Lark Theatre

The Lark Theatre opened in McMinnville, Oregon on September 15, 1922 by F.E. O'Neil, and closed sometime in 1967. Before its opening, the theatre space operated as a retail store, and the space returned to retail after the Lark’s closure. However, it reopened at a later date as the Moonlight Theater. The Moonlight Theater was a victim of a fire that broke out in late May of 2023 from the pizzeria that was built in front of the house and is currently in reconstruction. 

In addition to projecting films, the Lark also hosted a variety of community events and live performances, including a "dairy demonstration" hosted by the Women's Club of McMinnville and a production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Mikado" put on by members of Linfield College. In 1927, the theater installed a 2/6 Robert Morton pipe organ, which provided accompaniment for silent films. This organ was later relocated to Lyons Music Hall in Seattle in 1936. Prior to the Lark's opening in 1922, the building served as a retail space, which it would eventually revert back to sometime in 1967. 

The original owner of the Lark Theatre, O’Neil, also owned the Rainbow Theatre which was located in McMinnville as well. Upon opening, the theatre gained popularity quickly and maintained record attendance for its region. Before opening, O’Neil spent $35,000 on building renovations, and $15,000 on furnishing renovations for the space. The theatre was described as having carpets, drapes, opera chairs, a Mazda stereopticon, as well as Transverter and Simplex projectors. Sometime before 1937, the theater upgraded to Brenkert Enarc Projection Lamps and Brenkert Copper Oxide Rectifiers. The theatre had roughly 650-700 seats including the balcony. The theatre had mezzanine floors, an old rose and gray color scheme, and was equipped with a three-unit automatic ticket machine in the front booth. The house lights and curtains were automatically controlled from a central board in the projection room. 

The later owners of the Lark, brothers M.W and R.J Mattecheck had a good relationship with Universal Pictures as well as Exhibitors-Herald World, and would frequently compliment each other's work for promotional benefits. A relative of the owners, Ursula Mattecheck, created a news program titled, "The Lark Tales", which would act as an advertisement, and give information on the Lark and Gaiety theatres, which the Mattechecks also owned. However, that promotional strategy was replaced by sending out colorful cards promoting the theatre. The prices of tickets were unknown until the early 1940s when tickets for the Lark cost 15 cents. For comparison, another theatre in McMinnville during that time, The Mack, cost 25 cents.

Lark Theatre Interior and Exterior, Motion Picture News (May-Jun 1923)