The locally prominent Englert family was based in nineteenth century patriarch Louis, who in 1853 opened and operated City Brewery at 315 Market Street, the original of three historic Iowa City breweries which together served the large local German and 
Bohemian populations with enough capacity for a large portion of eastern Iowa.
 Louis' son John developed a successful ice (winter cut, summer sales) and wood (summer cut, winter sales) business, which Will and his half brothers Clarence (Bumps) and John (Jack) eventually ran jointly as their father's successors.

A 1926 fire destroyed the original interior of the Englert, but a determined remarried Englert widow, Etta Chopek Englert Hanlon rebuilt.

The reconstruction cost $125,000, which is equal to $1.6 million in 2012 dollars.
Among other design alterations, she eliminated eight box seating areas, each with six seats, hanging from the side walls.
They had been considered fire traps even while under construction during 1912.

Will Englert had died in 1920 from "a nervous breakdown and cerebral hemorrhage" (stroke) in a bedroom of his home in the Englert Theatre building.
Englert management briefly was the province of William M. McKenzie.

A year after her first husband's death, Etta Englert was remarried at age 38 to barber James J. Hanlon, whose shop was beside the ticket booth at street level of the Englert building, a spot previously occupied by Englert Candy Nook, which was moved into the theater lobby.
Englert management by Etta and her new husband followed.

During a portion of the 1930s Great Depression years, Hanlon also managed the local Falstaff beer distributorship.
He earlier had owned and operated Iowa City Fruit Co. Etta Chopek Englert Hanlon died at age 69 in 1952, shortly after the death of her second husband.
She bore no children from either marriage.

For movie screenings, the Englert succeeded improvised store-front movie houses in Iowa City adapted on flat floors with such names as Dreamland, Nickledom, American, and Bijou.
The first, Dreamland, had been opened during 1906 at 111 South Dubuque Street, just south of Jefferson Building, by Fred Racine, who became widely known later for what became his four cigar stores with pool tables and ornate soda fountains.
The Bijou name now is used by a student activities board screening old titles in the university's Iowa Memorial Union during the academic year.

The original film showing in Iowa City, however, was not even in a building, but a tent pitched in Dubuque Street to show the 12-minute-long 1903 flick The Great Train Robbery (film).
Admission cost a dime, or about $2.50 in 2012 dollars.

The Englert remained a local commercial movie house until 1999, although significantly damaged more than a decade earlier by its division into two auditoriums.
The building was offered for sale, and purchased by a widely known local bar owner for possible use as a night club.

A public drive to "Save the Englert" project resulted.
As sufficient funding was raised and arranged, reconstruction restored the Englert back its original configuration as a single auditorium and to the condition it operates in today.
The locally prominent Englert family was based in nineteenth century patriarch Louis, who in 1853 opened and operated City Brewery at 315 Market Street, the original of three historic Iowa City breweries which together served the large local German and 
Bohemian populations with enough capacity for a large portion of eastern Iowa.  Louis' son John developed a successful ice (winter cut, summer sales) and wood (summer cut, winter sales) business, which Will and his half brothers Clarence (Bumps) and John (Jack) eventually ran jointly as their father's successors.
A 1926 fire destroyed the original interior of the Englert, but a determined remarried Englert widow, Etta Chopek Englert Hanlon rebuilt.
The reconstruction cost $125,000, which is equal to $1.6 million in 2012 dollars. Among other design alterations, she eliminated eight box seating areas, each with six seats, hanging from the side walls. They had been considered fire traps even while under construction during 1912.
Will Englert had died in 1920 from "a nervous breakdown and cerebral hemorrhage" (stroke) in a bedroom of his home in the Englert Theatre building. Englert management briefly was the province of William M. McKenzie.
A year after her first husband's death, Etta Englert was remarried at age 38 to barber James J. Hanlon, whose shop was beside the ticket booth at street level of the Englert building, a spot previously occupied by Englert Candy Nook, which was moved into the theater lobby. Englert management by Etta and her new husband followed.
During a portion of the 1930s Great Depression years, Hanlon also managed the local Falstaff beer distributorship. He earlier had owned and operated Iowa City Fruit Co. Etta Chopek Englert Hanlon died at age 69 in 1952, shortly after the death of her second husband. She bore no children from either marriage.
For movie screenings, the Englert succeeded improvised store-front movie houses in Iowa City adapted on flat floors with such names as Dreamland, Nickledom, American, and Bijou. The first, Dreamland, had been opened during 1906 at 111 South Dubuque Street, just south of Jefferson Building, by Fred Racine, who became widely known later for what became his four cigar stores with pool tables and ornate soda fountains. The Bijou name now is used by a student activities board screening old titles in the university's Iowa Memorial Union during the academic year.
The original film showing in Iowa City, however, was not even in a building, but a tent pitched in Dubuque Street to show the 12-minute-long 1903 flick The Great Train Robbery (film). Admission cost a dime, or about $2.50 in 2012 dollars.
The Englert remained a local commercial movie house until 1999, although significantly damaged more than a decade earlier by its division into two auditoriums. The building was offered for sale, and purchased by a widely known local bar owner for possible use as a night club.
A public drive to "Save the Englert" project resulted. As sufficient funding was raised and arranged, reconstruction restored the Englert back its original configuration as a single auditorium and to the condition it operates in today.
Englert Theatre