The Murray Theater is a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

located in

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American bicycle manufacturer * Murray Motor Car Company, an American car manufacturer * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trus ...

, a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, and is one of the area's best examples of the Art Moderne style in theater architecture. The theater operated as both a first-run and second-run venue for

motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

s, and has been extensively renovated and redesigned during its history.

History

The Murray Theater, located at 4961 South State Street in

Murray, Utah Murray () is a city situated on the Wasatch Front in the core of Salt Lake Valley in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for territorial governor Eli Murray, the city had a population of 50,637 as of the 2020 United States Census. Murray shares borde ...

, was built in 1938 by Tony Duvall, who built the Gem and New Iris theaters in Murray, and Joseph L. Lawrence, who built the Villa and Southeast in Salt Lake and the Academy in Provo. It opened on 28 October 1938. The Murray Theater opened on 28 October 1938, showing “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “Hawaiian Holiday”. Advertisements from local papers show that it screened two of Hollywood's first major color films: ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' and ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

''. The

Murray Eagle The ''American Eagle'', later known also as ''Murray Eagle'' and ''The Green Sheet'', was a newspaper that covered central Salt Lake Valley, especially the city of Murray, Utah.Robert F. Karolevitz ''From quill to computer: the story of America's c ...

reported the new theater had a white front: “...amply lighted with the latest type of (fluorescent) lighting and the marquee and vertical sign trimmed in ruby red. The box office and entrance has been furnished in stainless steel. The lighting in the foyer and inner lobby is all in indirect tubing and is designed to blend harmoniously with the delicate wall decorations and the heavy red floor carpets. The spacious auditorium is fitted with full upholstered chairs which are so situated that every patron may have an unobstructed view of the screen. The auditorium is also lighted with concealed tubing. The aisles are five and one-half feet wide. The latest

microphonic Microphonics, microphony, or microphonism describes the phenomenon wherein certain components in electronic devices transform mechanical vibrations into an undesired electrical signal (noise). The term comes from analogy with a microphone, wh ...

sound system and projection equipment has been installed. The theater has been provided with air conditioning, as well as large rest rooms with an ‘ultra-modern’ lounge for the ladies.” In September 1964, Art M. Jolley purchased the Murray from Fox-Intermountain Theaters. By the end of January 1965 he completed a $15,000 “modernization program” on the theater. In 1981, Mr. Jolley sold the Murray to another party, but later he took the theater back. In 1989, after the death of Art Jolley, the Jolley family sold the theater to his son-in-law, Steve Webb. Steve Webb operated the Murray as a second-run theater, with the help of his wife and children, and his brother. The Murray closed for two days, starting 28 October 1992, so the stage could be enlarged to accommodate live performances. Vandermeide, who had been performing at the Avalon, then moved his hypnotist show to the Murray. In October 1999 the Murray Theater closed suddenly. The theater was to be auctioned in February 2000.Theater Refurbished, Salt Lake Tribune, 28 January 1965, page B9 In October 2001, the Murray Theater was bought by the Murray Unity Spiritual Center. The interior was remodeled with a bookstore, a

Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

, a prayer room, and a new coffee shop. The auditorium became a 550-seat sanctuary. The Unity Spiritual Center vacated the theater in the summer of 2004 and the theater. In early 2006 the theater was remodeled as a live entertainment and dancing venue with a new stage, extensive sound, light and video technology and tiered seating platforms with a large dance floor. A pizza restaurant, built in a connected building to the south of the theater operated as a part of the theater enterprise. In December 2007, the theater was named the Murray Super Theater and hosted a variety of musical acts cultural events, private parties, and wrestling venue. The owners of the Murray Super Theater folded operations during the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.

. In 2015, Murray City bought the theater and incorporated it as part of its Murray City Center District redevelopment zone. The City announced in 2018 that it was investing in significant renovations to the theater to become a film and performance venue. Due to delays and funding complications, the renovation by Murray City had been delayed. There have been multiple opening dates between 2020 and 2025. There was hope that it would be open for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, however complications arose as there was water discovered under the stage and house of the auditorium. The current opening date is set for July 4, 2025.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Theatres completed in 1938 Buildings and structures in Murray, Utah Event venues established in 1938 Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah 1938 establishments in Utah National Register of Historic Places in Salt Lake County, Utah