Ritz Theater - California, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 38.117 W 092° 33.928
15S E 537819 N 4276394
Built as the Finke Opera House in Victorian style, front re-modeled to Art Deco for Ritz Theater, restored to Italianate style for today's Finke Theater...
Waymark Code: WM126MK
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 03/13/2020
Views: 1
County of building: Moniteau County
Location of building: N. High St. & E. 3rd St., California
Phone: Phone:(573) 619-9939
The Finke Opera House opened in 1885, the first move shown in this building was in 1910.
The transfiguration to Art Deco movie house was in 1937, will use that date below, because first movie shown as a movie house.
"The California Opera House opened on Friday, August 6, 1885 with a “grand musical concert” of local talent followed by a ball on the second floor of the building. In the following years, traveling road shows, vaudeville, musicals and other entertainers performed at the 600-seat auditorium just down the street from the courthouse, which was built in 1867 and remains the oldest existing courthouse west of the Mississippi River.
"Later known as the Finke Opera House (1897-1922) and Finke Theatre (1922-1937), named after its sole owner and one of the town’s most prominent and pioneering citizens, the building became a movie theatre, The Ritz Theatre (1937-1978), until closing its doors. Empty for decades and set to be demolished, the community took action." ~ Her Magazine
"The Finke Opera House was built in 1885. Patrons of this theatre, which was shuttered for years, were eager to see it renovated and restored to public use. This was done and it re-opened as a live performance venue on September 26, 2009." ~ Cinema Treasures
A different web page for Cinema Trasures sow a photo of the building as the Ritz Theater in the Art Deco front.
"The first motion picture had been shown in California by 1910." ~ California Democrat,