Might as well list this as demolished. The shape of the building is completely different. Maybe some of the side wall still exists with windows knocked into it?
I’m not sure where this would have been. It doesn’t appear on either the 1918 or 1925 maps. The only businesses on Buchannon St (which Google incorrectly calls an avenue, and which the old maps render as ‘Buchanan’) were the still extant garage at the corner with Mt. Morris (then known as Washington), and some small stores across the street. It does appear from the satellite view that there are two buildings on the north side west of Cherry Alley which are large enough to have held a very small theater, but without a streetview, it’s very unclear what they are. One of them appears to be one of the old wooden stores, the other looks larger and ‘newer’.
I don’t think this is demolished. There’s a park where the McCrory’s was, but the Academy was on the end of a large building that is now part of the University of MD system. Count the windows, and you’ll see it’s still there.
This theater was built in 1940 by William Dalke. As Ken noted, the Dalke family owned several other theaters in the county. The additional auditoriums were added in the ‘70s or '80s. Although most of the Dalke chain fell victim to TV and larger theaters in nearby cities, this theater apparently never closed, and was sold in 2008 to the Garman family. The current marquee appears to be the remains of the original, which had a tall blade on top.
According to the NRHP listing for downtown, this was built in 1929, although they agree that it didn’t open until 1934. Builders were Roth Enterprises. The 1924 map shows a 2-story brick building with an identical footprint as the current building, but used as a dealership. The building is in good shape today, and has been a restaurant for at least the past 14 years. Not sure why the photo is not displayed.
Address was 406 S Queen. This theater was definitely open by 1925, in the Hotel Williams. This part of the block is not shown on the 1914 map. What may be the theater is visible on streetview up to 2009, but this entire block has been turned into a park.
This theater was definitely already open in 1925, but the building doesn’t appear on the 1914 map. It may have been built as an investment by a fraternal order, since the third floor was a lodge hall, above offices on the second.
102 was never a theater. That pent tile roof was popular until the ‘20s at least, and there are two buildings on E Gordon St with the same feature. 102 was under construction in 1901, and is shown as a store through 1925.
This building was built around 1910, and was originally a hardware store. The 1988 NRHP listing says it was open from the ‘40s to the '60s. Around 1970, it got a trashy metal facade, but this was was removed around 2009.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jan 2, 2023 at 4:31 pm
Sunset is an avenue, not a street. I don’t think it’s really necessary to add in the long form on my entries. At least in American English, if I say ‘Corner of 6th and Main’, everyone knows exactly what that means.
This theater was in a wooden Odd Fellows hall, belonging to the black lodge. The 1907 map does not show this part of the block, but the building, a simple structure, appears on the 1912 map. By 1917, it is noted as showing movies. The corner is a vacant lot on the 1956 map, and the gas station looks like it must have been built shortly thereafter.
Building originally ended about where the front of the stage is. The original balcony was much closer to the front of the building, and more of a ‘U’ shape.
Can anyone explain the Montgomery Ward ornamentation? It does look vaguely like the style of building Ward’s was putting up around the early 20s, but it is pretty small. It’s also an odd location for them to build the store, since I assume they would have avoided a black neighborhood in preference for a downtown location on Main.
Since the old picture is missing, I uploaded one I took years ago, while remodeling was nearly complete. All I’m willing to say is that it’s a picture of the theater at 150 E Thomas. Pretty sure it’s the Manhattan, but it might be the Ritz, or maybe they really were the same thing?
I should note that the NRHP listing only calls this the Manhattan, and that Chuck’s listings are often riddled with errors.
The NRHP listing makes no mention of a Ritz at all, and Joe’s information suggests it was on the south side of the street.
The E/W conflict is strange, as this was never W Thomas. It’s shown simply as Thomas in 1896-1901, and by 1907, the E/W division is at the railroad.
118 W Thomas on the 1917 Map is a house, which by 1956 had become 122, there then being no 118 at all. A 133 W Thomas address never existed. 101 was the only address on W Thomas at all in 1917, and it was a small garage likely belonging to a house at 198 N Main. In 1956, that garage had become a little shop with a 125 address, and the rest of the block belonged to the church on N Church St. Even on the 1956 map, W Thomas is almost entirely residential. The south side of the block of E Thomas where the Manhattan and Booker-T are was a huge tobacco warehouse.
Things have been moved around a lot, or rather the numbers have. Both the 1956 map and the 2008 NRHP listing have the address as 122, but it was changed when the theater was remodeled. It’s currently a computer repair business, with small business spaces in the rear of the building, which have their own entrances in the east wall. If anyone can find the original 1980 NRHP photos, they apparently show it with a marquee, which had been torn off by 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, nearly the entire block, which was composed of derelict one story commercial buildings of no particular architectural value, was demolished, and the theater was restored and given the 150 address.
Due to the coverage gap in maps, all I can offer to the Manhattan/Ritz issue is that the block was almost entirely empty on the 1917 map. The 1956 map shows 118, just west of the theater, to be a large one story restaurant, wider than the theater, with an awning on the front. It’s possible this was the original (only?) Manhattan.
The correct current address is 218 S West Main. The theater was located in the northernmost of three storefronts in a two story commercial building that was part of a rapid building out of this block between 1907 (when there was one building at each end and almost nothing between) and 1912, when it is shown on the Sanborn as an ‘Electric Theatre’. It appears on the 1917 map as a ‘Picture Show’, with an address of 212. By 1956, long after it closed, it had the current address. The building today is abandoned, and this section has the storefront boarded over.
Assuming that the address is correct, this was located in a building constructed sometime between 1896 and 1901, when it is shown as a hardware store. The 1917 map shows it as a jewelry store. There’s a big gap, with the 1956 update to the 1923 map being the next available online. The theater’s existence would have fallen in this gap. At any rate, by 1956, it is shown as two stores, a very small storefront having been added on the north side. Judging from the style, this may date from the early ‘20s. The main storefront to the south is definitely postwar, probably the '50s.
750 seems a bit large for this building, even assuming that a balcony was added. Looking at the rear from Howard St, it’s not nearly as deep as its neighbors, and the rear wall appears original to the 1900-ish construction.
As far as I can tell, all that happened in the switch from having one Main St to two was that all the evens ended up on West Main, and the odds became East Main. The address numbers only made slight changes to accommodate new construction. This building originally had a 128 S Main address. If anyone can confirm that this is the correct current address, I’ll add a picture.
The address is rendered incorrectly. There is a West and East Market on either side of the railroad tracks, and they each have N or S addresses. Therefore, this should be N West Market.
Here’s the new website: https://thereidsvilleshowcase.com/
We should update the listing to show when it originally opened. The 1929 remodel was pretty extensive. I’ve added the 1922 Sanborn. It replaced an older store on the 1914 map. Note that the original address was 105-107.
Might as well list this as demolished. The shape of the building is completely different. Maybe some of the side wall still exists with windows knocked into it?
I’m not sure where this would have been. It doesn’t appear on either the 1918 or 1925 maps. The only businesses on Buchannon St (which Google incorrectly calls an avenue, and which the old maps render as ‘Buchanan’) were the still extant garage at the corner with Mt. Morris (then known as Washington), and some small stores across the street. It does appear from the satellite view that there are two buildings on the north side west of Cherry Alley which are large enough to have held a very small theater, but without a streetview, it’s very unclear what they are. One of them appears to be one of the old wooden stores, the other looks larger and ‘newer’.
I don’t think this is demolished. There’s a park where the McCrory’s was, but the Academy was on the end of a large building that is now part of the University of MD system. Count the windows, and you’ll see it’s still there.
This theater was built in 1940 by William Dalke. As Ken noted, the Dalke family owned several other theaters in the county. The additional auditoriums were added in the ‘70s or '80s. Although most of the Dalke chain fell victim to TV and larger theaters in nearby cities, this theater apparently never closed, and was sold in 2008 to the Garman family. The current marquee appears to be the remains of the original, which had a tall blade on top.
Demolished. Site is now an addition to the library, dating from 2000. One of the photos should be displayed.
According to the NRHP listing for downtown, this was built in 1929, although they agree that it didn’t open until 1934. Builders were Roth Enterprises. The 1924 map shows a 2-story brick building with an identical footprint as the current building, but used as a dealership. The building is in good shape today, and has been a restaurant for at least the past 14 years. Not sure why the photo is not displayed.
Address was 406 S Queen. This theater was definitely open by 1925, in the Hotel Williams. This part of the block is not shown on the 1914 map. What may be the theater is visible on streetview up to 2009, but this entire block has been turned into a park.
This theater was definitely already open in 1925, but the building doesn’t appear on the 1914 map. It may have been built as an investment by a fraternal order, since the third floor was a lodge hall, above offices on the second.
102 was never a theater. That pent tile roof was popular until the ‘20s at least, and there are two buildings on E Gordon St with the same feature. 102 was under construction in 1901, and is shown as a store through 1925.
Three copies of the same photo, none of which can possibly be a theater destroyed in 1921, as all the vehicles are from the mid-‘20s to late '30s.
This building was built around 1910, and was originally a hardware store. The 1988 NRHP listing says it was open from the ‘40s to the '60s. Around 1970, it got a trashy metal facade, but this was was removed around 2009.
Sunset is an avenue, not a street. I don’t think it’s really necessary to add in the long form on my entries. At least in American English, if I say ‘Corner of 6th and Main’, everyone knows exactly what that means.
This theater was in a wooden Odd Fellows hall, belonging to the black lodge. The 1907 map does not show this part of the block, but the building, a simple structure, appears on the 1912 map. By 1917, it is noted as showing movies. The corner is a vacant lot on the 1956 map, and the gas station looks like it must have been built shortly thereafter.
Building originally ended about where the front of the stage is. The original balcony was much closer to the front of the building, and more of a ‘U’ shape.
In the third paragraph, you’ve added an apostrophe to Masons, which is incorrect.
Can anyone explain the Montgomery Ward ornamentation? It does look vaguely like the style of building Ward’s was putting up around the early 20s, but it is pretty small. It’s also an odd location for them to build the store, since I assume they would have avoided a black neighborhood in preference for a downtown location on Main.
Since the old picture is missing, I uploaded one I took years ago, while remodeling was nearly complete. All I’m willing to say is that it’s a picture of the theater at 150 E Thomas. Pretty sure it’s the Manhattan, but it might be the Ritz, or maybe they really were the same thing?
Correct address should be 184 N West Main. There is no 180 at all on the 1956 map.
I should note that the NRHP listing only calls this the Manhattan, and that Chuck’s listings are often riddled with errors.
The NRHP listing makes no mention of a Ritz at all, and Joe’s information suggests it was on the south side of the street.
The E/W conflict is strange, as this was never W Thomas. It’s shown simply as Thomas in 1896-1901, and by 1907, the E/W division is at the railroad.
118 W Thomas on the 1917 Map is a house, which by 1956 had become 122, there then being no 118 at all. A 133 W Thomas address never existed. 101 was the only address on W Thomas at all in 1917, and it was a small garage likely belonging to a house at 198 N Main. In 1956, that garage had become a little shop with a 125 address, and the rest of the block belonged to the church on N Church St. Even on the 1956 map, W Thomas is almost entirely residential. The south side of the block of E Thomas where the Manhattan and Booker-T are was a huge tobacco warehouse.
Things have been moved around a lot, or rather the numbers have. Both the 1956 map and the 2008 NRHP listing have the address as 122, but it was changed when the theater was remodeled. It’s currently a computer repair business, with small business spaces in the rear of the building, which have their own entrances in the east wall. If anyone can find the original 1980 NRHP photos, they apparently show it with a marquee, which had been torn off by 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, nearly the entire block, which was composed of derelict one story commercial buildings of no particular architectural value, was demolished, and the theater was restored and given the 150 address.
Due to the coverage gap in maps, all I can offer to the Manhattan/Ritz issue is that the block was almost entirely empty on the 1917 map. The 1956 map shows 118, just west of the theater, to be a large one story restaurant, wider than the theater, with an awning on the front. It’s possible this was the original (only?) Manhattan.
No address, no nothing. This is a really terrible listing.
The correct current address is 218 S West Main. The theater was located in the northernmost of three storefronts in a two story commercial building that was part of a rapid building out of this block between 1907 (when there was one building at each end and almost nothing between) and 1912, when it is shown on the Sanborn as an ‘Electric Theatre’. It appears on the 1917 map as a ‘Picture Show’, with an address of 212. By 1956, long after it closed, it had the current address. The building today is abandoned, and this section has the storefront boarded over.
This may have opened a bit earlier. The July 1912 map shows it (rather simplified) with a note ‘To Be Vaudeville Theatre (From Plans)’.
Assuming that the address is correct, this was located in a building constructed sometime between 1896 and 1901, when it is shown as a hardware store. The 1917 map shows it as a jewelry store. There’s a big gap, with the 1956 update to the 1923 map being the next available online. The theater’s existence would have fallen in this gap. At any rate, by 1956, it is shown as two stores, a very small storefront having been added on the north side. Judging from the style, this may date from the early ‘20s. The main storefront to the south is definitely postwar, probably the '50s.
750 seems a bit large for this building, even assuming that a balcony was added. Looking at the rear from Howard St, it’s not nearly as deep as its neighbors, and the rear wall appears original to the 1900-ish construction.
As far as I can tell, all that happened in the switch from having one Main St to two was that all the evens ended up on West Main, and the odds became East Main. The address numbers only made slight changes to accommodate new construction. This building originally had a 128 S Main address. If anyone can confirm that this is the correct current address, I’ll add a picture.
The address is rendered incorrectly. There is a West and East Market on either side of the railroad tracks, and they each have N or S addresses. Therefore, this should be N West Market.
Here’s the new website: https://thereidsvilleshowcase.com/
We should update the listing to show when it originally opened. The 1929 remodel was pretty extensive. I’ve added the 1922 Sanborn. It replaced an older store on the 1914 map. Note that the original address was 105-107.