Iowa (Grand/Family/Garden) Theater

608 Commercial Street
Waterloo, IA 50701

(The Barton is listed at an "unknown" theater, but this Grand/Family/Garden/Iowa is most likely the home of the organ. See separate listing for the Paramount Theater in Waterloo with larger Barton from 1927.)
Builder: Barton Organs, (no date known).
Manuals: 2
Ranks: 8
Compass: 61/32
Action: Electro-pneumatic

Notes: Opened as the Grand Theatre on December 20, 1914 with seating listed as 850. The original owner was J.E. Bryant. On August 25, 1915 it was renamed Family Theatre. In August 1918 it became the Garden Theatre. By 1920 J.H. Hostettler was the owner and in 1922 it was renamed Rialto Theatre. In 1925 it was taken over by A.J. Diebold. It closed in August 18, 1928. Taken over by new operators it reopened as the Royal Theatre on February 24, 1929 but closed as a silent movie theatre in August 1929. In 1932 it became a church and they occupied the building until September 1935.

On September 25, 1935 it re-opened as the Capitol Theatre with Grace Mooore in “One Night of Love”. It was closed at the end of May 1938. On December 25, 1938 it reopened as the Iowa Theatre. The theatre closed July 4, 1961 with Glenn Ford in “The Americano” & Judy Canova in “The WAC from Walla Walla”.

Information from Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol. I by David L. Junchen. Pasadena: Showcase Publications, 1985.

Organ Historical Society as of 2018.