Elks Theatre

Strawberry St & Washington St Demopolis AL

Information for this tour was contributed by Alabama Dept of Archives & History.

The Elks Theater, the city’s first "picture show," opened October 1, 1915, in the building with a front palladium window constructed by John Cox Webb, Jr., on the corner of Strawberry and Washington streets. Braswell Theater partners Harry Simon and Tom Nonnenmacher acquired the Elks and gave it a new name, the Si-Non, for a February1, 1916, opening. The Si-Non Theater featured silent motion pictures and personal appearances by celebrities until 1929 when it began a regular schedule of “talkies.” Famous boxer Jack Dempsey and escape artist Harry Houdini appeared at the Si-Non. After a management change in January, 1931, the Si-Non operated as the Lido Theater for its final four years.

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