Haunted Lineage note: The property is tied to a historic and deadly love triangle that ultimately culminated in a shocking murder-suicide. This sudden, violent trauma left a permanent scar on the location, providing a grim historical origin for the aggressive, controlling energy that people still encounter there today.
History
Key’s Auditorium Theatre Opens -January 15, 1915
The venue originally opened its doors as Key’s Auditorium Theatre, housing 1,000 seats. Its inaugural performance was a live stage presentation of Henry W. Savage’s play “Everywoman”.
The Fox Era – December 1930
Under the ownership of Fox Midwest Theatres, the venue was officially renamed the Fox Auditorium Theatre. It operated under the Fox banner for exactly 30 years.
Return to Independent Roots – November 1960
The Fox name was dropped when the National Theatres chain took over the property, led by local resident Leo J. Hayob, and the building reverted to being called the Auditorium Theatre. Following the closure of the nearby Mary Lou Theatre in 1964, it became the only indoor movie house operating in Marshall.
Expansion and Local Ownership – 1980s – Present
The theater was tripled in size in the early 1980s and rebranded as Marshall Cinema 3. Following a brief closure by B&B Theatres in 2010, the venue was purchased locally and transitioned back into an independently owned and operated hometown theater, dropping the “3” to become the Marshall Cinema.
