The Poplar Theatre was opened as a movie house in December of 1916 with a Bartola pipe organ. The Poplar was converted to sound to remain vaible. In 1938, the venue had a run as the Cinema Art Theatre beginning on September 15, 1938 which may have also been called the Poplar Cinema Art Theatre very briefly.
It was renamed the Poplar Theatre in 1938 and, under Stanley Warner Circuit, it closed early in 1947. It reopened with foreign films independently months later and closed. It reopened independently once again with Jewish-themed films on October 15, 1948 closing at year’s end likely at the end of lease. It was used for religious services into the early 1950s before being converted for a variety of other purposes.
According to the local paper, the original architectural style of the Pelham was Colonial. It was updated in 1924, 1933, 1941 and 1951 where it would gradually lose those Colonial features.
The Upsal Theatre was given a streamline moderne makeover in March of 1941 by operators Sidney and Edward Kapner. The Upsal permanently closed on March 19, 1950 with a double feature of “Roughshod” and “Tarzan’s Desert Mystery.” The City of Philadelphia took on the venue for the Police Athletic League until being sold again in 1954.
Apex Theatres Circuit closed the Village 8 on March 18, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. After having some weekend popcorns sales, the theatre reopened June 12, 2020 but closed six weeks later on July 31, 2020. The theatre bucked the trend of discount houses that closed permanently during COVID-19 by returning with a grand reopening on July 1, 2021 playing sub-run discount films. Unfortunately, the vast majority of discount houses in the United States did not survive through 2021/2022. The Village 8 experimented with first-run fare beginning in September of 2021 before announcing its permanent closure on April 21, 2022 to occur at month’s end.
Movie One Theatres Circuit launched the Sepersaver Cinema 8 venue in 1989 as a discount, second-run operation. In 1998, it was taken over by Silver Cinemas. In 2002, Denny Moran took on the venue on a sublease from Landmark/Silver as the Westwood Cinema 8.
The Westwood Cinemas 8 closed for the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020. It reopened on June 12, 2020. The venue closed permanently though outlasting most - if not all other - Midwestern discount movie houses on April 17, 2022. Its contents were listed for auctioning off a month later. Final showings were Marry Me, Scream (2022), Encanto, Sing 2, Death on the Nile, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Clifford: The Big Red Dog, and Blacklight.
Paragon Theaters closed here Southern Pines following showtimes on Thursday, March 24, 2022 at the end of a leasing term. A new operator had been identified to potentially continue operations.
It was overhauled in 1929 by the Film Art’s Guild Circuit becoming the Film Guild Cinema on March 24, 1929 with Ivan Zamychkovsky in “Two Days,‘ “Hands, “Fall of the House of Usher,” and Charlie Chaplin’s “1 a.m.” It was the same bill used by the Guild to open its New York cinema. That operation lasted just under a year closing February 28, 1930 with “Because I Loved You.”
The Film Guild Cinema became the Hollywood Theatre on March 2, 1930 launching with Mae Murray in “Peacock Alley.” The Hollywood was, like the Film Guild Cinema, a flop and was discontinued less than a year later.
The Hollywood Theatre became the Europa Theatre on January 14, 1930. The Europa primarily played European films - a return to a policy resembling the former Film Guild programming. The theatre was refreshed in 1936 to a more streamlined look by architects Thalheimer and Wietz with construction by United Building & Construction.
Dorothy Goldberg took on the venue in 1938 and it became the Studio Theatre on November 16, 1938 with “Grand Illusion.” The Studio would return to an art theatre policy before its final stretch as an adult theater showing XXX films and, for a period, adding live adult stage shows. The Studio Theatre was raided April 5, 1978 which appears to have been in its final curtain call.
Technically, there is no evidence that the venue ever operated as the “Film Guild Theatre.” Also, the Cinema Art Theatre was at 6th and Poplar and there appears to be no such operational name at 1632 Market. So technically, the venue had five names (the Studio Theatre also known as the Regent Theatre, the Film Guild Cinema, the Hollywood Theatre, and the Europa Theatre) for those who might seek such information.
The Grand Berry Theatre closed for the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020. It reopened on June 19, 2020. Just two weeks later, the theatre re-closed for the pandemic and reopened with regular showtimes on September 25, 2020. The Grand Berry was then closed permanently on March 27, 2022 with its fixtures sold off.
The Regent was overhauled in 1929 by the Film Art’s Guild Circuit becoming the Film Guild Cinema on March 24, 1929 with Ivan Zamychkovsky in “Two Days,‘ "Hands, "Fall of the House of Usher,” and Charlie Chaplin’s “1 a.m.” It was the same bill used by the Guild to open its New York cinema.
AMC closed its AMC Classic Lincolnton 8 for COVID-19 on March 16, 2020 along with the rest of the circuit’s locations. It reopened the venue on October 16, 2020. The venue was then closed at the end of a leasing term following showtimes on January 31, 2022
Shooting for an Elizabethan architectural style, the Fairmount Theatre launched September 8, 1913. It was J. Fred Zimmerman’s third theatre. Patterned Weber and Fields' Music Hall, the white exterior theatre with white marble floors was nicknamed, “The Little White House.” Bathed in green and gold on its interior, the theatre would transition from vaudeville and plays to movies. The Stanley-Warner took on the venue modernizing it and later closing it at the end of lease on August 12, 1958 with “Bridge of the River Kwai” and “Man from God’s Country.”
The local paper says that the Motion Picture Guild which operated art houses in Washington (its first house in 1926 was the Wardman Park), Baltimore and Detroit, built this theatre in 1928 to the plans of Solomon Kaplan. The Little Theatre launched on October 8, 1928 with Fritz Lang’s UFA film, “Siegfried” supported but the one reel UFA film, “Killing the Killer.” The theatre became the Vogue Theatre and was sold off on December 11, 1936 becoming a furniture store.
Charles Segall opened the New Apollo Theatre in October of 1915. It had a 45 year run under that name closing on April 3, 1960 with “For Here to Eternity” and “Sabrina.” The theatre was overhauled under new owner, Paul Klieman, becoming the Capital Theatre with a preview opening on May 23, 1961 and grand public opening the next night both with “Sanctuary” and “The Unforgiven.” Klieman defied the odds operating the aged movie house as an independent, single-screen operation for 31 years. It closed June 21, 1992 with “Class Act.” It was retrofitted for other retail purposes.
The Star Theatre was a $20,000 venue built in 1914 for John Knoell. Louis Sheffitt performed a 1941 remodeling to the plans of David Supowitz. James Milgram closed the theatre at the expiry of a second 20-year lease in 1954 and was taken over by new operators becoming the Starlite Ballroom later in 1954. A picture of the new Starlite Ballroom is in photos.
The Capitol Theatre launched September 15, 1919 with Wallace Reid in “Valley of the Giants.” The Capitol was equipped for sound ten years later to remain viable. Stanley Warner Circuit closed the venue after 30 years with “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “Singing Guns” on July 6, 1950.
Why does it state that there is “little information on this theatre”? That seems to be quite untrue. Virtually every booking is listed in the local paper and it is given coverage in the trade press of the day. It has complete coverage in film yearbooks. What more does one want?
A . Fred Zimmerman launched the New Liberty on December 5, 1910 with acts ranging from the DeCosta Troupe to The Four TransAtlantics. It was located at 1425-1431 Columbia Avenue. The former Liberty Theatre was to have been razed with the new theater in the same spot according to articles in 1909 when the project was announced. However, when the project was actually created, the building plans allowed the former Liberty to remain in place continuing as a low-priced vaudeville house at 5 and 10 cent matinee shows. The upgraded New Liberty was proposed as a 2400-seat facility but reduced to a 1900-seat facility that had 800 balcony seats supported by a cantilever system 72 feet long. The venue was steel reinforced, fireproof, and had an exterior of brick and terra cotta. The venue was created with a Louis XV architectural style with decorations to match. The architect was famed Boston, Philadelphia and New York theater designer, Albert E. Westover. It opened with M.W. Taylor at the helm as a vaudeville house.
The Liberty switched away from vaudeville to motion pictures and equipped for sound to remain viable. It celebrated its 58th birthday in December of 1968 but that would be its swan song. “The Liberty Theater closed January 1, 1968 with “Africa Addio,” George Peppard in “Rough Night in Jericho” and James Drury in “The Young Warriors.” It was later demolished.
Mae Desmond’s Desmond Theatre had opened October 14, 1922 with live theatre in the long-standing People’s Theatre. She ceased operations in 1926. The former People’s/Desmond building which had opened August 23, 1890 to the plans of George Plowman - was then sold to Mercantile and Stores Properties, Inc. and demolished in 1927. In its place was a $2 million mixed use property containing a proposed Kenton Theatre designed by Hoffman-Hebron later shortened to the Kent Theatre.
The Kent was a $1.4 million investment and leased to the Stanley Circuit for 40 years. It opened January 16, 1928 with Reed Howes in “The Racing Fool.” Stanley Warner closed the Kent Theatre with a double-feature of “Shuttered Room” and “Vengeance of Fu Manchu” on March 5, 1968 at the end of lease. Home to drug dealers and prostitutes, in the late 1980s, the building was razed in February of 1989.
Movie Tavern by Marcus Green Oaks was closed permanently by Marcus in December of 2020. Look Cinemas took on the location scheduled to open in later in 2022.
The Poplar Theatre was opened as a movie house in December of 1916 with a Bartola pipe organ. The Poplar was converted to sound to remain vaible. In 1938, the venue had a run as the Cinema Art Theatre beginning on September 15, 1938 which may have also been called the Poplar Cinema Art Theatre very briefly.
It was renamed the Poplar Theatre in 1938 and, under Stanley Warner Circuit, it closed early in 1947. It reopened with foreign films independently months later and closed. It reopened independently once again with Jewish-themed films on October 15, 1948 closing at year’s end likely at the end of lease. It was used for religious services into the early 1950s before being converted for a variety of other purposes.
According to the local paper, the original architectural style of the Pelham was Colonial. It was updated in 1924, 1933, 1941 and 1951 where it would gradually lose those Colonial features.
The Upsal Theatre was given a streamline moderne makeover in March of 1941 by operators Sidney and Edward Kapner. The Upsal permanently closed on March 19, 1950 with a double feature of “Roughshod” and “Tarzan’s Desert Mystery.” The City of Philadelphia took on the venue for the Police Athletic League until being sold again in 1954.
Apex Theatres Circuit closed the Village 8 on March 18, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. After having some weekend popcorns sales, the theatre reopened June 12, 2020 but closed six weeks later on July 31, 2020. The theatre bucked the trend of discount houses that closed permanently during COVID-19 by returning with a grand reopening on July 1, 2021 playing sub-run discount films. Unfortunately, the vast majority of discount houses in the United States did not survive through 2021/2022. The Village 8 experimented with first-run fare beginning in September of 2021 before announcing its permanent closure on April 21, 2022 to occur at month’s end.
Movie One Theatres Circuit launched the Sepersaver Cinema 8 venue in 1989 as a discount, second-run operation. In 1998, it was taken over by Silver Cinemas. In 2002, Denny Moran took on the venue on a sublease from Landmark/Silver as the Westwood Cinema 8.
The Westwood Cinemas 8 closed for the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020. It reopened on June 12, 2020. The venue closed permanently though outlasting most - if not all other - Midwestern discount movie houses on April 17, 2022. Its contents were listed for auctioning off a month later. Final showings were Marry Me, Scream (2022), Encanto, Sing 2, Death on the Nile, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Clifford: The Big Red Dog, and Blacklight.
Looks like this Franklin Theatre it closed at the end of 1922 after being offered for sale.
Definitely open - yes
Paragon Theaters closed here Southern Pines following showtimes on Thursday, March 24, 2022 at the end of a leasing term. A new operator had been identified to potentially continue operations.
The Regent opened in 1913.
It was overhauled in 1929 by the Film Art’s Guild Circuit becoming the Film Guild Cinema on March 24, 1929 with Ivan Zamychkovsky in “Two Days,‘ “Hands, “Fall of the House of Usher,” and Charlie Chaplin’s “1 a.m.” It was the same bill used by the Guild to open its New York cinema. That operation lasted just under a year closing February 28, 1930 with “Because I Loved You.”
The Film Guild Cinema became the Hollywood Theatre on March 2, 1930 launching with Mae Murray in “Peacock Alley.” The Hollywood was, like the Film Guild Cinema, a flop and was discontinued less than a year later. The Hollywood Theatre became the Europa Theatre on January 14, 1930. The Europa primarily played European films - a return to a policy resembling the former Film Guild programming. The theatre was refreshed in 1936 to a more streamlined look by architects Thalheimer and Wietz with construction by United Building & Construction.
Dorothy Goldberg took on the venue in 1938 and it became the Studio Theatre on November 16, 1938 with “Grand Illusion.” The Studio would return to an art theatre policy before its final stretch as an adult theater showing XXX films and, for a period, adding live adult stage shows. The Studio Theatre was raided April 5, 1978 which appears to have been in its final curtain call.
Technically, there is no evidence that the venue ever operated as the “Film Guild Theatre.” Also, the Cinema Art Theatre was at 6th and Poplar and there appears to be no such operational name at 1632 Market. So technically, the venue had five names (the Studio Theatre also known as the Regent Theatre, the Film Guild Cinema, the Hollywood Theatre, and the Europa Theatre) for those who might seek such information.
The Grand Berry Theatre closed for the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020. It reopened on June 19, 2020. Just two weeks later, the theatre re-closed for the pandemic and reopened with regular showtimes on September 25, 2020. The Grand Berry was then closed permanently on March 27, 2022 with its fixtures sold off.
Santikos closed the art house Bijou on March 31, 2022 with its lease due and the Wonderland Mall housing the venue in greyfield status.
The Regent was overhauled in 1929 by the Film Art’s Guild Circuit becoming the Film Guild Cinema on March 24, 1929 with Ivan Zamychkovsky in “Two Days,‘ "Hands, "Fall of the House of Usher,” and Charlie Chaplin’s “1 a.m.” It was the same bill used by the Guild to open its New York cinema.
Architecture by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Sorry - interior and snack bar in June of 2020 of the Grand Berry
AMC closed its AMC Classic Lincolnton 8 for COVID-19 on March 16, 2020 along with the rest of the circuit’s locations. It reopened the venue on October 16, 2020. The venue was then closed at the end of a leasing term following showtimes on January 31, 2022
Opened January 31, 1910 with movies and vaudeville acts.
Shooting for an Elizabethan architectural style, the Fairmount Theatre launched September 8, 1913. It was J. Fred Zimmerman’s third theatre. Patterned Weber and Fields' Music Hall, the white exterior theatre with white marble floors was nicknamed, “The Little White House.” Bathed in green and gold on its interior, the theatre would transition from vaudeville and plays to movies. The Stanley-Warner took on the venue modernizing it and later closing it at the end of lease on August 12, 1958 with “Bridge of the River Kwai” and “Man from God’s Country.”
The local paper says that the Motion Picture Guild which operated art houses in Washington (its first house in 1926 was the Wardman Park), Baltimore and Detroit, built this theatre in 1928 to the plans of Solomon Kaplan. The Little Theatre launched on October 8, 1928 with Fritz Lang’s UFA film, “Siegfried” supported but the one reel UFA film, “Killing the Killer.” The theatre became the Vogue Theatre and was sold off on December 11, 1936 becoming a furniture store.
Charles Segall opened the New Apollo Theatre in October of 1915. It had a 45 year run under that name closing on April 3, 1960 with “For Here to Eternity” and “Sabrina.” The theatre was overhauled under new owner, Paul Klieman, becoming the Capital Theatre with a preview opening on May 23, 1961 and grand public opening the next night both with “Sanctuary” and “The Unforgiven.” Klieman defied the odds operating the aged movie house as an independent, single-screen operation for 31 years. It closed June 21, 1992 with “Class Act.” It was retrofitted for other retail purposes.
The Star Theatre was a $20,000 venue built in 1914 for John Knoell. Louis Sheffitt performed a 1941 remodeling to the plans of David Supowitz. James Milgram closed the theatre at the expiry of a second 20-year lease in 1954 and was taken over by new operators becoming the Starlite Ballroom later in 1954. A picture of the new Starlite Ballroom is in photos.
The Capitol Theatre launched September 15, 1919 with Wallace Reid in “Valley of the Giants.” The Capitol was equipped for sound ten years later to remain viable. Stanley Warner Circuit closed the venue after 30 years with “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “Singing Guns” on July 6, 1950.
Why does it state that there is “little information on this theatre”? That seems to be quite untrue. Virtually every booking is listed in the local paper and it is given coverage in the trade press of the day. It has complete coverage in film yearbooks. What more does one want?
A . Fred Zimmerman launched the New Liberty on December 5, 1910 with acts ranging from the DeCosta Troupe to The Four TransAtlantics. It was located at 1425-1431 Columbia Avenue. The former Liberty Theatre was to have been razed with the new theater in the same spot according to articles in 1909 when the project was announced. However, when the project was actually created, the building plans allowed the former Liberty to remain in place continuing as a low-priced vaudeville house at 5 and 10 cent matinee shows. The upgraded New Liberty was proposed as a 2400-seat facility but reduced to a 1900-seat facility that had 800 balcony seats supported by a cantilever system 72 feet long. The venue was steel reinforced, fireproof, and had an exterior of brick and terra cotta. The venue was created with a Louis XV architectural style with decorations to match. The architect was famed Boston, Philadelphia and New York theater designer, Albert E. Westover. It opened with M.W. Taylor at the helm as a vaudeville house.
The Liberty switched away from vaudeville to motion pictures and equipped for sound to remain viable. It celebrated its 58th birthday in December of 1968 but that would be its swan song. “The Liberty Theater closed January 1, 1968 with “Africa Addio,” George Peppard in “Rough Night in Jericho” and James Drury in “The Young Warriors.” It was later demolished.
Mae Desmond’s Desmond Theatre had opened October 14, 1922 with live theatre in the long-standing People’s Theatre. She ceased operations in 1926. The former People’s/Desmond building which had opened August 23, 1890 to the plans of George Plowman - was then sold to Mercantile and Stores Properties, Inc. and demolished in 1927. In its place was a $2 million mixed use property containing a proposed Kenton Theatre designed by Hoffman-Hebron later shortened to the Kent Theatre.
The Kent was a $1.4 million investment and leased to the Stanley Circuit for 40 years. It opened January 16, 1928 with Reed Howes in “The Racing Fool.” Stanley Warner closed the Kent Theatre with a double-feature of “Shuttered Room” and “Vengeance of Fu Manchu” on March 5, 1968 at the end of lease. Home to drug dealers and prostitutes, in the late 1980s, the building was razed in February of 1989.
Movie Tavern by Marcus Green Oaks was closed permanently by Marcus in December of 2020. Look Cinemas took on the location scheduled to open in later in 2022.
Reopened March 4, 2022