On page 113 of the book Downtown Chicago’s Historic Theatres by Konrad Schiecke it states that the Theatorium opened at 178 N. State in 1908 with 299 seats, owned by V.C. Seaver.
The farthest North of the State Street nickelodians.
I believe it was 1907 or just earlier though, because the Theatorium sign appears in Han Behms 1907 photo, and that was the year the clock on the State & Randolph corner of Marshall Fields was installed.
The clock is not up yet in the 1907 photo link below.
Click on View Full Size for incredible detail.
(Either way, it did not open in 1911 as the CT Overview states. It opened in 1907 at the earliest.)
The following is credit John Conway via the Local History of Sullivan County, New York Facebook page.
(I deleted a paragraph regarding a 2015 bus tour)
RETROSPECT by John Conway June 5, 2015
SULLIVAN COUNTY’S FIRST DRIVE-IN
It was June of 1949 and people from Roscoe to Bloomingburgh were all abuzz about an upcoming event that promised to usher in a new era of entertainment in Sullivan County.
Everywhere local residents turned, it seemed, there were announcements about the impending grand opening of the revolutionary Mountain Drive-In in Liberty, the county’s first drive in movie theater.
Although the nation’s first modern drive-in theater had opened for business on June 6, 1933 in Camden, New Jersey, Sullivan County was really not that far behind the times. By 1940 there were still only 18 drive-ins in all of America, and by 1942, still fewer than 100. While there were still fewer than 1000 drive-in theaters in the country by the time Mountain Drive-in opened, the boom was underway, and more than 4,000 drive-ins would be constructed throughout the U.S. before the end of the next decade.
The Mountain Drive-In was the brainchild of Dr. Luther F. Grant, a prominent Liberty physician with a flair for the dramatic. Grant formed a corporation called Mountain Drive-In Theater, Inc. and hired D. Fred Hoffmann, a veteran movie house manager from Baltimore, to oversee the operation. The new venture was located on a tract of land on Route 52 between Liberty and Loch Sheldrake that had once been part of the Vantran farm.
The facility was built and equipped utilizing mostly local vendors, including George Asthalter Excavating, Livingston Manor, Kohler and Leonard lumberyards, Sullivan County Plumbing and Heating Supply, Liberty Electric Supply, and Sabloff Brothers. Propane and gas-fired kitchen equipment was purchased from Benton Brothers Gas Company of Liberty, and concession fare, which included “fresh hot dogs, ice cream, popcorn, soft drinks, candy, milk and chocolate milk,” from Brikers Brothers Wholesale Candy Supply of Liberty and Fairmont Foods Company of Livingston Manor. Liberty brokers Cross & Brown provided insurance coverage.
The Mountain Drive- In was originally designed to accommodate about 520 cars and between 250 and 300 walk-ins, who were able to watch from a separate area. A state-of-the-art sound system was installed that provided for a speaker in every car, each with its own volume control. Admission was 60 cents per person, which included ten cents federal tax.
It wasn’t until less than a week before the grand opening that a feature film was decided upon. In fact, one of the last press releases issued by the theater company touting the opening admitted that no film had yet been picked.
“The county’s first drive-in theater, an outdoor arena in which you may sit in your car and view a movie with your own private amplifier, will open on Saturday of next week, it was announced today by D. Fred Hoffmann, who will manage the theater,” the Liberty Register newspaper reported on June 9. “Just what feature will be shown on opening night Mr. Hoffmann was unable to announce, as arrangements for this are still in process.’
On Thursday, June 16, just two days before the grand opening, the Register ran a large ad announcing that there would actually be “two glorious Technicolor features” shown on opening night. The inaugural film would be “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Turhan Bey. And that would be followed by Claude Rains, Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster in “Phantom of the Opera.”
Few if any filmgoers that first evening would ever realize that though it was totally coincidental, it was a tad ironic, that a Jon Hall film would help make Liberty history. The handsome leading man who was born Charles Felix Locher had a few years previously spent time at the nearby Loomis Sanatorium recovering from tuberculosis.
After a three day engagement, the initial two films were replaced the following Tuesday by the already nearly seven year old John Wayne movie “Pittsburgh” with Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott, as well as the even older Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. adventure, “Green Hell.” The theater’s second weekend would feature Abbott & Costello in the 1942 comedic romp, “Pardon My Sarong.”
It has not been recorded how many people turned out to watch movies “rain or moon” those early days at the Mountain Drive-In, but it was probably substantial, or at least satisfactory. The concept of watching a movie from the privacy of your own vehicle really caught on all over America during the 1950s, and Sullivan County was no exception. While indoor movie theaters were losing favor with the American people—5,000 of them closed down between the years 1948 and 1958—drive-ins were not only becoming more numerous, they were getting bigger, too.
Liberty’s Mountain Drive-In was fairly good sized for a rural area when it opened, but within a few years more and more drive-ins would open that could accommodate thousands, not hundreds of cars. Of course, most of those were in more urban areas, and none were larger than the Troy Drive-In in Detroit, Michigan, which could service up to 3,000 cars. There were two drive-ins on Long Island in the 1950s that could handle 2,500 cars each, one of which covered 28 acres, featuring an indoor viewing area, a full restaurant, a cafeteria and a playground, as well as a shuttle train to ferry customers from one area to the other.
Drive-ins in more rural areas were far less exotic, and were typically built more along the lines of the Mountain or Sullivan County’s only other such venture, the Rock Hill Drive-In, which opened in July of 1950.
“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, the first movie ever shown at the Mountain Drive-In in Liberty, Sullivan County’s first drive-in.
Rock Hill Drive-In opened on July 1st, 1950.
It was located at Route 17 and Glen Wild Road, with entrances on both sides.
4 miles South of Monticello.
Operated by Route 17 Drive In Corp.
Designed by Lloyd Monroe.
First manager was Jack Porte.
It closed after the 1977 season.
4 images added credit Brent Starr Sr.
This history credit the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre.
The first theatre on the site of the Strand Theatre was the Avenue, which opened on January 23, 1907. Later that year the Avenue Theatre became the Orpheum Theatre, managed by Charles and George Hammond. Opening night was October 22, 1907.
The Orpheum was not a plush theatre and it only seated about 100 people, but its Vaudeville shows were the rage of the day. Prices were 5 and 10 cents, with 5 cent seats being chairs in the back and the 10 cent seats being benches up front. For variety, the management changed shows three times a week so there were always new acts appearing on the Orpheum’s stage. It was open every evening at 7:15 and 8:15.
The Orpheum closed on April 15, 1915 and a new theatre, the Strand, was then built on the same site at a cost of $50,000 including $10,000 for a fine pipe organ. It opened the day before Thanksgiving in 1915 with a movie entitled “Graustark,” starring Beverly Bane, Francis X, Bushmane and Edna Mayo. The Strand continued to operate as a movie theatre for 43 years until it closed in 1958 by the owners, the Shea Corporation. Two generations of Guernsey County movie-goers had grown p with fond memories of the Saturday matinees, the serials and the cowboy shows at the Strand.
In 1976, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre was organize under the direction of Don Mercer for the purpose of restoring the Strand Theatre as a place where live theatrical entertainment could again be presented in Cambridge. On September 10, 1977, after almost 20 years of rest, the doors reopened with the musical Gypsy.
Subsequently, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre merged with the Cambridge Community Theater and with funds bequeathed by the late Sara Cowgill, purchased the building. The Strand Theatre has thus become the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre, permanent home of the Cambridge Community Theater.
Live theatrical entertainment will continue to be presented “for the enjoyment and edification of our patrons.”
Here is a link to a Facebook post by Sylvia Daniel with 11 photos from 1972 including the projectors.
The link will take you to the first of the photos, which you can then scroll through.
Her description is below.
The Pix Theater on 12th Ave South, was one place I spent many weekend’s at when I was growing up as a teen in the 70’s.
The movies, that ticket booth out on the side walk, the old marquee, concessions, peeking into the projector room upstairs on my way to the woman’s restroom, and the cry room are many things I will never forget.
Mary ran the place, and had her “guy’s” handy to toss anybody out that got disorderly. What fun day’s those were.
This is one of the many places I had always wished I had pictures of the inside of.
Well yesterday was my lucky day, when I got a blast from the past in an email with these images of the Pix Theatre as we knew it in about 1972.
There is a Poseidon Adventure upcoming movie displayed here, which was released in December 1972.
Credit’s go to: Ronnie George’s father Marvin George was a Motion Picture Projectionist for years, he worked at most every place around the valley that showed movies, so Ronnie got to see a lot of free movies as he was growing up.
How lucky! And how lucky for us that his father Marvin had the good sense to snap some pictures of the inside of the Pix.
Who would have really thought to do that back then? We know better now.
THANK YOU again Ronnie George, for sharing these with us. In these images you will see shot’s of the old carbon arc projectors #3939 and #3737.
There is one picture of the platter projector that replaced them #215317-r1-08-8. This replaced the old style one’s in the mid seventies.
There are various shot’s of the snack bar and lobby. There is one shot to the ladies restroom upstairs.
1/23/18
Here is the CinemaTour page for the Star Theatre.
Including 5 Ron Pierce photos.
Also below is a link to a photo from the Wikipedia page for the Knights of Pythia Lodge Hall.
1949 image and business card added.
Spelling should be changed to “Theatre”.
Closed approximately 1967.
As of 2016, the building houses the DeGraff Annex Library & Police Department.
This history credit the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre.
The first theatre on the site of the Strand Theatre was the Avenue, which opened on January 23, 1907. Later that year the Avenue Theatre became the Orpheum Theatre, managed by Charles and George Hammond. Opening night was October 22, 1907.
The Orpheum was not a plush theatre and it only seated about 100 people, but its Vaudeville shows were the rage of the day. Prices were 5 and 10 cents, with 5 cent seats being chairs in the back and the 10 cent seats being benches up front. For variety, the management changed shows three times a week so there were always new acts appearing on the Orpheum’s stage. It was open every evening at 7:15 and 8:15.
The Orpheum closed on April 15, 1915 and a new theatre, the Strand, was then built on the same site at a cost of $50,000 including $10,000 for a fine pipe organ. It opened the day before Thanksgiving in 1915 with a movie entitled “Graustark,” starring Beverly Bane, Francis X, Bushmane and Edna Mayo. The Strand continued to operate as a movie theatre for 43 years until it closed in 1958 by the owners, the Shea Corporation. Two generations of Guernsey County movie-goers had grown p with fond memories of the Saturday matinees, the serials and the cowboy shows at the Strand.
In 1976, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre was organize under the direction of Don Mercer for the purpose of restoring the Strand Theatre as a place where live theatrical entertainment could again be presented in Cambridge. On September 10, 1977, after almost 20 years of rest, the doors reopened with the musical Gypsy.
Subsequently, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre merged with the Cambridge Community Theater and with funds bequeathed by the late Sara Cowgill, puchased the building. The Strand Theatre has thus become the Cambridge Peforming Arts Centre, permanent home of the Cambridge Community Theater.
Live theatrical entertainment will continue to be presented “for the enjoyment and edification of our patrons.”
Multiple photos from 1910 and up added.
The Colonial was the Scottish Rite Building before the 1968 fire.
Same Scottish Rite likely that is today in the former State Theatre building up the street on Wheeling Avenue.
Mid `40s photo added via Dave Holdren.
It shows the theatre was actually next door to the right of the previously posted photo in the Overview.
Cort Theatre address was 804 Wheeling Ave.
After closing it became Morton’s Millenary Shop. (source of the address confirmation)
Huntington Bank is at that address today.
So it was either demolished or radically modified.
Via Andrew Charles:
Live Album “Ultimate Revenge 2” recorded @ the Troc 1988. Featuring Death, Dark Angel Forbidden, Raven and Philly’s own Faith or Fear.
(Apparently video was recorded as well)
Multiple photos added, credited individually.
4 photos added, 3 as the Fillmore, Hollywood & Rogers.
August 1955 photo added credit Sharon Morehead.
January 2018 article ranking Grand Theatre as #5 venue worldwide. Via the Grand Theatre Wausau Facebook page. 1928 photo also added to Photos Section.
https://www.wausaudailyherald.com/story/entertainment/2018/01/08/wausaus-grand-theater-ranked-top-five-theater-venues-worldwide/1012525001/
Owned by the Garripo family in 1937 per their granddaughter.
On page 113 of the book Downtown Chicago’s Historic Theatres by Konrad Schiecke it states that the Theatorium opened at 178 N. State in 1908 with 299 seats, owned by V.C. Seaver. The farthest North of the State Street nickelodians. I believe it was 1907 or just earlier though, because the Theatorium sign appears in Han Behms 1907 photo, and that was the year the clock on the State & Randolph corner of Marshall Fields was installed. The clock is not up yet in the 1907 photo link below. Click on View Full Size for incredible detail. (Either way, it did not open in 1911 as the CT Overview states. It opened in 1907 at the earliest.)
http://www.shorpy.com/node/12701
Undated print ad added via Robert’s World Facebook page. Shows address as 5100 Interstate 55 North.
1940 photo credit Max Lowy-2016 photo credit Stuart Berg added.
The following is credit John Conway via the Local History of Sullivan County, New York Facebook page. (I deleted a paragraph regarding a 2015 bus tour)
RETROSPECT
by John Conway
June 5, 2015
SULLIVAN COUNTY’S FIRST DRIVE-IN
It was June of 1949 and people from Roscoe to Bloomingburgh were all abuzz about an upcoming event that promised to usher in a new era of entertainment in Sullivan County.
Everywhere local residents turned, it seemed, there were announcements about the impending grand opening of the revolutionary Mountain Drive-In in Liberty, the county’s first drive in movie theater.
Although the nation’s first modern drive-in theater had opened for business on June 6, 1933 in Camden, New Jersey, Sullivan County was really not that far behind the times. By 1940 there were still only 18 drive-ins in all of America, and by 1942, still fewer than 100. While there were still fewer than 1000 drive-in theaters in the country by the time Mountain Drive-in opened, the boom was underway, and more than 4,000 drive-ins would be constructed throughout the U.S. before the end of the next decade.
The Mountain Drive-In was the brainchild of Dr. Luther F. Grant, a prominent Liberty physician with a flair for the dramatic. Grant formed a corporation called Mountain Drive-In Theater, Inc. and hired D. Fred Hoffmann, a veteran movie house manager from Baltimore, to oversee the operation. The new venture was located on a tract of land on Route 52 between Liberty and Loch Sheldrake that had once been part of the Vantran farm.
The facility was built and equipped utilizing mostly local vendors, including George Asthalter Excavating, Livingston Manor, Kohler and Leonard lumberyards, Sullivan County Plumbing and Heating Supply, Liberty Electric Supply, and Sabloff Brothers. Propane and gas-fired kitchen equipment was purchased from Benton Brothers Gas Company of Liberty, and concession fare, which included “fresh hot dogs, ice cream, popcorn, soft drinks, candy, milk and chocolate milk,” from Brikers Brothers Wholesale Candy Supply of Liberty and Fairmont Foods Company of Livingston Manor. Liberty brokers Cross & Brown provided insurance coverage.
The Mountain Drive- In was originally designed to accommodate about 520 cars and between 250 and 300 walk-ins, who were able to watch from a separate area. A state-of-the-art sound system was installed that provided for a speaker in every car, each with its own volume control. Admission was 60 cents per person, which included ten cents federal tax.
It wasn’t until less than a week before the grand opening that a feature film was decided upon. In fact, one of the last press releases issued by the theater company touting the opening admitted that no film had yet been picked.
“The county’s first drive-in theater, an outdoor arena in which you may sit in your car and view a movie with your own private amplifier, will open on Saturday of next week, it was announced today by D. Fred Hoffmann, who will manage the theater,” the Liberty Register newspaper reported on June 9. “Just what feature will be shown on opening night Mr. Hoffmann was unable to announce, as arrangements for this are still in process.’
On Thursday, June 16, just two days before the grand opening, the Register ran a large ad announcing that there would actually be “two glorious Technicolor features” shown on opening night. The inaugural film would be “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Turhan Bey. And that would be followed by Claude Rains, Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster in “Phantom of the Opera.”
Few if any filmgoers that first evening would ever realize that though it was totally coincidental, it was a tad ironic, that a Jon Hall film would help make Liberty history. The handsome leading man who was born Charles Felix Locher had a few years previously spent time at the nearby Loomis Sanatorium recovering from tuberculosis.
After a three day engagement, the initial two films were replaced the following Tuesday by the already nearly seven year old John Wayne movie “Pittsburgh” with Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott, as well as the even older Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. adventure, “Green Hell.” The theater’s second weekend would feature Abbott & Costello in the 1942 comedic romp, “Pardon My Sarong.”
It has not been recorded how many people turned out to watch movies “rain or moon” those early days at the Mountain Drive-In, but it was probably substantial, or at least satisfactory. The concept of watching a movie from the privacy of your own vehicle really caught on all over America during the 1950s, and Sullivan County was no exception. While indoor movie theaters were losing favor with the American people—5,000 of them closed down between the years 1948 and 1958—drive-ins were not only becoming more numerous, they were getting bigger, too.
Liberty’s Mountain Drive-In was fairly good sized for a rural area when it opened, but within a few years more and more drive-ins would open that could accommodate thousands, not hundreds of cars. Of course, most of those were in more urban areas, and none were larger than the Troy Drive-In in Detroit, Michigan, which could service up to 3,000 cars. There were two drive-ins on Long Island in the 1950s that could handle 2,500 cars each, one of which covered 28 acres, featuring an indoor viewing area, a full restaurant, a cafeteria and a playground, as well as a shuttle train to ferry customers from one area to the other.
Drive-ins in more rural areas were far less exotic, and were typically built more along the lines of the Mountain or Sullivan County’s only other such venture, the Rock Hill Drive-In, which opened in July of 1950.
“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, the first movie ever shown at the Mountain Drive-In in Liberty, Sullivan County’s first drive-in.
Opened September 15, 1971 in the Monteco East Plaza. 3 newspaper images added.
Rock Hill Drive-In opened on July 1st, 1950. It was located at Route 17 and Glen Wild Road, with entrances on both sides. 4 miles South of Monticello. Operated by Route 17 Drive In Corp. Designed by Lloyd Monroe. First manager was Jack Porte. It closed after the 1977 season. 4 images added credit Brent Starr Sr.
James Theatre matchbook added courtesy of Marty Carlo.
Grand Opening print ad in the Overview reads July 8, 1950.
Link with two 1927 photos of a street car promoting 2 films at the then Strand Theatre.
https://cadl.pastperfectonline.com/archive/8678F6C6-1F04-4F70-8003-347524366380
This history credit the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre.
The first theatre on the site of the Strand Theatre was the Avenue, which opened on January 23, 1907. Later that year the Avenue Theatre became the Orpheum Theatre, managed by Charles and George Hammond. Opening night was October 22, 1907.
The Orpheum was not a plush theatre and it only seated about 100 people, but its Vaudeville shows were the rage of the day. Prices were 5 and 10 cents, with 5 cent seats being chairs in the back and the 10 cent seats being benches up front. For variety, the management changed shows three times a week so there were always new acts appearing on the Orpheum’s stage. It was open every evening at 7:15 and 8:15.
The Orpheum closed on April 15, 1915 and a new theatre, the Strand, was then built on the same site at a cost of $50,000 including $10,000 for a fine pipe organ. It opened the day before Thanksgiving in 1915 with a movie entitled “Graustark,” starring Beverly Bane, Francis X, Bushmane and Edna Mayo. The Strand continued to operate as a movie theatre for 43 years until it closed in 1958 by the owners, the Shea Corporation. Two generations of Guernsey County movie-goers had grown p with fond memories of the Saturday matinees, the serials and the cowboy shows at the Strand.
In 1976, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre was organize under the direction of Don Mercer for the purpose of restoring the Strand Theatre as a place where live theatrical entertainment could again be presented in Cambridge. On September 10, 1977, after almost 20 years of rest, the doors reopened with the musical Gypsy.
Subsequently, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre merged with the Cambridge Community Theater and with funds bequeathed by the late Sara Cowgill, purchased the building. The Strand Theatre has thus become the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre, permanent home of the Cambridge Community Theater.
Live theatrical entertainment will continue to be presented “for the enjoyment and edification of our patrons.”
Harry E. Christiansen was the Civic Theatre projectionist, according to his 2011 obituary below.
https://sheridancountyjournalstar.net/obituaries/item/39-harry-e-christensen
Here is a link to a Facebook post by Sylvia Daniel with 11 photos from 1972 including the projectors. The link will take you to the first of the photos, which you can then scroll through. Her description is below.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215614620665404&set=pcb.1317102741724107&type=3&theater&ifg=1
The Pix Theater on 12th Ave South, was one place I spent many weekend’s at when I was growing up as a teen in the 70’s. The movies, that ticket booth out on the side walk, the old marquee, concessions, peeking into the projector room upstairs on my way to the woman’s restroom, and the cry room are many things I will never forget.
Mary ran the place, and had her “guy’s” handy to toss anybody out that got disorderly. What fun day’s those were. This is one of the many places I had always wished I had pictures of the inside of.
Well yesterday was my lucky day, when I got a blast from the past in an email with these images of the Pix Theatre as we knew it in about 1972. There is a Poseidon Adventure upcoming movie displayed here, which was released in December 1972. Credit’s go to: Ronnie George’s father Marvin George was a Motion Picture Projectionist for years, he worked at most every place around the valley that showed movies, so Ronnie got to see a lot of free movies as he was growing up. How lucky! And how lucky for us that his father Marvin had the good sense to snap some pictures of the inside of the Pix. Who would have really thought to do that back then? We know better now.
THANK YOU again Ronnie George, for sharing these with us. In these images you will see shot’s of the old carbon arc projectors #3939 and #3737. There is one picture of the platter projector that replaced them #215317-r1-08-8. This replaced the old style one’s in the mid seventies. There are various shot’s of the snack bar and lobby. There is one shot to the ladies restroom upstairs. 1/23/18
Here is the CinemaTour page for the Star Theatre. Including 5 Ron Pierce photos. Also below is a link to a photo from the Wikipedia page for the Knights of Pythia Lodge Hall.
https://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/28639.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Pythias_Lodge_Hall(Weiser,Idaho)#/media/File:KNIGHTS_OF_PYTHIAS_LODGE_HALL.jpg
1949 image and business card added. Spelling should be changed to “Theatre”. Closed approximately 1967. As of 2016, the building houses the DeGraff Annex Library & Police Department.
This history credit the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre.
The first theatre on the site of the Strand Theatre was the Avenue, which opened on January 23, 1907. Later that year the Avenue Theatre became the Orpheum Theatre, managed by Charles and George Hammond. Opening night was October 22, 1907.
The Orpheum was not a plush theatre and it only seated about 100 people, but its Vaudeville shows were the rage of the day. Prices were 5 and 10 cents, with 5 cent seats being chairs in the back and the 10 cent seats being benches up front. For variety, the management changed shows three times a week so there were always new acts appearing on the Orpheum’s stage. It was open every evening at 7:15 and 8:15.
The Orpheum closed on April 15, 1915 and a new theatre, the Strand, was then built on the same site at a cost of $50,000 including $10,000 for a fine pipe organ. It opened the day before Thanksgiving in 1915 with a movie entitled “Graustark,” starring Beverly Bane, Francis X, Bushmane and Edna Mayo. The Strand continued to operate as a movie theatre for 43 years until it closed in 1958 by the owners, the Shea Corporation. Two generations of Guernsey County movie-goers had grown p with fond memories of the Saturday matinees, the serials and the cowboy shows at the Strand.
In 1976, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre was organize under the direction of Don Mercer for the purpose of restoring the Strand Theatre as a place where live theatrical entertainment could again be presented in Cambridge. On September 10, 1977, after almost 20 years of rest, the doors reopened with the musical Gypsy.
Subsequently, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre merged with the Cambridge Community Theater and with funds bequeathed by the late Sara Cowgill, puchased the building. The Strand Theatre has thus become the Cambridge Peforming Arts Centre, permanent home of the Cambridge Community Theater.
Live theatrical entertainment will continue to be presented “for the enjoyment and edification of our patrons.”
1952 photo added via David Hathaway.
Eight photos from 1937 and up added. Appears to have closed as a movie theatre in 1990.
Multiple photos from 1910 and up added. The Colonial was the Scottish Rite Building before the 1968 fire. Same Scottish Rite likely that is today in the former State Theatre building up the street on Wheeling Avenue.
Mid `40s photo added via Dave Holdren. It shows the theatre was actually next door to the right of the previously posted photo in the Overview. Cort Theatre address was 804 Wheeling Ave. After closing it became Morton’s Millenary Shop. (source of the address confirmation) Huntington Bank is at that address today. So it was either demolished or radically modified.
Via Andrew Charles: Live Album “Ultimate Revenge 2” recorded @ the Troc 1988. Featuring Death, Dark Angel Forbidden, Raven and Philly’s own Faith or Fear. (Apparently video was recorded as well)
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Ultimate-Revenge-2/release/2759739