Step under the 1948 marquee and walk from the sidewalk to the hidden 1916 arch backstage, then climb to the old lodge hall.
The triangular neon marquee, built by the Iowa Neon Sign Company, juts 12 feet over the sidewalk on a single post. Behind it hides the original limestone nameblock: HARDACRE MEMORIAL HALL.
In the inner lobby, freehand floral vines in green, pink and white cover the plaster ceiling, work by the Minneapolis decorators Dahlstrom & Weinberger. The paint is now badly peeling.
A narrow foyer added in 1928 holds a stair on each side up to the balcony, plus two doors down into the auditorium.
264 seats from different eras sit on a sloped concrete floor, with 132 more in the balcony. Four original pendant lights still hang overhead.
The 1948 proscenium, 15 feet tall and 27 feet wide, was set inside the original 23-foot arch. From backstage you can still see the 1916 plaster arch with its geometric and floral relief.
The whole second floor was built as the Manitou Lodge hall. After the lodge disbanded in 1988 it became two apartments, but the green plaster ceiling survives above a dropped ceiling.
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