1 of 3
Images courtesy of Hilbert Nation Realty
The Melvin Theater, a one-screen, independent movie theater, opened in 1914.
2 of 3
Inside the Melvin.
3 of 3
The historic Melvin marquee.
David Godbout never expected to own the Melvin Theater.
“The building came our direction, it’s just one of those things that fell into our hands,” Godbout tells SLM.
Godbout is the pastor at Novation Church, which officially purchased the historic pocket cinema in south St. Louis city last month from its parent organization, the General Council of the Assemblies of God, which has owned the century-old theater for 18 years.
“They just wanted somebody local who cared about the community to take it on,” Godbout says.
The one-screen theater opened in 1914 and found a new life in 2011 as a venue for family-friendly concerts and Christian youth center. Novation Church took over in 2015 with the goal of transforming the landmark into a community center, but the space—a large, open auditorium with a foyer—doesn’t exactly match the church’s vision.
“It doesn’t have the best footprint for us as far as our intended use is going to be,” Godbout says. “We thought before we took that major step, we would put a call out and see if there’s someone who that building is better suited for than us.”
Godbout says he’s open to buyers’ visions for the theater’s future, but he won’t sell to someone who just wants to tear it down.
“We would hope that someone could take it and make an events space, whether it’s music, arts, wedding receptions—anything that brings out the asset of the building itself,” says Godbout. “We’re looking for someone who will engage the neighborhood.”
Bret Hilbert, a friend of Godbout’s for a decade and the real estate agent for the sale, says he hopes someone will revert the building back to its original purpose as a movie theater. There is still old film stock, reels, and canisters in the building’s second floor, including what’s rumored to be an old copy of The Sound of Music.
“I walked into that place the first time and I was blown away” by the beauty and history, Hilbert tells SLM. “I did not expect it to still be a theater.”
Hilbert says he already has two appointments to show the theater to potential buyers. “There’s people jumping in line to see it.”
If no one buys the theater, Godbout says he’ll revert to his original plan to turn the building into a neighborhood community center, leaving the cinema’s historic blue marquee in tact.
“Let’s not try to force it to be something it’s not,” Godbout says. “Let’s make it something that will benefit the community.”
Here’s the listing for the theater, which includes three adjacent vacant lots. The half-acre property is priced at $149,500.
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
