Damage to the theatre seen here.

The theatre before the bombing.

State Theatre ravaged by bomb blast just before 2 a.m. November 8, 1927

The palatial and relatively new State Theatre, the crown jewel of State Street was devastated by a bomb blast during the early morning hours on Tuesday, November 8th, 1927. Damage to the theatre was extensive, blowing out walls and hurling bricks onto the roofs of nearby bungalows. The Sibley Street emergency exit doors were blown off of their hinges and sent sailing across the street, to land on the front steps of the All Saints Church. Windows in neighboring storefronts and residences were shattered to pieces.

Damage to the All Saints Church was severe, along with the parish school. People living in the homes near the theatre were shaken from their beds, many thought that it was the end of the world, with the force of the blast being so severe. Miraculously only several people were injured, none were severe. Included in the injured was the night janitor of the theatre, after hearing the explosion he ran from the building and was hurt by falling bricks.

The State Theatre was constructed in 1925 and first opened in August of 1926. It was built at a cost of around $1.6 million, it was thought to be the largest theatre in the state of Indiana at the time, with a seating capacity of over 3,000. The structure itself was lavish in every detail. Patrons sat in plush comfort amidst columns of Italian marble, while overhead was a beautifully ornate dome. Estimates of damages ranged from $500,000 up to $1,000,000. The theater building was considered a total loss. The State Theatre had been in business for only 15 months.

The concept of the State Theatre was conceived by a group of State Street businessmen, "The East State Street Merchants Association" in 1925, as a way to draw people to their district and also help increase the value of their businesses. It was thought that businessmen from Hohman Avenue were upset with the theater and feared that the main business district would shift away from Hohman Avenue to east State Street and ordered its destruction. However, later it was learned that the lease holder, the Northern Theatrical Company, which also owned the Parthenon and Orphium theatres was losing a great deal of money after the State Theatre opened, and wanted the theatre closed down. A bombing plot was uncovered by police.

additional photos show the damage by the bomb blast

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Source information and photos from the microfilms of The Times newspapers located at the Hammond Public Library.

Twentieth Century Time Capsule © 1999 HammondIndiana.com

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