Stillman’s Department Store and the Vaudelle Theatre
By: Alexis Robertson
This photograph from the Mike Mavis Collection, Delaware County Historical Society depicts Walnut Street in Downtown Muncie looking South between Adams and Charles Streets. (The label on the photograph is incorrect.) At the time, the street was in the process of being paved with Stillman’s Department Store and the Vaudelle Theatre buildings clearly seen on the street front. The photograph is dated October 10, 1930 according to the handwritten label. This was the third Stillman’s building in Muncie. The first was located at 305-307 South Walnut Street, opening on December 12, 1912, but the store moved to 315-317 South Walnut Street two years later.
On February 5, 1919, a fire completely destroyed Stillman’s Department Store with an estimated loss of $200,000 to $225,000. The fire originated in the basement, although the exact cause was unknown. It was hypothesized that a pedestrian had carelessly thrown a match or cigarette through the window grating of the store, and it had landed into something flammable. As the fire blazed, firemen feared that the whole row of buildings would be in danger, including the new Vaudelle Theater, which had moved next door sometime in the latter half of 1917. However, they contained the flames within one structure.
Stillman’s, as it appeared in October, 1930.
Almost immediately after the disaster, Fred Heath, the owner of the building, declared that he had every intention of constructing a new, modern building on the old site for Stillman’s with the goal of opening again within ninety days. However, ten days after the fire, George D. Roberts bought the ruined property from Heath for $70,000 with promises to construct an $80,000 building to house the store. At the time of purchase, noted architect Cuno Kibele had already drawn up plans for the building. It would feature 184 feet of plate glass for the first floor’s front windows and a modern, white terracotta arcade front with three large entrances. Most importantly, it would be fireproof!
The new building didn’t make its ninety-day goal but did open within the year on September 18, 1919 at a cost of double the price originally projected ($175,000). A large crowd gathered that day before the store opened to see the new building and shop the bargain prices offered. As you can see by the ad below (“Muncie Star,” 10-10-1930), the store sold quite a number of different goods including clothing, furnishings, home goods, toys, groceries, and more! Stillman’s remained in this location until 1972 when it closed permanently. The building itself was torn down in 1977. As it came down and adjoining walls were exposed, Dick Greene wrote in his “Seen and Heard in Our Neighborhood” column that he could see dark patches above the second-floor level extending upward. He concluded that perhaps these were the remnants of the fire that had destroyed the first building back in February 1919.
Current Street View of Charles Street looking north.
On the other hand, the Vaudelle didn’t fair quite as well in terms of longevity as Stillman’s. Thomas C. Lacey was the owner and manager of the theater from its opening in 1907 to his death in 1935, at which time, his son Thomas L. Lacey took over the establishment. The Vaudelle stayed in business until 1941. In December of that year, the A.E. Brown Women’s Apparel St announced that it would be moving into the location occupied by the Vaudelle Theater. No reason was given in the newspapers, but at the time, Thomas L. Lacey would have been sixty years old and may have decided it was time to retire.
Perhaps also, business may not have been as good as it once was as Dick Greene complained in his diary on two separate occasions about the Vaudelle. In the first instance on September 22, 1935, he stated, “The Vaudelle is a difficult theater to see in. The screen is so high that it is difficult to see without craning one’s neck.” Next year, on February 16, he complained, “There were only a few in the theater, which was not warm. Mildred left her over coat on, and I slipped mine around my shoulders.” Furthermore of note, Dick was an avid moviegoer, yet he typically did not frequent the Vaudelle and instead chose to go to other theaters like the Rivoli or the Strand. Perhaps others did as well.
Dick Greene’s diaries are part of the Richard A. Greene collection at the Carnegie branch of Muncie Public Library and in the process of being digitized and transcribed.