In 1926, Laconia businessman Thomas J. McIntrye built the Pemaco Block and outfitted the building with a brand new theater. The building was named after the grocery chain that McIntyre owned, the Peoples Market Company. Weirs Beach businessman Jim Irwin Sr. rented the theater and named it the Laconia Gardens Theater to distinguish it from his own Irwin’s Winnipesaukee Gardens. The nearly 500-seat theatre was in continuous use until 1955 as a movie palace. In 1972-1977 it was used by the Streetcar Company, a live theater group. The theater has laid dormant ever since. Below, photos of the Gardens Theater in 1954.