Spencer Evening World headline, December 31, 1928 opening night announcement. Photo: Stan Griffith, Ellettsville, IN.
 Photos supplied by Stan Griffith, Ellettsville, Indiana. Click on the images to enlarge. |
The interior of the Tivoli in its early days. Two statues by Viquesney in the forward niches can be seen in greater detail at Photo.net. Use the links at the bottom of this page.
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1928: THE TIVOLI THEATRE
In 1908 Viquesney was the manager of the Majestic Theatre in Americus, Georgia, and must have also been impressed when his friend Walter Rylander built his own movie house there in 1921. Viquesney apparently never forgot these experiences, for after he had moved back to his birthplace of Spencer, Indiana, he realized a twenty-year dream when he financed the building of his own movie venue, the Tivoli Theatre, which he jokingly insisted stood for "This Is Viquesney's Own Little Idea". It opened on New Year's Eve, 1928 and was an instant success, putting Spencer "on the map", according to its creator. People drove in from miles away to attend its showings. The interior walls had niches originally containing statues by Viquesney of two children playing musical instruments. Temporarily displayed at Carnegie Heritage House in Spencer, they were refurbished and returned to the theatre when the restoration described below was completed. One of the restored statues can be seen on the cover of the grand reopening program at the bottom of this page.
Due to competition with another theatre already in town and for payment still owed on the roof tiles, Viquesney lost the Tivoli to the Bloomfield Tile Company in 1932. The theatre was run for a time by Viquesney's competitor, Harley Campbell, but because of the Great Depression it was closed until 1938. It was then taken over by Claude Flater, who ran it until the 1950s. Damaged by fire in 1981 and again in 1985, it managed to re-open each time, but in 1998 finally closed its doors and was left to deteriorate. By 2001 it had become a deserted derelict. Scheduled for demolition in December of 2005, it was bought at the last moment and fully restored to its former grandeur in March of 2013 through the sponsorship of Cook Group Incorporated. The grand reopening occurred on April 11, 2013.
The theatre, an endangered property under the protection of Indiana Landmarks, is owned by Owen County Preservations. This restoration is the latest in a series of partnerships between Cook Group and Indiana Landmarks that includes the French Lick Springs Hotel, West Baden Springs Hotel and the new headquarters of Indiana Landmarks, Old Centrum Church in Indianapolis. Carl Cook, CEO of Cook Group Inc., is on the board of directors for Indiana Landmarks and was heavily involved in the management of the project.
Due to competition with another theatre already in town and for payment still owed on the roof tiles, Viquesney lost the Tivoli to the Bloomfield Tile Company in 1932. The theatre was run for a time by Viquesney's competitor, Harley Campbell, but because of the Great Depression it was closed until 1938. It was then taken over by Claude Flater, who ran it until the 1950s. Damaged by fire in 1981 and again in 1985, it managed to re-open each time, but in 1998 finally closed its doors and was left to deteriorate. By 2001 it had become a deserted derelict. Scheduled for demolition in December of 2005, it was bought at the last moment and fully restored to its former grandeur in March of 2013 through the sponsorship of Cook Group Incorporated. The grand reopening occurred on April 11, 2013.
The theatre, an endangered property under the protection of Indiana Landmarks, is owned by Owen County Preservations. This restoration is the latest in a series of partnerships between Cook Group and Indiana Landmarks that includes the French Lick Springs Hotel, West Baden Springs Hotel and the new headquarters of Indiana Landmarks, Old Centrum Church in Indianapolis. Carl Cook, CEO of Cook Group Inc., is on the board of directors for Indiana Landmarks and was heavily involved in the management of the project.
 Above: The derelict Tivoli in 2001. Viquesney researcher T. Perry Wesley stands in front. Photo: Earl Goldsmith. Right: The Tivoli in May, 2012, after restoration had begun. Photo: Stan Griffith. Click on the images to enlarge. |
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The restored Tivoli Theatre on re-opening night, April 11, 2013.
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Photo: Les Kopel.
At left, an opening night program cover features one of the two cherub carvings done by Viquesney for the interior facades. The sculptor also fashioned eight vases, four on each side of the interior, near the ceiling, and partly visible in the photo above (click to enlarge). At the time of restoration, only three remained intact. The other five were recreated using the remaining originals as models.
I (Les Kopel) was fortunate enough to attend the grand reopening at the invitation of Tivoli Theatre Board of Directors member Kathy Cook. |
