118 North Cedar, Nevada, Missouri, 1881-2026, surveying 145 years
118 N. Cedar Street, 1881-2026
Earliest Courthouse records show this building as a taxable entity in 1881. The earliest known photo identified of this building (so far) is from around 1906-10, showing it with a ½ brick and ½ glass front (shown above and below). In this iteration, the building housed at least a dozen business both up and downstairs from the 1880s through the 1920s. From sometime before 1885 to 1890 the Charles and Lillian Tomlinson Restaurant and Bakery operated in this space; from the 1890s to mid 1920s it housed Variety, Grocery and Dry Goods Stores, with a physician (Dr. Love), an 1890s Dressmaker, a 1900s Tailor, an Auctioneer, and Prudential Insurance Agent occupying spaces on the 2nd floor.
Dr. Love’s father Joseph, also a physician, bought this building and became its landlord just before he joined the staff of Nevada’s State Hospital Number 3 around 1909. The Love family name remains marked on this building set in a stone in 1951, located towards the top of the building facade.
From 1928 to 1959 this building was a movie theater, first a silent movie house called the Crystal Theatre that opened in April, 1928. Art Bowman bought the film showing rights here from MGM in New York City in July of 1928 and shortly thereafter renamed it the Arbo Theatre. The first cooled air conditioning system on the Nevada Square was installed for the movie house shortly thereafter in 1929 or 1930. The Nevada Daily Mail notes that the first talking picture played in the Arbo Theatre in 1930. Dr. Love retained ownership of this building as landlord while the Crystal, Arbo and Rex movie houses were here.
The current “perma stone” facade was installed on this building in 1951 when the Arbo Theatre changed film showing rights hands from Art Bowman to Guy Bloom and was renamed the Rex Theater.
The Rex Theater’s 1951
AC Delco General Motors Air Conditioning Compressor
Manufactured by AC Delco, Division of General Motors. The stamped serial number indicates this model was produced from 1949 to 1951. This unit was part of the 1951 Arbo to Rex Theater upgrades, which included replacing the central cooling system that was installed in 1929 or 1930 for the Arbo Theater. According to a 1930 Nevada Daily Mail news mention, this was first building on the square with air conditioning.
The following is a view of the courthouse showing very faintly the front of the Rex Theater in the late 1950s. Thorpe’s two doors down to the South also is visible. The prominent pink automobile in the image appears to be a 1958 Ford Fairlane, suggesting this photo was taken shortly before the Rex Theater became Davison's Shoe Store.
After the Rex Theater closed, this building was the site of the 2nd store for Davison’s Shoes after Mr. and Mrs. Davison purchased the building from Dr. Standlee Love around 1959. The Davisons greatly expanded their shoe business operations to the immediate North in the adjoining Verco building soon thereafter and later leased this building to the Shanks and Sterett Men’s Clothing Store.
At present a multi-year workplan is underway to renovate and present as many of the historical features of this building as possible, while also building out display and museum space for Americana Papers. In the meantime, all interested in the history of Nevada and Vernon County are invited and encouraged to visit the Bushwhacker Museum and Vernon County Historical Society (main entrance located just East of the Nevada Library on Walnut Street).
As building research and projects progress, please feel free to contact John Condra for any additional information: collectoramericana@gmail.com, Americana Papers, Nevada, Missouri