Hunterdon Theatre
Route 31 and Church Street,
Flemington,
NJ
08822
Route 31 and Church Street,
Flemington,
NJ
08822
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I had hoped to have more information before submitting this theatre. And it came last night in the mail. In the March 2005 issue of Hunterdon Life magazine (a local freebie), the theatre is featured in the centerfold. And what a centerfold she was. The photo is timeless. Although “On Golden Pond†is shown on the marquee, at a quick glance the photo could easily be from the 50s or 60s.
The theater was built by Alvin Sloan, partner is St. Cloud Amusement Corp. The company owned the St. Cloud theater in Washington DC and about a dozen others in NJ. There was a shortage of steam beams during WWII, so the curved roof is supported by laminated wood beams. The architect who came up with this idea was Edwin Weed.
Sloan didn’t like the smell of popcorn, so the theatre didn’t sell any until 1946, when Brandt Theaters began to lease the theatre. They leased it for the next 25 years. In 1969, the 100 seat smoking loge was added and the ventilation system upgraded. The theatre officially closed its doors on September 16, 1993, after a 9:30 pm showing of The Fugitive. As previously reported, Coat World, part of Flemington Furs, leased the building immediately thereafter until about 2001. The current owner is Eagle Properties.
Today, that infamous curved roof is painted aquamarine.
Found this interesting fact on the web: The Annual Meeting of stockholders of The American Tobacco Company was held at the Hunterdon Theatre on April 2, 1958. This was a New York based company. Perhaps someone on the board of directors had ties with Flemington.
The Hunterdon was built in 1941-42 and had a small balcony with rocking chairs where smoking was permitted. The stately red brick landmark theater closed in September 1993.
As indicated above, its future is bleak. It seated approximately 800.