Lacey Street Theatre

The Lacey Street Theatre, one of a series of Art Deco buildings in Fairbanks, anchors the area between Cushman and Lacey streets. Its construction coupled with two public buildings, the old Federal Building and Main School, changed the downtown streetscape of the old gold rush town in the 1930s. It was built in 1939 by Austin E. Lathrop, owner of a string of movie theaters. In a 1966 fire, the interior of the building was extensively dam­aged with the exception of the lobby. Reha­bilitated after the fire with minimal changes to the exterior, the theater closed in 1981. The building remains an excellent example of the Art Deco style. After closure, the building stood empty for a number of years. Today, it houses the Fairbanks Ice Museum.