Read time: 6 min.

The old State Theater is a gem. In almost any small, midwestern city aside from Anderson, Indiana, it likely would have already been reborn! Instead, it sits in the long shadow of the Paramount just to the north, an astounding atmospheric palace that was fully restored three decades ago. Even so, the State’s story and significance are no less vital.

The State Theatre began life under the ownership of New York’s Publix-Paramount chain¹, the same company that operated Anderson’s Paramount and  Crystal². The Crystal, which stood at 116 East 8th Street, closed for good in 1929 so its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system could be moved into the State³. The Crystal’s still standing, and I’ll tell its story another time.

It’s hard to believe today when places like Anderson don’t have a single place to watch a movie anymore, but the city was once home to a ton of them: before the State opened, Publix-Paramount made a bold move by acquiring three more theaters in Anderson- the Riviera, the Granada, and the Starland⁴. 

The key difference between the State and Publix-Paramount’s other theaters was that the State was planned after “talkies” had been introduced. It was more than a repurposed vaudeville hall! Aside from inheriting the Crystal’s Vitaphone, sound engineers arranged the building’s furniture and accoutrements to eliminate echo and ensure that perfect analog audio made it to even the most distant patrons⁵. 

The inside of the State wasn’t just a technical marvel- it also featured tapestries, pictures, and ornamental decorations⁶. Outside, the theatre featured an eclectic Spanish Baroque facade with white and green terra cotta⁷, an elaborate cornice under a tile roof, and an entry faced with carrara glass⁸. Much of its impressive facade still exists today.

The State opened on May 30, 1930, with Claudette Colbert in Young Man of Manhattan. It was “the last word in modern theatre comfort, a wonder palace of entertainment,” according to advertisements⁹. “Perfect sound is one of the outstanding features of the State Theatre. The very best and newest equipment, for the presentation of talking picture programs, has been installed… Every seat at the State is a Front Row Seat¹⁰.” 

Officials from Key Publix officials turned out in force for the State’s gala opening. Sam Katz, the head of the organization, was there, along with divisional director Jules Rubers and district manager Guy Martin¹¹. With that kind of corporate attention focused squarely on Anderson, the State probably seemed on top of the world! 

Unfortunately, passing decades had a way of catching up to even the most seemingly timeless institutions. Near the Mounds Mall, Cinecom opened Mounds Cinema to a screening of Tora! Tora! Tora! on December 25, 1970. The Mounds Mall Cinema I & II opened to screenings of Pippi in the South Seas and Thunderbolt and Lightfoot on August 16, 1974. The Paramount held on until 1985, but the State appears to have kept showing movies until the early 2000s¹²!

By that point, the venerable movie palace was largely known as a venue for live music, even playing host to 80’s hair-metal hitmakers Loverboy¹³. Unfortunately, environmental damage to the building and an ensuing legal battle led to the theater’s closure in 2008¹⁴. 

Hope for the abandoned State flickered in 2019, when an out-of-state entertainment company announced plans to restore the theater. Unfortunately, work stalled and never came to fruition. Eventually, the City of Anderson stepped in when it bought the State for $127,500¹⁵.

Even so, the clock kept ticking, as Indiana Landmarks placed the building on its 10 Most Endangered list in both 2023 and 2024. Video shot just twelve years ago shows the auditorium still largely intact, but local preservationists fear the hard truth: the State may be running out of time¹⁶. 

Today, the empty building still commands the southwest corner of Meridian and West 13th Street as a true landmark. It’s the kind of palace that places like my hometown of Muncie can only dream of restoring to its golden days! Unfortunately, the State has long lived in the shadow of the Paramount. I’m sad to say, it’s easier to overlook the State despite its history, scale, and presence on the corner.

Still, as much as the theatwr gave Anderson over the years, it now asks its community for something in return- whether a small, rust-belt city can look past easy comparisons and see value in what remains, not just what has already been saved. For nearly a century, the theater reflected Anderson’s confidence, its appetite for spectacle, and its belief that even a place in Indiana deserved a palace built for wonder.

Today, the State’s entrance is propped up by board. Still, it tells a different story that I hope isn’t finished! Whether or not the landmark theater ultimately rises again or fades into memory, it stands as a reminder that places like this don’t vanish all at once. They linger, waiting for someone to slow down, look up at the terra cotta and glass, and decide that a city’s past is still worth carrying into its future.

Sources Cited
1 Executives Of Publix Have Active Interest In Formal Opening Of New State Theater (1930, May 29). The Anderson Herald. p. 18. 
2 Publix Takes Over Principal Theaters Here (1930, January 12). The Anderson Herald. p. 1. 
3 Crystal Drops Final Curtain (1929, December 1). The Anderson Herald. p. 1. 
4 (See footnote 2). }
5 New State Theater Welcomes You (1930, May 29). The Anderson Herald. p. 6. 
6 (See footnote 5). 
7 Oulette, T. (2025, August 23). Anderson State Theatre included in Endangered Landmark list for second year in a row. Indiana Public Radio [Muncie]. Web. Retrieved January 15, 2026.  
8 National Register of Historic Places, Anderson Downtown Historic District, Anderson, Madison County, Indiana, National Register # 06000307.
9 Gala Opening (1930, May 29). The Anderson Herald. p. 19. 
10 (See footnote 9). 
11 Executives Of Publix Have Active Interest In Formal Opening Of New State Theater (1930, May 29). The Anderson Herald. p. 18. 
12 State Theatre (n.d.). Cinema Treasures. Web. Retrieved January 24, 2026. 
13 Local band to perform at Glass Festival (2004, August 11). The Elwood Call-Leader. p. 22. 
14 Simmons, T. (2024, August 20). Historic Anderson movie theatre’s decay worries preservation group. WRTV [Indianapolis]. Web. Retrieved January 15, 2026. 
15 (See footnote 14).