EST. 1946

Malek Theatre

The rise, the fall, and the renovation.

See the history, follow the progress, and be part of the "Bring Back the Malek" movement by donating to the Malek Theatre Foundation, 501(c)(3). Donations can be made via PayPal below or directly thru BankIowa, 230 1st St E, Independence, IA 50644, Attn: Dan Flaucher.

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History

Clicking on a specific timeline event provides the full story and additional images.

August 1936

As a junior in high school, Dorothy Rowden (Malek), started working at the newly built movie theatre, The Uptown, in ...

November 1936

Bob Malek, along with two other young men from Chicago, travel to Gladbrook to visit some cousins and go pheasant ...

December 1938

While Dorothy and her parents were visiting Bob and his family in Chicago for Thanksgiving, Dorothy’s mother mentioned how Dorothy ...

March 1940

Late one Monday night in March of 1940 the couple got a long-distance call from none other than Gilly Wells. ...

April 1940

Bob and Dorothy moved into a one-room apartment in Independence. They hired Dorothy’s brother, Ray Rowden, and his wife, Virginia, ...

September 14, 1943

Bob and Dorothy sold the Uptown Theatre in Gladbrook to LeRoy McMahn. It was bought and sold several more times ...

March 3, 1945

On the morning of March 3rd Harry Huffington, the janitor for both the Grand and Iowa theatres, notices a small ...

November 1, 1945

Workers break ground and the building of the new theatre finally begins. Architects Wetherell and Harrison along with contractor Gus ...

October 29, 1946

Opening night for the newly constructed Malek Theatre! Nearly one year after construction began and approximately $140,000, according to Dorothy, ...

December 25, 1949

Opening night for the newly remodeled Iowa Theatre down on Main Street was showing “The Pride of the Yankees” with ...

September 1, 1965

With the theatre business not being as profitable as it once was, Bob and Dorothy decided to sell. The Malek ...

April 1, 1970

Bob and Dorothy take back possession of the Malek Theatre due to tax problems with the current owners. They reopened ...

1978

Owner, Bob Malek, retires and shortly thereafter sells the Malek for the second time.

1979-1985

Approximate dates of when the second owner, Peterson (unsure of the full name), had the Malek. During this time, prior ...

Late 1980s

Bob and Dorothy got The Malek back after the doors closed in 1985. They then sold it to Voy Theatres ...

1992

Bob and Dorothy sell The Malek for the fourth and final time. Jodeen Fitz purchases the theatre and reopens the ...

1996

With the rise of VHS tapes and movie rentals, the sales of theatre tickets were on the decline. HDTV was ...

2004

The Fitz family still owns the theatre and begins to renovate in an attempt to open the doors once again. ...

March 31, 2009

The Malek Theatre is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places!

February 2020

The current owner, Tony Fitz, forms the Malek Foundation 501(c)(3) and donates the Malek to the non-profit organization. Donations towards ...

Today

To follow along with the renovation process, please visit the Renovation page.

Do you have photos or historical information you'd like to share and possibly have added to the timeline? Feel free to send us any information via our contact form, and we'll do our best to validate the information and add any and all pertinent information to the timeline!

** All information and images are from the Malek Theatre Facebook page and "Remembering the Malek," a book written and published by Bryce Malek, Bob and Dorothy's son. For information on purchasing the book, please contact us via our contact form.