apartment had been built sometime before 1890. Records show that in that year a 40-foot by 46-foot addition was constructed to an already standing structure. The addition was designed by Ferry and Clas. At that time the building was owned by Kroeger Bros., merchants who ran a successfu1 dry good s bus i nessin Wa 1ker I s Poi nt • Ape rm i t dated Sept em ber 15, 1906 indicates that the storefront was being outfitted with chairs, and that aisles and exits were being provided, a good indication that the Union Theater was being set up. Owner Henry Trinz spent $900 on the project. Architect Nicholas Dornbach and builder William Buscher worked on the remodeling. Trinz was one member of a larger family that included Aaron, Joseph, Julius and Samuel who were all involved in the motion picture business. By 1907, ~~wever, Edward A. Geiger was the proprietor and the seating capacity was 275. The Union Theater was the subject of a cartoon drawn by Erwin F. Zillman in the Observer of 1907-1908. Zillman, who was the paper's editor, said that patrons at the theater were seated on ordinary chairs and the ticket girl did double-duty as she also sang and played the piano. Her hairdo was described as a load of hay or "rats" because of its fluffed-up appearance. (MI 322-30) The theater was later known as the Rex (1911-1913) and the Badger (1914­ 1915) and briefly as the Airdrome. It was last listed in the City Directory in 1915 although theater historian Widen indicates it was in operation through 1919. In 1921, the building's two storefronts were occupied by J. F. Devine's Patternworks and the Metropolitan Holiness Church. The building was sUbsequently occupied by a number of machine shops and sign companies. The Custom Cabinet Shop has occupied part of the premises since 1983 and the Finish Shop has been a tenant in another part of the structure since 1985. (Permits; City Directory; Widen and Anderson, p. 1 &3; Zillman, p. 20; Hugh Swofford material prepared for Historic Milwaukee) Bay View's third theater, the Avenue, was the first building in the study area constructed specifically for motion picture viewing. The Avenue was built in 1910 according to plans by Bay View architect Stanley Kadow. It stood at 2311 South Howell Avenue just three doors south of Lincoln Avenue. The small neighborhood theater could seat 481. In 1912 the theater was owned by a corporation comprised of Elizabeth Sprecher, A. C. Graff and Orville 333 Sprecher. The Avenue subsequently passed to the management of Edward Trinz, of the previously mentioned theater family, in 1913. Julius Trinz was manager in 1917 and then Steve Bauer and his partner James Finkler. On September 10, 1920 the Bay View Advance reported that the theater was adopting a new policy and showing the best photo plays and adding a three-piece orchestra necessitating a slight increase in the ticket price. By 1934, the theater was under the ownership of Casimir Goderski and in the following year Goderski had the building remodeled. Plans dated April 20, 1935 show that the new Art Deco exterior and lobby was designed by local architect Paul Bennett. Elevation drawings indicate that the facade was sheathed in structural glass and had as its main feature a series of three large, stepped, vertical stone fins rising above the marquee and projecting above the roofline. A new vertical sign, centered on the central fin, spelled out the theater1s new name, the Aragon. The Avenue/Aragon remained in use as a theater through 1961. It was last known as the Pix after 1955. In 1962, the building was used for the Pix Dancing Club hall. It was subsequently vacant from 1963 to 1964. In 1965, the building reopened as the Play-Mor Tavern and it remained a bar through 1969. After a period of vacancy in 1970 and 1971, the hall reopened as the Bastille Dancing Club for a short period. The old movie house was razed on October 31, 1972. Its site remains vacant at present. (Advance, 1920 September 10, p. 2; City Directory; Permits; City Records Center; Hugh Swofford) The Mirth was Bay View·s fourth theater, located at 2651 South Kinnickinnic Avenue. The permit for the original theater building was taken out on April 23, 1913 with W. J. Buscher as the architect and carpenter and Yunker Bros. doing the masonry work. The one-stot~ building was constructed by owner Charles Petri and cost around $8,500. It was completed in August of 1913. George Bauch served as the manager of the showhouse. The Mirth proved so popular an enterprise that Bauch eventually had the original building razed and replaced it with a more modern and spacious building. Permits for this new project are missing from city records but plans on microfilm at the City Records Center and a story in the Bay View Advance both document the new building. Bauch hired local architect and interior designer H. H. Bruns to design the new Mirth which opened November 16, 1922. The two-story red brick building was generally Georgian Revival in style with a simple ground story consisting of four pairs of double entry doors flanked by display cases and single exit doors. The ticket booth was inside the lobby. A simple, three­ sided projecting canopy spelled out the name Mirth on the Kinnickinnic Avenue frontage. There was no vertical electrical sign on the building as far as can be determined. The interior of the building featured pilastered stone walls with bowl-shaped light fixtures on each pilaster. A balcony flanked each side of the proscenium. The new Mirth was said to have roomy seats and accommodations for 900 patrons. Walls were finished in old rose and faded blue Tiffany, apparently a type of painted wall finish. The new Mirth also boasted the most up-to-date ventilation and newest projectors. Bauch intended to keep up the reputation of his theater by showing feature films which had just finished playing downtown. The opening night celebration featured an organ recital and The Bond Boy with Richard Barthelmess. Feature films were to be scheduled each evening with two new films per week and only features, whose worth were known, were promised to Bay View patrons. 335 In the 1930 l s and 1940 1s, minor changes were made to the Mi rth1s interior and exterior. With some intermittent closings, during which the Christian Science Church met here in 1957, the Mirth remained a picture house until 1954.