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STRAND/AVON THEATER 307 South Michigan Historical Context The lot upon which the Avon now stands was platted in 1831, as part of the original plan of the City of South Bend. According to the 1932 Portage Township Assessor's card, the present building was erected with the addresses 307, 309, 311, and 313 South Michigan in 1900 as retail and office space. One of the first tenants of the building was A.M. Russell who was according to the City Directories, a "Practical undertaker and embalmer: Embalming by the latest and most scientific methods". The Assessor Card notes that the stores were remodeled in 1910, again in 1926 when the building was converted for theater use, and remodeled in 1949. Around 1905, the building began to be called the "Inwood Block." Tenants came and went, and in the early 1920s the renters were mostly retailers such as The Gillis Smart Shop Clothing Store and Army and Navy Surplus Store. In 1926, the building underwent renovation, and was converted to a theater. The Strand opened for business on May 12, 1926 as a silent movie house, seating 700 —1,000. In 1949, the theatre underwent another remodeling which included installing a new front first storey only which cost $75,000. The theatre reopened in October of 1949 as the Avon, showing first run -motion pictures, seating capacity of 1,000. The Avon featured "vermin -proof upholstered seats of brick red and the interior color motif was green ...... new sound equipment and a new plastic screen will combine to give the patrons the ultimate movie presentation". The theatre closed briefly in 1958, only to be reopened under new management the following year as the Avon Art Theatre. During the 1960s the theatre was charged with showing obscene movies and closed around 1967. The building served as the Mall Theater for a short period of time in the 1970s and has been underutilized for storage to date. In 1987, Center City Associates (now Downtown South Bend) purchased the building with intent to redevelop. At that time, the South Bend Common Council committed the City to a $95,000 loan. The plan was eventually abandoned. In 2002, South Bend Civic Theatre considered the building but determined it to not be the right fit. Architectural Description Period Revival 1900 (1926) Two storey commercial building with a rectangular plan set upon a concrete foundation. Walls are brick with elaborate terra cotta veneer on second storey. The stylized terra cotta pinnacles separate the fagade into two bays and an arched central parapet wall with diamond pattern design blind wall and windows. 1/1 double hung metal sash windows are present on the second storey installed below the terra cotta facade. Four metal frame