Situated along North Main Street in Franklin, the Historic Artcraft Theatre is the longest-running movie theatre in the city. Its roots date back to Nov. 1, 1922, when it started as a silent movie theater and vaudeville house, complete with an orchestra pit and a full stage with dressing rooms below.
In 1948, the theatre’s famous and most notable Art Deco streaming and neon were added. In the present day, the theatre is on the Indiana State Register of Historic Places. Since 1922, the theatre has been the site of many first dates, first jobs and a bountiful of great memories.
“It was initially built for vaudeville,” says Dave Windisch, director of marketing for Franklin Heritage, Inc. and the Historic Artcraft Theatre. “It transitioned to silent movies, and then from there, when vaudeville kinda went to the wayside, picked up just movies in general, and then installed sound in the late 20s. It became a movie house from there. It’s been an anchor of film and entertainment for Franklin and Johnson Counties for 103 years now.”
What sets the theatre apart from others is its use of 35mm film as often as they possibly can. In addition to movies, the theatre’s bread and butter, it has a monthly BINGO night and is often rented out by Wild Geese Bookshop for author events, where authors will have a conversation about their new book on stage. Additional events include live music with big bands or classic rock.
“It’s a place where all sorts of generations come,” Windisch says. “You’ll see grandmothers with grandkids; you’ll see families gather. We like to make sure we have a broad range of events for a broad range of audiences. We get people who like classic movies, people who like modern classics. Kids-focused things, family-focused things. But we also have live events.”
57 N. Main St., Franklin | historicartcrafttheatre.org
