| Star Theatre | |
| Location: | 200 S. State St., Argyle, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates: | 42.6997°N -89.8672°W |
| Built: | 1878 |
| Architect: | Alanson Partridge |
| Added: | November 7, 1980 |
| Refnum: | 80000154 |
Star Theatre, also known as Partridge Hall, is a shop/meeting hall/theater built in 1878 in Argyle, Wisconsin, in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]
Alanson Partridge was a carpenter who moved from New York to Wisconsin in 1856. In 1878 he built the north wing of the building, with his carpentry shop on the first floor and a large hall above. It was called Partridge Hall, and rented for meetings, dances, and meals. Partridge himself sponsored some events like a Christmas Ball, and advertised it with barkers in the streets. Partridge advocated temperance, so alcohol was not served there. Some time after 1881 he added the south wing.[2]
The building is two stories, frame covered with clapboards. Most of the windows have curved tops and the east gable is decorated with a bell-shaped fascia. The hall on the second floor had a stage.[2]
In 1908 Partridge sold his hall to Argyle's Modern Woodmen of America. They continued to rent out the hall, and it remained a social center of the community, hosting meetings, proms, lectures, roller skating, and basketball games. In 1920 the hall was renamed the Star Theatre, and began to show motion pictures: silent films and talkies.[2]
In 1945 the movies stopped and the building sat idle. For a while it was used as a hatchery. Around 1980 it was restored to house shops and a restaurant.[2]