Property Record
564 Water St
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Bonham Theater |
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| Reference Number: | 245921 |
| Location (Address): | 564 Water St |
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| County: | Sauk |
| City: | Prairie du Sac |
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| Year Built: | 1919 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2023 |
| Historic Use: | theater/opera house/concert hall |
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| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | 2023: The two-story Bonham Theater, built in 1919, has a rectangular plan, flat roof, brick foundation, and red brick cladding on the front (west) facade with stucco on the side elevations. The facade has four full-length brick pilasters and a recessed, glass entrance door and glass windows. Above the entrance is a metal marquee canopy with lighting. Multi-light fan windows with brick arches flank either side of the entrance. Vents are on the second story above each fan window, with stone sills and lintels. The northern portion of the facade has a secondary entrance. At the middle of the facade, below the cornice, is a stone name block inscribed with “Bonham.” The side (north) elevation is covered in stucco. The opposing side (south) elevation is attached to the adjacent building on the first story and is covered in stucco on the second story. Alterations include the remodeled entrance and replacement fan windows. John Bonham, a farmer, bought the property from E.C. Moore and built a movie and vaudeville theater for his sons Orlin and Earl, who were part of a theatrical group in Prairie du Sac in the 1920s and traveled with the One Ring Circus as managers and actors. In 1923 Martin Accola purchased the theater. His daughter, Lilah Accola Murphy, became an integral part of the theater’s operations. The basement also housed a bar and bowling alley. In 1947 the Accola family sold the property to W.J. Charboneau and L. Leisch, who also owned the Lodi and Fennimore theaters. At that time Charboneau installed a new marquee canopy, made improvements to the facade, and renamed the theater “The Midway.” Ed Taylor also owned the property in the 1970s until he sold it to Nancy Wuensch and Steve Edelstein, who returned the theater to its original name, the Bonham, in 1979. It continues to operate as a movie theater today. |
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| Bibliographic References: | “Prairie Du Sac Movie Place Sold.” Wisconsin State Journal, November 5, 1919, 8. Gillett, Sherwin. “Prairie Du Sac Main Street.” Wisconsin Historical Society, 1922. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM99736. Doris Litscher Gasser. “Bonham Recalls Theater’s Beginnings.” Sauk-Prairie Star, October 8, 1987. https://content.mpl.org/digital/collection/RCCLPS/id/60. “Prairie Du Sac Theater Sold.” Wisconsin State Journal, February 9, 1947. “Prairie Theater To Be Remodeled.” The Capital Times, March 2, 1947. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |