Most old buildings have a charm to them that people love, and that's why Larry Sloan ended up buying the Talent Factory in order to try and restore it to its original glory. While hosting comedy shows, they started doing renovations to preserve the building and keep it standing. That's when they uncovered some crazy history...
The Talent Factory Renovations
Renovations started at the Talent Factory comedy club in Nevada, Iowa for the first time ever. The third floor was so dilapidated that it was dangerous, so it was closed off to the public. After a booming few years of business, they decided their next big move was to redo the entire upstairs and open it up for the first time in decades...
Odd Finds
They were bound to find something interesting during the renovation. Along with a few old coins and buttons, they came across something with significant emotional and historical value: a wallet. Inside of that wallet was something incredible...
Famous From the Start
In 1913, the Palace Theater opened its doors to the public. At the time, admission was just one dime! They were a popular spot to catch a silent film and even had their own pianist to go along with the movie. Sadly, the theater couldn't adapt to the changing times...
Closing Its Doors
In 1928, the theater closed its doors, which happened quite often throughout the next few decades of its existence. It reopened and closed many times under different owners. It even went through different eras of business in an attempt to keep up with the trends. It finally settled as a comedy club after it was reopened in the 2000s.
Maximizing the Space
The owner, Larry Sloan, wanted to redo the upper floors so that more people could catch a show, especially since they were doing well. The construction caused the theater to close down for a bit which wouldn't be a problem for them. They started early one morning by tearing out all of the seats one by one, and then, they got to the floors...
A Discovery
These floors were old, as in 1913 original floors old. There was a lot of wear and tear, loose nails, and dust packed into them. Tearing them up wasn't a pretty experience, and the crew had to wear masks due to how musty it was. Little did they know what was really under those floors...
Old Wood Floors
The old wood floors of the club certainly looked like there was a lot of history in them, but the construction crew didn't realize that there actually was history in them. There was something wedged in between the hardwood floors. They just couldn't figure out what it was...
Ripping Them Up
They had to rip up the floors anyway, so to get to the item they started removing the planks. Eventually, the object was accessible enough to grab. They were excited at what they found! It was truly a piece of history...
An Old Wallet
When a worker came downstairs with an old wallet, the owner was confused. How long had it been there? Those upper floors were closed for decades... It was small and plastic, leading them to believe it was possibly a childs wallet. When they opened it up, their questions were answered! They couldn't believe how lucky they were to find this...
Going Back 70 Years
In 1994, a teen boy lost track of his wallet at the Talent Factory in Nevada, Iowa. He was distraught from losing photos of himself, his sister, his ID, and, most importantly, his Boy Scout cards! Being a teenager, he wasn't too worried for long and ended up replacing it. Eventually, he forgot about it... Until it came back to him!
The Wallet Owner
Clare McIntosh was only 14 years old when he visited the theater. He was out with friends when his wallet slipped and fell out of his pocket. In the hustle and bustle of leaving the theater, his poor wallet must have gotten kicked around and wedged into the floor. Years went by without anyone noticing...
The Goods Inside
Photos, mementos, and other goods of Clare's was left inside. To young Clare, these were just his personal items. Now, more than 70 years later, they're historical artifacts! Everyone was surprised at how well all of the paper products were kept, too...
Uninterrupted Glimpse Into the 40s
They were able to determine that Clare must have lost his wallet in 1994 due to what was inside. They found food ration stamps inside, which must have been a bummer to lose!
Boy Scout Card
The Boy Scouts of the 1940s were proud to be in the organization. They had illustrated cards to determine the Scout's rank and his achievements. Poor Clare lost this in his wallet as well...
Tons of Personal Photos
In addition to his food ration stamps and Boy Scout cards, he also lots tons of wallet-sized photos of his friends and family. There was some slight wear and tear on them, but they could easily make out the photos and what they were of. These would be valuable to Clare...
A Mini Calendar
Apparently, teenagers carried mini calendars in their wallets! Or, maybe that was just Clare. Either way, this cool piece of history carried some information on it, like what Clare had planned for the upcoming months.
We've Got a Name!
They also found Clare's information card! His name, address, phone number (just one digit back then!), and emergency contact information were all on there. Their next goal was to hopefully track down Clare or a close family member!
Finding Clare
The owners of the club weren't sure if Clare would still be alive. It was a dark and dismal thought, but it had been over 70 years... That's a really long time! They were hoping to at least find a living family member who might appreciate the mementos.
Getting Down to Business
Sloan and his business partners got to work in trying to track down Clare and his family. They went to the local library to try and find some information... When that came up short, they headed to Bolo, Iowa to go to their records department to try and find any information on Clare and the McIntosh family.
Searching Through Documents
In order to do this, they had to search through tons of documents to try and figure out the family lineage. That's when they finally got a hit... Clare McIntosh, 85, living in Des Moines... That had to be their guy!
Tracking Him Down
First of all, Clare was still alive, which was great. Second, they were able to contact him! Sloan called him up and told him the story of the wallet. They invited him back to the theater, which Clare remembered fondly, to pick up his belongings.
Total Surprise
When Sloan first called up Clare, he said, "Hey, sir, I think we've found their wallet." Clare responded, "But, I haven't lost my wallet!" Turns out, he did! Clare told a news reporter that he thought he was being prank called until Sloan laid out the situation to him. He couldn't believe it.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Clare said that he felt blessed to be able to head back to the Talent Factory to pick up his wallet from his teen years. There were things inside that wallet that he didn't even realize he missed, including his Boy Scout card.
A Reunion
Most people would think that a wallet could have such sentimental value. This one didn't fit the criteria! In fact, Clare got emotional while looking through his belongings. He was only 14 at the time, and a lot had changed since then!
His Sister
Clare said that he was most excited to have a photo of his older sister. He didn't even remember that he carried her photo with him, but he was so glad that he did. Now, he had a photo of her in her hayday that he can show their family.
Making Connections
Sloan, a total history buff, was thrilled to have found such an incredible object in his theater. One of the reasons why he bought the place was because of its history. “So many generations of people saw their first movie here or had their first kiss in the balcony. I like thinking of what kind of history that made for those people.”
Everything Played Out Perfectly
Sloan was glad that he was the one to reunite Clare and his wallet. Who knows what could have happened if someone renovated earlier than him? Would they have went through the same trouble of reuniting the wallter with its owner? Sloan would like to think so, but you never know.
The History Continues
The Talent Factory already had an incredible history behind it. Now, Clare can be added to that history for basically keeping a time capsule in the floorboards! Sloan is happy to have yet another story to tell about the venue. Clare even offered some of the belongings to be put up on display after he's done "cherishing them," as he put it.
Glory Days
Sloan hopes to renovate the Talent Factory to make it was it was back in its prime. They hold comedy shows there most nights, which the locals in town love. They haven't strayed from comedy yet, but might be able to once the restorations are all complete.
Restoring It
After all, some parts of it are dated, and not in a historical way. Sloan hopes to bring back the vintage charm of the place while also keeping it up to date! Who knows what else is hiding within those walls...