the hall was modified into a first-rate cinema, with new projection equipment and cushioned chairs arranged in sloped auditorium seating. The debut movie in the refitted hall was One Foot in Heaven on December 9, 1941, followed the next week by The Maltese Falcon. Over the years the latest Hollywood movies would screen in Pequot Lakes just as they did in major cities around the nation. Although tickets cost 12¢ or less for children and 35¢ or less for adults, the cinema proved to be a significant money-maker, bolstered by the growing numbers of summer tourists. The Commercial Club was able to self-fund maintenance and upgrades for the building while proceeds were channeled into community improvements. By mid-1953 the theater had generated $25,000 in profits that went toward a new medical clinic, street paving, the fire department, and local schools. Community groups continued to meet in the hall, and no longer had to pay any kind of rental fee. Later history The widespread adoption of television finally caused movie attendance to drop, and new local venues such as a high school auditorium reduced the Cole Memorial Building's importance as an event space. The hall's final film screening took place in August 1967. The year before a seniors club had been organized in the building, and they took the opportunity to repurpose it into a senior center. The sloping auditorium floor was removed and the stage area was converted into a kitchen and restrooms. The basement remained largely disused for decades, but in 1997 the Pequot Lakes Historical Society organized and developed the lower level into a local history museum. Exhibits are specialized on the 1930s and 1940s, with displays on military service as well as period recreations of a local classroom, kitchen, bedroom, and general store. A display on the building's history as a movie theater includes original projection equipment and seating. The park surrounding the building was originally much larger, with a baseball diamond to the north, but that parcel was sold off in 1983. In 2007 the historical society and the city government received a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society that allowed them to renovate the building's main floor. The hardwood floors were restored, new windows installed, interior walls painted, the kitchen improved, and an elevator installed. The building continues to be available for events. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Crow Wing County,