THE PALACE: In the recent issue of Reminisce Extra magazine there is an article about the once many theatres of Lawrence on “theatre row”. In the Lost Memory post the b/w etching of the Palace is beautiful So sad that the ones mentioned in your post have been demolished with the exception of one, but even that one didn’t remain a theatre. After reading the magazine article and the Palace posts I have come to sadly realize that Lawrence MA has lost so much theatre history.
What a lovely theatre in Holland MI, home of the Tulip Festival and Hope College. I happened upon this link as I was researching another Knickerbocker that was in Columbus Ohio. In a recent magazine called Reminisce Extra there is a page entitled When Movies Were Magic and it mentions that the Knickerbocker in Columbus Ohio was owned by the Pancake Brothers. They offered the kids “The Free Show” and sometimes a free bottle of Pepsi or Royal Crown cola. In another article it says that during the 40’s in Lawrence, MA was the only city in the country that had 5 theatres in a one-block area, the Modern, the Broadway and the Palace with the Victoria across the street. Around the corner from “theatre row” was the Premier Theatre on Essex Street. About a quarter mile off Essex on Lawrence Street was the Warner, where Dorothy Lamour once led a war-bond rally. About a mile north of “theatre row” on Broadway was the Star Theatre, where free dishware was given out during Saturday matinees featuring the Buck Rogers serials starring Buster Crabbe. There were also the Capital Theatre on Common Street and the Central Theatre on Haverhill Street. Movies were the main attraction for most of us in those days, and there certainly were many theatres to choose from. These memories were contributed by Bill Guay of Salem, NH and Dale Stone of West Jefferson, OH.
I don’t know downtown Buffalo like my friend who grew up in that city does so can’t say with any certainty about any of the Paramount research. It sure has been interesting to see and read the Paramount interest that has been stirred up lately though.
“Mystery solved. I looked in my 1936 Directory, and the "Great Lakes Theater Building” is listed at 9 West Chippewa St. This would be right on the corner of Main Street and Chippewa. According to a listing of theaters you sent me a while ago, I have listing of Great Lakes at 620 Main St. from 1930 to 1955. It was called the Paramount from 1950 to 1955. I can only recall the corner as being a parking lot next to the old Nemmer Brothers Furniture store,which was converted to the City Center Condominiums by City View Properties (Doug Swift and his partners). The corner lot is now an office building that Doug and his company built a couple years ago."
“I was relaxing after dinner with the new issue of WNY Heritage Magazine,and lo and behold, it has a photo of Main Street showing the Paramount.Yes, the building that was last Nemmer furniture, and was gutted by Doug Swift and his company, CityView Properties and converted to the City Centre Condominium, was indeed the theater. I know that it was pretty much a shell when it was converted and stories were added to it, but I will e-mail Doug to see if any remnants of the theater were incorporated into the building.”
The post provided by CT member, “ken mc” on Feb. 1, 2006 is a Chuck LaChiusa historical site and the Chuck that my Buffalo friend referred to in my July 19 post.
“OK – I just saw Chuck’s site, and there never was a theater at that address. The name Paramount doesn’t mean anything to me, and I just looked in my 1936 and my 1977 city directories, and there is no listing under theaters for Paramount.” These are the comments sent to me via a Buffalo friend.
Lost Memory: I just posted on the Center Theatre link that you provided and mentioned 2 other former theatres in western NYS….Regent in Dunkirk and Geitner in Silver Creek.
It’s interesting to read about the theatres in Buffalo. Unfortunately the word ‘former’ has to be written when talking about the Center and many other theatres in western NYS which also includes the Regent in nearby Dunkirk NY and the Geitner in nearby Silver Creek NY. The Geitner was a proud family run theatre for many years, but now is a teen center with the interior basically gutted except for the lobby ‘with a fireplace’! Incidentally, the present owner grew up in that town so he and his wife recall going to the Geitner when they were dating. They recall the balcony and unique decor, but it is all gone now.
Lost Memory: My Buffalo friend couldn’t shed any additional light on the Paramount address, etc. mystery so keep digging and we’ll get this all sifted through for the sake of the Paramount name in western NYS.
Lost Memory: And hopefully my long time Buffalo resident friend will email me with his personal observations concerning the Paramount and its former location, etc.
Lost Memory: Great research and it just goes to show that some of the CT information isn’t correct so hopefully any future theatre information that is added to CT will be more accurate.
Sam_e: I should have known that you would be able to shed much light onto the Paramount location mystery. Too bad one of the photos on that link doesn’t show the 646 Main location. The next time I’m in Buffalo guess I’ll have to check out that number and see for myself what is now there!
In some of the photos that you provided the beige taller building next to the tallest one looks like it might have been a theatre facade, but strange that no mention of it being a theatre is on that link.
Lost Memory: I just sent a friend of mine in Buffalo an email concerning this address and forwarded to him the Buffalo link so he may be able to shed some light on 620 Main as he has lived in Buffalo all of his life and remembers many of the former theatres and their locations.
William: Do you remember the art deco Buffalo Central Terminal? The clock has been restored on the outside of the building and so has the brass clock inside after it was found and returned from an antique shop in Chicago. Also, this Saturday there will be the first ever car show at BCT. And thanks for checking out the 620 Main Street location in Buffalo.
Bob: Guess you posted the same message on both the Reg link and here so any further discussion about the Wintergarden should probably be here and discussion on the Reg be posted on that link.
Bob: I shall now go to the Wintergarden CT link and chat away! If I can be of any help to you, I will as I do have a few b/w Wintergarden photos in a computer file that you might appreciate.
THE PALACE: In the recent issue of Reminisce Extra magazine there is an article about the once many theatres of Lawrence on “theatre row”. In the Lost Memory post the b/w etching of the Palace is beautiful So sad that the ones mentioned in your post have been demolished with the exception of one, but even that one didn’t remain a theatre. After reading the magazine article and the Palace posts I have come to sadly realize that Lawrence MA has lost so much theatre history.
What a lovely theatre in Holland MI, home of the Tulip Festival and Hope College. I happened upon this link as I was researching another Knickerbocker that was in Columbus Ohio. In a recent magazine called Reminisce Extra there is a page entitled When Movies Were Magic and it mentions that the Knickerbocker in Columbus Ohio was owned by the Pancake Brothers. They offered the kids “The Free Show” and sometimes a free bottle of Pepsi or Royal Crown cola. In another article it says that during the 40’s in Lawrence, MA was the only city in the country that had 5 theatres in a one-block area, the Modern, the Broadway and the Palace with the Victoria across the street. Around the corner from “theatre row” was the Premier Theatre on Essex Street. About a quarter mile off Essex on Lawrence Street was the Warner, where Dorothy Lamour once led a war-bond rally. About a mile north of “theatre row” on Broadway was the Star Theatre, where free dishware was given out during Saturday matinees featuring the Buck Rogers serials starring Buster Crabbe. There were also the Capital Theatre on Common Street and the Central Theatre on Haverhill Street. Movies were the main attraction for most of us in those days, and there certainly were many theatres to choose from. These memories were contributed by Bill Guay of Salem, NH and Dale Stone of West Jefferson, OH.
I don’t know downtown Buffalo like my friend who grew up in that city does so can’t say with any certainty about any of the Paramount research. It sure has been interesting to see and read the Paramount interest that has been stirred up lately though.
“Mystery solved. I looked in my 1936 Directory, and the "Great Lakes Theater Building” is listed at 9 West Chippewa St. This would be right on the corner of Main Street and Chippewa. According to a listing of theaters you sent me a while ago, I have listing of Great Lakes at 620 Main St. from 1930 to 1955. It was called the Paramount from 1950 to 1955. I can only recall the corner as being a parking lot next to the old Nemmer Brothers Furniture store,which was converted to the City Center Condominiums by City View Properties (Doug Swift and his partners). The corner lot is now an office building that Doug and his company built a couple years ago."
Another email from my Buffalo friend.
“I was relaxing after dinner with the new issue of WNY Heritage Magazine,and lo and behold, it has a photo of Main Street showing the Paramount.Yes, the building that was last Nemmer furniture, and was gutted by Doug Swift and his company, CityView Properties and converted to the City Centre Condominium, was indeed the theater. I know that it was pretty much a shell when it was converted and stories were added to it, but I will e-mail Doug to see if any remnants of the theater were incorporated into the building.”
The above quote is from my Buffalo friend.
Do you only do pen and ink? And do you have a studio that I could visit in Kannapolis?
The post provided by CT member, “ken mc” on Feb. 1, 2006 is a Chuck LaChiusa historical site and the Chuck that my Buffalo friend referred to in my July 19 post.
“OK – I just saw Chuck’s site, and there never was a theater at that address. The name Paramount doesn’t mean anything to me, and I just looked in my 1936 and my 1977 city directories, and there is no listing under theaters for Paramount.” These are the comments sent to me via a Buffalo friend.
Lost Memory: I just posted on the Center Theatre link that you provided and mentioned 2 other former theatres in western NYS….Regent in Dunkirk and Geitner in Silver Creek.
It’s interesting to read about the theatres in Buffalo. Unfortunately the word ‘former’ has to be written when talking about the Center and many other theatres in western NYS which also includes the Regent in nearby Dunkirk NY and the Geitner in nearby Silver Creek NY. The Geitner was a proud family run theatre for many years, but now is a teen center with the interior basically gutted except for the lobby ‘with a fireplace’! Incidentally, the present owner grew up in that town so he and his wife recall going to the Geitner when they were dating. They recall the balcony and unique decor, but it is all gone now.
Lost Memory: My Buffalo friend couldn’t shed any additional light on the Paramount address, etc. mystery so keep digging and we’ll get this all sifted through for the sake of the Paramount name in western NYS.
This theatre is listed as having over 3,000 seats so this was no theatre to sneeze at, size-wise.
Lost Memory: And hopefully my long time Buffalo resident friend will email me with his personal observations concerning the Paramount and its former location, etc.
Lost Memory: Great research and it just goes to show that some of the CT information isn’t correct so hopefully any future theatre information that is added to CT will be more accurate.
Sam_e: I don’t exactly when I’ll be going into Buffalo, but will check out these numbers and locations at that time.
Sam_e: I should have known that you would be able to shed much light onto the Paramount location mystery. Too bad one of the photos on that link doesn’t show the 646 Main location. The next time I’m in Buffalo guess I’ll have to check out that number and see for myself what is now there!
Bryan: I see that your name is after the description and location of this former theatre so perhaps you could recheck the 620 Main information.
In some of the photos that you provided the beige taller building next to the tallest one looks like it might have been a theatre facade, but strange that no mention of it being a theatre is on that link.
Lost Memory: I just sent a friend of mine in Buffalo an email concerning this address and forwarded to him the Buffalo link so he may be able to shed some light on 620 Main as he has lived in Buffalo all of his life and remembers many of the former theatres and their locations.
William: Do you remember the art deco Buffalo Central Terminal? The clock has been restored on the outside of the building and so has the brass clock inside after it was found and returned from an antique shop in Chicago. Also, this Saturday there will be the first ever car show at BCT. And thanks for checking out the 620 Main Street location in Buffalo.
Would still like to see a photo of the Strand that once stood in Ithaca.
I’d sure like to know who the architect was for the Wintergarden. And the place held 1,000 seats?
Bob: Guess you posted the same message on both the Reg link and here so any further discussion about the Wintergarden should probably be here and discussion on the Reg be posted on that link.
What is at 620 Main Street now that the Paramount is gone?
Bob: I shall now go to the Wintergarden CT link and chat away! If I can be of any help to you, I will as I do have a few b/w Wintergarden photos in a computer file that you might appreciate.