Read time: 5 min.

One of my most cherished childhood memories came when I saw the sixth Star Wars movie with my dad at a small-town movie palace in Waupaca, Wisconsin. The glow of the marquee, the scent of warm popcorn, and the creak of old theater seats at the Rosa were worlds apart from the massive multiplexes I most often frequented! I’ve made it a point to stop and snap photos of old theaters with character ever since, and one of my favorites is the Art Deco Diana Theatre in downtown Tipton. 

The Diana Theatre’s story began in 1915, when it first lit up Tipton as the Grand¹. As the Roaring Twenties approached, it rebranded as the “New Grand Theatre².” On February 5, 1919, moviegoers settled in for Temple of Dust starring Sessue Hayakawa, accompanied by “good music” and seven reels of “first-class pictures³.” The price of admission? Just ten cents for a movie, or fifteen if you wanted to catch a live Vaudeville act. It was a time when the silver screen was still a marvel, and theaters like the Grand were the beating heart of small-town nightlife.

The Grand Theatre’s first act was short-lived. It closed in the early 1920s and sat dark for several years until a Greek immigrant named Nick Paikos saw its potential. In 1926, he breathed new life into the space and reopened it under a brand-new name: the Diana⁴. Paikos sifted through hundreds of suggestions⁵ before selecting his theater’s new moniker, which was submitted by William McGraw Jr. McGraw’s reward was a $10 gold piece⁶. Those winnings would be worth something crazy today! 

By 1946, the Diana Theatre had become a fixture in Tipton. Its twentieth anniversary was cause for celebration! To mark the occasion, the theater offered four free screenings of Captain Tugboat Annie, starring Jane Darwell, as a thank-you to its loyal patrons. The Paikos family had even bigger plans in store, though, and announced a major remodel that stretched the auditorium to accommodate 540 seats. The project also added cutting-edge sound equipment and a brand-new air conditioning system. 

For a small-town movie house, the Diana’s improvements weren’t just about comfort; they made a statement. The theatre wasn’t just surviving- it was thriving in the face of competitors like the nearby Ritz. Just a year later, though, disaster struck. A devastating fire tore through the Diana. The blaze resulted in an estimated $40,000 in damage- equal to about $570,000 today⁸. 

Thankfully, Nick Paikos wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. Instead of letting the fire mark the end of the Diana Theatre, he poured his energy into rebuilding bigger and better than before. When its doors reopened on April 25, 1948, the Diana was more than just a movie house; it was a symbol of resilience that earned its title as the “pride of Tipton County⁹.” Hal Roach’s Comedy Carnival marked the grand reopening in vibrant Cinecolor¹⁰. If its posters were to be believed, the Diana was back in a brand new, grand new, howleroo!

Nearly eighty years later, the Diana remains a cornerstone of Tipton’s identity as it proudly stands just east of the courthouse square. For generations, it’s been more than just a theater. Instead, it’s a time capsule from an era when moviegoing was an event, not just another typical night out at the multiplex. Driving past the venerable theater instantly took me back to the Rosa in Waupaca, where my own love for these small-town movie palaces first began. Next time I’m in town, I’ll do my best to catch a movie at the Diana.

Sources Cited
1 Diana Theatre (n.d.). Cinema Treasures. Web. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
2 New Grand Theatre (1919, February 21). The Tipton Daily Tribune. p. 4. 
3 New Grand Theatre (1919, February 5). The Tipton Daily Tribune. p. 2. 
4 Diana Theatre (1926, June 28). The Tipton Daily Tribune. p. 1. 
5 (See footnote 4). 
6 Round Town with The Tribune (1946, June 24). The Tipton Daily Tribune. p. 2. 
7 (See footnote 6). 
8 Diana Theater Loss Is Estimated At $40,0000 (1947, August 20). The Tipton Daily Tribune. p. 1. 
9 Visit the NEW…Diana Theatre (1948, April 28). The Tipton Daily Tribune. p. 4. 
10 Grand Opening (1948, April 24). The Tipton Daily Tribune. p. 4.