Riverside Theater
824 Tonawanda Street,
Buffalo,
NY
14207
824 Tonawanda Street,
Buffalo,
NY
14207
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Grand opening ad posted.
Phone number 1960: RIverside 9477
The Riverside and the Kensington Theaters both opened on Christmas Day 1926. There had also
been a Riverside Theater at 855 Tonawanda St in the 1910s. This theater (#824) was part of the
Schine Chain, which had about 60 theaters running in the Eastern US when it ran the Riverside.
Schines also ran the Granada Theater in Buffalo. A number of other businesses were in the
same building with the theater. The foyer and lobby ran between these businesses, with the
auditorium behind them. The theater also had a Wurlitzer Organ. The Riverside closed in
May 1961, and became an indoor skiing center for a few years. It became vacant after this
venture and was torn down years later.
The Riverside opened December 25,1926 with 1,500 seats. I believe that the architects were Bacon & Lurkey.