Dayton’s Oldest Movie House To Be Razed

posted by Ross Melnick on August 7, 2002 at 11:13 am

DAYTON, OH — Dayton’s oldest movie house, the former Alhambra Theater, will be torn down by the St. Mary Neighborhood Development Corp. which purchased the theater two years ago in an attempt to resurrect the building, according to a report in the Dayton Daily News.

Attempts to save the old Alhambra, which opened in 1912, were hampered by its lingering reputation as an adult theater named the Cinema X. This later incarnation of the Alhambra became the scourge of the mayor in 1999 when patrons were discovered having sex inside, and it had also been the focus of protests back in 1977.

With the non-profit development group now declaring that all options have been exhausted, Dayton’s oldest movie house will soon meet the wrecking ball. New housing is slated to replace it unless, of course, an eleventh hour miracle takes place.