Quaint Iowa Movie Theater Is the Oldest in the World

Have you ever seen a flick in this historic theater?

Get our free mobile app

Movie theaters might just be my happy place. It's not officially summer for me until I can sit back, relax with a huge bucket of popcorn, and watch the biggest blockbuster movies of the season.

One Iowa theater has been considered the oldest theater in the world for several years now. In 2016, the State Theater in Washington was officially recognized by Guiness World Records officials.

It used to be called the Graham Opera House and was used as a space to show movies and host live shows up until the 1930s.

There's a bit of a caveat to the initial claim that was made about the theater. It's technically the "longest continually running movie theater in the world," according to Guiness World Records.

The single screen theater opened for business on May 14th, 1897. As of spring of 2023, the State Theater is 126 years old. Reports claim that the first "moving picture" that was shown here was a French film that was shown on a cinematographe.

And can you even fathom how much tickets were to see this show back in the late 1800s? They ranged from only 15 to 35 cents!

The theater offers screenings with digital projection and full surround sound.

Stay up to date with everything going on in Eastern Iowa and beyond by downloading our free station app from the app store. Also, make sure you're following the station across all social media platforms for the most up to date news around our neck of the woods.