GRIFFIN March 2025

March 2025 • CWEA GRIFFIN • 15 A hundred years ago, North Grand Avenue teemed with movie theaters — from the St. Louis The- atre and the Missouri Theatre to the Fox. Squeezed between the St. Louis and Missouri theaters was the Grand Central Theatre, located at the northeast corner of Grand boulevard and Lucas Avenue (now Samuel Shepard Avenue). Located at 702 N. Grand Blvd., the Grand Central was designed by St. Louis architects Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson and was built in 1913 at a cost of $150,000. The theater was the host location for the first St. Louis “talkie” movie, Al Jolson in “The Jazz Singer”. It was renovated and became the New Grand Cen- tral Theatre in 1921. The 2,5000- seat renovated theatre had room for a 21-piece orchestra and a Wonder Kilgen organ. It was closed in 1931 and reopened in 1935 un- der new management. The building was torn down in 1949 and re- placed by a parking lot. Today, Powell Hall (the old St. Louis Theatre) is being renovated by the St. Louis Symphony Orches- tra for reopening in September 2025 as the Jack C. Taylor Mu- sic Center. The Missouri Theatre, located at the southeast corner of Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Avenue, is now the An- gard Arts Hotel. And the Fox The- atre, of course, remains as the one of the area’s premier live theater and music venues. The site today, showing the future new entrance to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Powell Hall. The New Grand Central Theatre, 702 N. Grand Blvd., is shown here in April 1924. The theater’s marquee features ornate lighting. United Cigar Stores Co. is located next door to the theater at 700 N. Grand Blvd. The film playing at the theater is “Her Night of Romance,” starring Constance Talmadge and Ronald Colman. Another sign outside the the- ater reads, “30 Jazz Hounds will do their stuff in the New Grand Central Jazz Derby, start- ing April 11.” Notice the construction girders upper left, showing the site of the adjacent St. Louis Theatre (now Powell Hall) which opened in 1925. our architect of record, Lamar John- son Collaborative, and our general contractor, Clayco, we have now reached a milestone where we are in position to advance this significant investment in the Central West End neighborhood and St. Louis.” The project’s new architect, Lamar Johnson Collaborative, has created a new rendering of the building. The unit count has slightly in- creased from 293 units to 305 units. Beyond this, no significant changes have been made to Albion West End since it was first intro- duced, Yule said. It will feature a 10,000-square-foot lobby, retail and co-working spaces, and health- forward features such as a fitness facility that includes spin and yoga rooms. The rooftop amenity deck will include a sports lounge and stargazing room with stunning un- obstructed views. “Central West End has incred- ible history and is one of the most dynamic and compelling neighbor- hoods in the Midwest, and by trans- forming an uninitialized parking lot into a world class tower that will contribute to the area and its biggest employers, Albion West End will be a catalyst for the neighborhood ful- filling its potential,” Yule said. Albion leaders hope to move forward in the coming months by collaborating with neighbors and the historic district for pre-ap- provals. Ideally, construction will begin this summer. Albion from Page 1 Corner of History Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Drive